Is higher pay on the way? Chester County’s economic growth is reaching its citizens.
For the past four decades, Chester County, S.C., has been in an economic slump.
Textile mills that once were the county’s economic foundation now mostly sit decayed. Cheap labor abroad and more sophisticated technology were among several factors that knocked out the textile industry by the early 2000s.
So people in the county have struggled, and the population has declined by 2.8% in the last 10 years.
Census data from 2019 shows that 17.7% of people in Chester live below the poverty line — that’s about 5,707 people out of the total 32,244 Chester residents.
Employment in Chester dropped 8% from 2019 to 2020, data shows.
But these numbers don’t mean the story of Chester County ended when the textile mills closed.
Chester’s economy has taken a turn for the better.
New businesses bringing jobs, money
In 2021 alone, two companies have announced major investments in Chester County. Wine producer E&J Gallo has signed on to spend $423 million for a facility in Fort Lawn. And, earlier this month, Last Step Recycling announced a $46 million investment.
Gallo has promised to create 496 new jobs over the next eight years, while Last Step Recycling will offer 50 jobs when it opens.
These projects are joined by development in the town of Great Falls, where a new whitewater park is predicted to revitalize the area. Currently called the Great Falls-Dearborn Development, the recreation center will offer hiking, fishing, rafting, kayaking and canoeing.
Data produced by nonprofit American Whitewater says, from whitewater activities alone, the development will bring $3.1-$4.6 million annually to Great Falls.
Construction also began in February for a $7 million development by Chart Industries that will be used to repair and refurbish cryogenic tanks.
And hiring continues at Giti Tire, which made a $560 million investment in 2017 to build a manufacturing plant, which now is fully operational.
Carolina Poly Inc., which produces plastic projects, invested $100 million to build its initial Chester facility in 2015, later adding a $25 million expansion. Carolina Poly also continues to hire new employees -- its agreement with Chester promises 300 jobs.
The Herald recently spoke with Chester County Economic Development Director Robert Long about the impact of all the new growth.
Better pay for Chester County residents?
Long took over the title of Economic Development Director in October 2020 and has worked in economic development for 25 years. At the time of his hiring, Long was optimistic, saying in a statement: “The community has invested heavily in infrastructure and preserving large tracts for industrial development, and it is starting to pay off.”
In 2021, Long said the county has pursued 65 economic development ‘projects,’ by which he means “an opportunity for jobs and investment, or both.”
“We have as many projects in the pipeline as we had in all of last year,” he said.
One key benefit Chester residents will see from these new projects is that jobs will pay wages above the poverty level, Long says.
Census data taken from 2018-2019 shows that the average person in Chester County made $22,324 that year, which amounts to about $11.63 an hour for a 40-hour week.
Long says jobs offered at Gallo’s bottling plant will pay an average of $21 an hour. Last Step Recycling is going to offer wages on an average of $20.
“For the Chester community, these are very good wages,” Long said. “We always want to have folks that are going to be paying the average or higher. Typically, when we’re doing a project I’m the one who has to make a recommendation to (County) Council. If they’re paying below county average, typically, I do not feel comfortable in supporting that project.”
Are these jobs going to go to Chester residents?
Long estimates that most of the positions at Last Step Recycling will. As for Gallo, the plant will be right on the Chester-Lancaster County line. He expects a little over half the jobs to go to Lancaster residents and the rest to Chester.
Another benefit, Long hopes, will be rebuilding Chester’s population.
“I think a lot of the population decline has been brought on by the younger generation going off to school, and then they do not come back,” he said. “If these folks have opportunities here in their backyard… Hopefully, we can reverse that.”
Another problem in Chester County has been low property value.
Census data says the median home value in Chester is $95,600 — in neighboring York County, it’s $201,100.
Part of the reason is that Chester’s homes are decades or even a century old.
Long has his sights on two developments already under construction. The value of these homes, he says, will be “in that $200,000 to $250,000 range.”
“As we start to add these houses, it’s going to encourage folks to fix up those older structures, because they will look at them as investments,” he said.
And as Chester continues to sell parcels of land for industrial projects, the value of the land “underneath the house” will go up in value as well.
“As we start to grow, you tax the base, there’s more funds to mow the grass, keep properties up,” Long added.
Long said he also hopes that as Chester’s economy improves, a “renaissance” will come to downtown Chester, again filling the now-empty buildings with businesses. And he said he hopes that if the county helps maintain neighborhoods, people will “start to feel like their community matters.”
Chester leaders have long talked about rebuilding, about a future where downtown Chester might be restored, where former mill villages are cleaned up and people feel a sense of pride.
And now, that vision seems closer.
This story was originally published July 20, 2021 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Is higher pay on the way? Chester County’s economic growth is reaching its citizens.."
