SPARTANBURG COUNTY 5/14/12
Date Formed:  1785 Spartanburg,Spartanburg,Spartanburg,Spartanburg
Land Area (square miles): 811
County Seat: Spartanburg
Other Cities and Towns: Campobello, Central Pacolet, Chesnee, Cowpens, Duncan, Greer, Inman, Landrum, Lyman, Pacolet, Pacolet Mills, Wellford, Woodruff
Form of Government: Council-Administrator
Council Members: 7
Method of Election Single Member/ Chair at Large
Term Length 4 years
Council of Government:  Appalachian
County History
Spartanburg County and its county seat were named for the Spartan Regiment, a local militia unit that fought in the Revolutionary War. The county was formed in 1785 as a part of Ninety Six District, and from 1791 to 1799 it was part of Pinckney District. A part of Spartanburg County later went to form Cherokee County in 1897. European settlers, primarily Scotch-Irish, began moving into this area from Pennsylvania and Virginia in the late eighteenth century. For many years the primary occupations were small scale cattle raising and cotton farming. Areas with mineral springs, such as Glenn Springs, were also popular summer resorts for lowcountry residents. Following the Civil War, textile manufacturing became the dominant industry, and Spartanburg County remains an important manufacturing center today. Some well known Spartanburg residents are hymn writer and publisher William Walker (1809-1875), U.S. Army General William C. Westmoreland, and industrialist Roger Milliken.
Population Trends Value Rank Value Rank
Census Population 1990 226,800 4 Numeric Change Census 1990-2010 57,507 7
Census Population 2000 253,791 4 Numeric Change Pop. Est. 2010-2011 2,076 9
Census Population 2010 284,307 4 Percent Change Pop. Est. 2010-2011 0.7% 12
Population Estimate 2010 284,792 4 Persons Per Square Mile 350.6 5
Population Estimate 2011 286,868 4
Economic Data Value Rank Value Rank
Jobs 2010 120,065 4 Personal Income 2010, in thousands $8,811,156 5
Jobs 2009 120,980 4 Per Capita Personal Income  2010 $30,939 17
Jobs 2008 120,065 4 % of U.S. Per Capita PI 2010 77% 17
Avg. Ann. Growth Rate Jobs 1990-2010 0.2% 18 Average Wage Per Job 2010 $41,586 8
Percent Change Jobs 2009-2010 -0.8% 20 % of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2010 88% 8
Numeric Change Jobs 2009-2010 -915 41 Unemployment Rate 2011 10.4% 29
Tax Data Value Value
Assessed Property 2010 $1,028,345,099 Per Capita Assessed Property 2010 $3,617
County Base Millage Rate 2011 0.0794 Additional Sales Tax, if applicable
Value of One Mil 2011 $956,267 Local Option Sales Tax  
Net Taxable Sales FY10 $2,524,425,312 Capital Projects Sales Tax  
Admissions Tax Collected FY10 $684,948 School District Sales Tax  
Accommodations Tax Collected FY10 $659,444 Transportation Sales Tax  
County Finance & Employment Data Value
Total Revenues FY10 $155,230,392 Value
Total Expenditures FY10 $149,696,862 Per Capita Revenues FY10 $546
General Fund Budget FY12 $81,143,000 Per Capita Expenditures FY10 $527
Total Debt Outstanding FY11 $61,625,000 Per Capita Gen. Fund Budget FY12 $285
Payroll FY12 $81,997,282 Per Capita Debt Outstanding FY11 $215
Full-Time Employees FY12 1,403 Credit Rating(s) FY11
Part-Time Employees FY12 116 Moody's: Aa3
Full-Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents 4.93 Standard & Poor: AA
Fitch: AA