2/2/2010

Date Formed:

1785

Land Area (square miles):

682

County Seat:

York

Other Cities and Towns:

Clover, Fort Mill, Hickory Grove, McConnells, Rock Hill, Sharon, Smyrna, Tega Cay

Form of Government:

Council-Manager

Council Members:

Method of Election

Single Member

Term Length

2 years

Council of Government:

Catawba

County History

York County and its county seat were named for York County, Pennsylvania. The county was first established in 1785 as part of Camden District. From 1791 to 1800 it was part of Pinckney District, and it became a separate district when Pinckney was dissolved in 1800. Part of the county went to form Cherokee County in 1897. When European settlers arrived, this part of the state was inhabited by the Catawba Indians. The Catawbas signed a treaty with the English in 1763, relinquishing their rights to much of their land. This treaty opened up the area to Scotch-Irish settlers moving down from Pennsylvania and up from the lowcountry. The Catawba Nation is now the only federally-recognized Indian tribe in the state. Two battles were fought in this area during the Revolutionary War, Williamson's Plantation (July 12, 1780) and Kings Mountain (October 7, 1780); the latter battle was a major victory for the Americans. Small-scale cotton farming was prevalent in the county in the nineteenth century, but textile mills became important in the twentieth century, contributing to the growth of the county's largest city, Rock Hill.

Population Trends

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Population 1980:

106,720

Numeric Change 1980-2000:

57,894

Population 1990:

131,497

Numeric Change 2000-2008:

52,834

Population 2000:

164,614

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000:

2.71%

Population Estimate 2007:

208,564

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 2000-2008:

4.01%

Population Estimate 2008:

217,448

Percent Change 2006-2008:

4.09%

Persons Per Square Mile 2008:

318.8

Economic Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Jobs 1980:

41,675

Personal Income (PI) 2007:

$6,804,919

Jobs 1990:

53,360

Avg. Ann. Growth Rate (PI) 1969-2007:

9.2%

Jobs 2000:

67,589

Per Capita Personal Income 2007:

$32,627

Jobs 2006:

78,228

% of U.S. PCPI 2007:

84%

Jobs 2007:

80,575

Average Wage Per Job 2007:

$34,926

Numeric Change Jobs 2006-2007:

2,347

% of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2007:

80%

Avg Ann Growth Rate Jobs 1980-2000

3.11%

Unemployment Rate 2007:

7.2%

Avg Ann Growth Rate Jobs 2000-2007

2.74%

Avg. Unemployment 1998-2007:

5.4%

Tax Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Assessed Property 2007:

$958,147,066

Per Capita Assessed Property 2007:

$5,821

County Base Millage Rate 2009:

0.066

Additional Sales Tax (if applicable)

Value of One Mil 2009:

$1,013,675

Local Option Sales Tax:

Millage Cap FY10:

8.1%

Capital Projects Sales Tax:

1.0%

Net Taxable Sales FY07:

$2,082,123,515

School District Sales Tax:

Admissions Tax Collected FY07:

$1,513,563

Transportation Sales Tax:

Accommodations Tax Collected FY07

$571,786

Financial & Employment Data

Value

Rank

Value

Rank

Total Revenues FY08:

$169,532,092

Per Capita Revenues FY08:

$1,030

Total Expenditures FY08:

$138,406,643

Per Capita Expenditures FY08:

$841

General Fund Budget FY10:

$88,380,698

Per Capita General Fund Budget FY10:

$537

Total Debt Outstanding FY08:

$43,803,150

Per Capita Debt Outstanding FY08:

***

Payroll FY 2008:

$38,842,232

Credit Rating(s) FY08

Full-Time Employees FY10:

926

Moody's:

Aa3

Part-Time Employees FY10:

108

Standard & Poor:

A+

Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:

5.63

Fitch:

AA-

updated

2/2/2010