JASPER COUNTY 5/14/12
Jasper,Jasper,Jasper,Jasper
Date Formed:  1912
Land Area (square miles): 656
County Seat: Ridgeland
Other Cities and Towns: Hardeeville
Form of Government: Council-Administrator
Council Members: 5
Method of Election At Large
Term Length 4 years
Council of Government:  Lowcountry
County History
Jasper County was named for Revolutionary War hero Sergeant William Jasper (ca.1750-1779). The county was formed in 1912 from parts of Beaufort and Hampton counties. This area of the state was the home of the Yemassee and Coosaw Indians until colonial times. In 1732 Swiss-German immigrants led by Jean Pierre Purry established a settlement called Purrysburgh on the Savannah River, but the town did not survive. Other settlers built extensive rice plantations, some of which now form the Savannah River National Wildlife Refuge. Two other towns in the county, Coosawhatchie and Pocotaligo, served at different times as the seat of government for Beaufort District. During the Civil War the Confederate Army defeated federal troops at the Battle of Honey Hill in November 1864. Jasper County was home to Thomas Heyward, Jr. (1746-1809), a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Henry Martyn Robert (1837-1923), author of Robert's Rules of Order.
Population Trends Value Rank Value Rank
Census Population 1990 15,487 43 Numeric Change Census 1990-2010 9,290 21
Census Population 2000 20,678 40 Numeric Change Pop. Est. 2010-2011 238 17
Census Population 2010 24,777 37 Percent Change Pop. Est. 2010-2011 0.9% 10
Population Estimate 2010 24,957 37 Persons Per Square Mile 37.8 40
Population Estimate 2011 25,195 36
Economic Data Value Rank Value Rank
Jobs 2010 8,096 31 Personal Income 2010, in thousands $655,924 38
Jobs 2009 8,405 31 Per Capita Personal Income  2010 $26,282 34
Jobs 2008 8,096 31 % of U.S. Per Capita PI 2010 66% 34
Avg. Ann. Growth Rate Jobs 1990-2010 4.2% 1 Average Wage Per Job 2010 $33,381 29
Percent Change Jobs 2009-2010 -3.7% 37 % of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2010 71% 29
Numeric Change Jobs 2009-2010 -309 28 Unemployment Rate 2011 9.8% 35
Tax Data Value Value
Assessed Property 2010 $125,693,653 Per Capita Assessed Property 2010 $5,073
County Base Millage Rate 2011 0.145 Additional Sales Tax, if applicable
Value of One Mil 2011 $95,000 Local Option Sales Tax 1.0%
Net Taxable Sales FY10 $266,846,512 Capital Projects Sales Tax Ended 11-02
Admissions Tax Collected FY10 $32,208 School District Sales Tax  
Accommodations Tax Collected FY10 $219,232 Transportation Sales Tax  
County Finance & Employment Data Value
Total Revenues FY10 $23,676,653 Value
Total Expenditures FY10 $28,033,845 Per Capita Revenues FY10 $956
General Fund Budget FY12 $21,486,884 Per Capita Expenditures FY10 $1,131
Total Debt Outstanding FY11 $19,942,682 Per Capita Gen. Fund Budget FY12 $867
Payroll FY12 $8,432,500 Per Capita Debt Outstanding FY11 $858
Full-Time Employees FY12 247 Credit Rating(s) FY11
Part-Time Employees FY12 50 Moody's:  
Full-Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents 9.97 Standard & Poor: A+
Fitch: