Sumter County Florida   Located in Central Florida

Sumter County Cities

Land area (rank): 561 square miles (53)
Population 1993 (rank): 33,814 (41)
Population density 1993 (rank): 60 persons per square mile (41)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 30.1% (36)

Physical Characteristics

Sumter County is in central Florida and is bordered by Marion, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Polk, and Lake counties. The county has 19 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 58.4 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 81.0 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 51.44 inches.

History

Sumter County was established from a portion of Mosquito County in 1853 and named for General Thomas Sumter (1736-1832), a South Carolinian prominent in the Revolutionary War.

Population

In 1993, 75% of Sumter County's population was in unincorporated areas. The incorporated area with the greatest population is Wildwood, the northern terminus of Florida's Turnpike and a Seaboard Coast Line Railroad stop. In 1993 Wildwood's population was 3,767. The next most populous incorporated place, Bushnell, had a 1993 population of 2,212. Center Hill, Coleman, and Webster all had populations under 1,000 in 1993. Lake Panasoffkee is the only unincorporated area with a population over 1,000 and in 1990 had a population of 2,262, an increase from less than 1,000 in 1970. In 1993, 83% of Sumter County's population was white, and 17% was nonwhite. In 1990, 2.4% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 92.0% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 13.0 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 11.3 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 0.0 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 60.8% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 7.8%. In 1990, 64.3% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 7.8% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Served by Lake-Sumter Community College (Lake County).

Economy

The per capita income in Sumter County for 1993 was $13,292 (55th highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $19,584. In 1989, 14.0% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 29.8% of personal income in Sumter County was derived from transfer payments. In 1992 the greatest numbers of persons were employed in the retail trade, government, and services sectors. The employers of greatest numbers of persons in the retail trade sector were eating and drinking establishments and food stores. A major employer in the government sector is the Sumter Correctional Institution. In the services sector, employers of the greatest number of persons were hotels and motels and social services. Lumber and wood products firms accounted for the greatest share of the manufacturing employment. In 1992 there were 720 farms in Sumter County, totalling 253,330 acres (71% of land in the county). Tomatoes, cucumber, eggplant, and peppers as well as cattle and poultry are produced in Sumter County. In 1991, Sumter County produced 433 thousand board feet of softwood logs, 3,147 cords of softwood for pulp, 98 thousand board feet of hardwood logs, and 1,820 cords of hardwood for pulp.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $49,900
Median monthly rent 1990: $235
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 48.2
Housing starts 1992: 141
Housing starts 1993: 450

In 1992 the price level index for Sumter County was 91.55 (57th highest in the state).

Local Government

In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 10.000, and the total taxable value of property was $516,135,775. Taxable sales totalled $130.40 million in 1992 and $132.20 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $5,274 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Sumter County's revenues totalled $27,158 thousand ($848.3 per capita) and its expenditures $29,450 thousand ($919.9 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 57.9% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 69.6% were registered Democrat and 26.7% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election, 40.8% of the votes were cast for Clinton, 35.4% for Bush, and 23.5% for Perot.

Events and Places of Interest

Battle of Dade, Dade Battlefield State Historic Site, January.