KERSHAW COUNTY 5/13/11
Date Formed:  1791 Kershaw,Kershaw
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 1990 43,599 24 Numeric Change 1990-2010 18,098 16
Population 2000 52,647 23 Numeric Change 2009-2010 552 15
Population 2010 61,697 22 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1990-2010 1.7% 11
Population Estimate 2009 60,042 23
Population Estimate 2010 60,594 22 Percent Change 2009-2010 0.9% 12
Persons Per Square Mile 2010 85.0 22
Economic Data Value Rank Value Rank
Jobs 1980 16,191 21 Personal Income (PI) 2008, in thousands $1,972,865 21
Jobs 1990 18,058 24 Avg. An. Growth Rate PI 1969-2008 7.9% 12
Jobs 2000 19,556 24 Per Capita Personal Income  2008 $33,264 9
Jobs 2007 19,982 23 % of U.S. Per Capita PI 2008 83% 9
Jobs 2008 18,948 23 Average Wage Per Job 2008 $34,723 22
Avg. Ann. Growth Rate Jobs 1980-2000 1.0% 26 % of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2008 76% 22
Avg. Ann. Growth Rate Jobs 2000-2008 -0.4% 19 Unemployment Rate 2009 11.0% 34
Numeric Change Jobs 2007-2008 -1,034 40 Avg. Ann. Unemployment 2000-2009 6.4% 33
Tax Data Value Rank Value Rank
Assessed Property 2008 $198,839,502 22 Per Capita Assessed Property 2008 $3,777 22
County Base Millage Rate 2010 0.0745 34 Additional Sales Tax, if applicable
Value of One Mil 2010 $206,194 20 Local Option Sales Tax 1.0%
Millage Cap FY11 1.2% 13 Capital Projects Sales Tax  
Net Taxable Sales FY08 $385,554,486 22 School District Sales Tax  
Admissions Tax Collected FY08 $35,854 25 Transportation Sales Tax  
Accommodations Tax Collected FY08 $122,292 22
County Finance & Employment Data Value Rank Value Rank
Total Revenues FY09 $25,915,573 27 Per Capita Revenues FY09 $492 38
Total Expenditures FY09 $23,428,243 30 Per Capita Expenditures FY09 $445 43
General Fund Budget FY11 $20,858,544 23 Per Capita Gen. Fund Budget FY11 $396 26
Total Debt Outstanding FY09 $7,857,119 26 Per Capita Debt Outstanding FY09 $141 23
Payroll FY11 $9,656,389 25 Credit Rating(s) FY09
Full-Time Employees FY11 276 25 Moody's: A2
Part-Time Employees FY11 76 18 Standard & Poor: A
Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents 4.47 42 Fitch: