Chesterfield County, South Carolina

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Chesterfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 43,273.<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/> Its county seat is Chesterfield.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The largest community in the county is Cheraw. It is located north of the Midlands, in the Pee Dee region, on the border with North Carolina.

History

The county is named for Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, a British politician who opposed the Stamp Act of 1765, which was deeply unpopular in South Carolina, and who was known for always speaking up for the rights of the colonists while he was serving in the British Parliament and when he served as British Secretary of State.<ref>History of Chesterfield County, South Carolina by Yates Snowden pg. 3</ref>

The county was formed in 1785, but was part of what was then known as Cheraws District until 1800, at which time Chesterfield became a district itself. In the 1700s, the area that would become Chesterfield County was settled primarily by immigrants from England and Wales, as well as by smaller numbers of immigrants from County Antrim, Ireland, in what has since become Northern Ireland. Northern Irish immigrants were overwhelmingly Presbyterians of Scottish descent, due to the fact that they were from Ireland but were of Scottish origins. They were referred to by the rest of colonial society as "Scotch-Irish" however this was not a term they self-applied, preferring to refer to themselves as "Ulstermen" or "Irish Presbyterians."<ref>History of Chesterfield County, South Carolina by Yates Snowden pg. 49</ref> Under the post-American Civil War (1861–1865) state constitution of 1867, passed during the Reconstruction era, South Carolina districts became counties with home rule.

On April 10, 2020, a case of Influenza A virus subtype H7N3 was confirmed in what The Post and Courier described as "a commercial turkey flock" which resulted in the disinfecting & quarantine of the farm.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This is the 1st confirmed case of H7N3 in the United States since another case was found in Lincoln County, Tennessee on March 5, 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Four days later on April 14, a second case was confirmed at a turkey farm in Jefferson, South Carolina resulting in the euthanization of 32,000 turkeys.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Clemson University released the map of the control area for the first turkey farm infected by the virus on May 4.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

Template:Maplink According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.83%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

National protected area

Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge

State and local protected areas

Angelus Wildlife Management Area<ref name="SCDNR Public Lands">Template:Cite web</ref>
Campbells Crossroads Wildlife Management Area<ref name="SCDNR Public Lands"/>
Cheraw State Park
H. Cooper Black Jr. Memorial Field Trial and Recreation Area
McBee Wildlife Management Area<ref name="SCDNR Public Lands"/>
Sand Hills State Forest
Sand Hills State Forest Wildlife Management Area<ref name="SCDNR Public Lands"/>
Sugarloaf Mountain Recreation Area

Major water bodies

Adjacent counties

Anson County, North Carolina – north
Richmond County, North Carolina – northeast
Union County, North Carolina – northwest
Marlboro County – east
Darlington County – southeast
Kershaw County – southwest
Lancaster County – west

Major highways

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Major infrastructure

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

Chesterfield County racial composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	25,829	59.69%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	13,150	30.39%
Native American	184	0.43%
Asian	269	0.62%
Pacific Islander	4	0.01%
Other/Mixed	1,751	4.05%
Hispanic or Latino	2,086	4.82%

As of the 2020 census, there were 43,273 people, 17,900 households, and 12,399 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 46,734 people, 18,173 households, and 12,494 families living in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 21,482 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 62.8% white, 32.6% black or African American, 0.5% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 2.0% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.6% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1"/> In terms of ancestry, 16.3% were American, 6.8% were English, 6.0% were German, and 5.9% were Irish.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 18,173 households, 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.2% were non-families, and 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age was 39.3 years.<ref name="census-dp1"/>

The median income for a household in the county was $32,979 and the median income for a family was $41,225. Males had a median income of $35,965 versus $26,881 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,162. About 17.6% of families and 22.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.6% of those under age 18 and 18.0% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref>

2000 census

At the 2000 census,<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 42,768 people, 16,557 households, and 11,705 families living in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 18,818 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 64.34% White, 33.22% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 2.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 16,557 households, out of which 33.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.60% were married couples living together, 16.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 25.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.60% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,483, and the median income for a family was $36,200. Males had a median income of $30,205 versus $20,955 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,233. About 16.70% of families and 20.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.70% of those under age 18 and 24.20% of those age 65 or over.

Law and Government

Politics

After the 2020 Redistricting Cycle, the South Carolina House of Representatives, Chesterfield County is located in South Carolina's 53rd, 54th, and 65th House districts and is represented by Republican Richie Yow in the 53rd, Democrat Representative Patricia Moore "Pat" Henegan in the 54th, and Republican Representative Cody Mitchell in the 65th. In the South Carolina Senate, Chesterfield is located in Senate district 27 and 29. It was represented by Democrat, and former 2010 candidate for governor, Vincent Sheheen, in District 27 until 2020. The district is now represented by Republican Penry Gustavson.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the US House of Representatives, Chesterfield County is entirely located in South Carolina's Template:Ushr. As of the 2022 House elections, it is represented by Republican Russell Fry, who comes from Horry County. Chesterfield County was formerly located in South Carolina's Template:Ushr which was one of the seats that the Democrats lost to the Republicans during the 2010 election; before the 2010 election, congressman John M. Spratt had represented the district since 1983 but was defeated 55% to 45% by Republican Mick Mulvaney in 2010.

Law enforcement

As of 2023, the current sheriff is Cambo Streater.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2014, Sheriff Sam Parker was found guilty of charges that he used inmates for personal work and provided them contraband such as alcohol and an iPad. He was sentenced to two years of prison.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Economy

In 2022, the GDP of Chesterfield County was $1.7 billion (about $38,443 per capita).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This is a real GDP of $1.4 billion (approx. $31,029 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2022 through 2024, the unemployment rate has fluctuated between 2-4.5%.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:As of, some of the top employers in the county include Black+Decker, Chesterfield County School District, Crown Holdings, McLeod Health, Northeastern Technical College, and Walmart.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Employment and Wage Statistics by Industry in Chesterfield County, South Carolina<ref name=":0" />
Industry	Employment Counts	Employment Percentage (%)	Average Annual Wage ($)
Accommodation and Food Services	974	7.3	15,652
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	584	4.4	49,868
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	292	2.2	41,236
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	36	0.3	21,320
Construction	510	3.8	40,560
Finance and Insurance	186	1.4	51,688
Health Care and Social Assistance	1,401	10.5	49,244
Information	149	1.1	60,372
Manufacturing	4,786	35.8	56,888
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction	96	0.7	66,924
Other Services (except Public Administration)	226	1.7	38,324
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	132	1.0	45,448
Public Administration	630	4.7	38,636
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	46	0.3	37,544
Retail Trade	1,232	9.2	28,340
Transportation and Warehousing	1,655	12.4	55,796
Utilities	117	0.9	69,160
Wholesale Trade	300	2.2	56,108
Total	13,352	100.0%	47,713

Education

The county's youth are educated through the Chesterfield County School District. The South Point Christian School is a private school in Pageland that offers Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Northeastern Technical College has branches in Pageland and Cheraw.

High schools

Central High School, Pageland
Cheraw High School, Cheraw
Chesterfield High School, Chesterfield
McBee High School, McBee

Middle schools

Chesterfield/Ruby Middle School, Chesterfield/Ruby
Long Middle School, Cheraw
New Heights Middle School, Jefferson

Elementary schools

Cheraw Intermediate School, Cheraw
Edwards Elementary School, Chesterfield
Jefferson Elementary School, Jefferson
McBee Elementary School, McBee
Pageland Elementary School, Pageland
Plainview Elementary School, Plainview
Ruby Elementary School, Ruby

Primary schools

Cheraw Primary School, Cheraw
Petersburg Primary School, Pageland

Culture

Chesterfield County supports several fine arts organizations ranging from High School Marching Bands to community theatres to municipal arts commissions.

The Central High Sound of Central
The Cheraw Tribe Marching Band
The Chesterfield Marching Pride
The Spirit of McBee High Marching Band
The Cheraw Arts Commission
The Chesterfield Arts Commission

Recreation

Chesterfield County features many different types of recreation. Although each town varies in its offerings, facilities such as baseball and softball fields, walking tracks, parks, and other outdoor areas are common throughout the area. Golf is extremely popular and many local courses are frequented by visitors from throughout the region. There is a lot of hunting and fishing in the swamps of the Black Creek and Lake Robinson.

Communities

Towns