KERSHAW COUNTY 2/2/2010
Date Formed:  1791
Land Area (square miles): 726
County Seat: Camden
Other Cities and Towns:
Bethune, Elgin
Form of Government: Council-Administrator
Council Members: 7
Method of Election Single Member/ Chair at Large
Term Length 4 years
Council of Government:  Santee Lynches
County History
Kershaw County was named for Joseph Kershaw (1727-1791), an early settler. Originally part of Camden District, Kershaw County was formed in 1791 from parts of Claremont, Lancaster, Fairfield, and Richland counties. The county seat is Camden, which is the oldest inland city in South Carolina. This site was settled around 1732 by English traders and farmers who moved inland from Charleston. During the Revolutionary War the British occupied Camden from June 1780 to May 1781. Fourteen battles took place in the area, including the Battle of Camden (August 16, 1780) and the Battle of Hobkirk Hill (April 25, 1781). Kershaw County later produced six Confederate generals: Joseph Brevard Kershaw (1822-1894), James Chesnut (1815-1885), James Cantey (1818-1873), Zack Cantey Deas (1819-1882), John Bordenave Villepigue (1830-1862), and John Doby Kennedy (1840-1896). Union troops under General Sherman burned parts of Camden in February 1865. Statesman and financier Bernard M. Baruch (1870-1965) and labor leader Lane Kirkland were born in Kershaw County. 
Population Trends Value Rank Value Rank
Population 1980:  39,015 24 Numeric Change 1980-2000:  13,632 18
Population 1990:  43,599 24 Numeric Change 2000-2008: 6,254 15
Population 2000:  52,647 23 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:  1.74% 11
Population Estimate 2007:  58,138 23 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 2000-2008:  1.48% 11
Population Estimate 2008: 58,901 23 Percent Change 2006-2008: 1.30% 15
Persons Per Square Mile 2008:  81.1 23
Economic Data Value Rank Value Rank
Jobs 1980:  16,191 21 Personal Income (PI) 2007: $1,850,788 21
Jobs 1990:  18,058 24 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate (PI) 1969-2007: 8.0% 11
Jobs 2000:  19,556 24 Per Capita Personal Income  2007: $31,834 8
Jobs 2006: 20,030 23 % of U.S. PCPI 2007: 82% 8
Jobs 2007: 20,216 23 Average Wage Per Job 2007: $31,669 24
Numeric Change Jobs 2006-2007: 186 22 % of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2007:  72% 24
Avg Ann Growth Rate Jobs 1980-2000:  1.04% 26 Unemployment Rate 2007: 6.6% 35
Avg Ann Growth Rate Jobs 2000-2007: 0.48% 12 Avg. Unemployment 1998-2007:  5.7% 31
Tax Data Value Rank Value Rank
Assessed Property 2007: $200,636,067 22 Per Capita Assessed Property 2007: $3,811 19
County Base Millage Rate 2009: 0.0737 35 Additional Sales Tax (if applicable) 
Value of One Mil 2009: $204,898 20 Local Option Sales Tax: 1.0%
Millage Cap FY10: 5.2% 15 Capital Projects Sales Tax:  
Net Taxable Sales FY07: $375,779,668 23 School District Sales Tax:  
Admissions Tax Collected FY07: $33,953 28 Transportation Sales Tax:  
Accommodations Tax Collected FY07:  $113,913 22
Financial & Employment Data Value Rank Value Rank
Total Revenues FY08: $25,975,912 26 Per Capita Revenues FY08: $493 38
Total Expenditures FY08: $27,286,643 25 Per Capita Expenditures FY08: $518 34
General Fund Budget FY10:  $20,858,544 23 Per Capita General Fund Budget FY10: $396 28
Total Debt Outstanding FY08: $10,124,548 25 Per Capita Debt Outstanding FY08: $173 16
Payroll FY 2008: $9,656,389 25 Credit Rating(s) FY08
Full-Time Employees FY10:  276 26 Moody's: A2
Part-Time Employees FY10: 76 17 Standard & Poor: A
Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:   5.24 38 Fitch: A+
updated  2/2/2010