Appling County, GA elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Appling County: 11 seats on 6 elected bodies. 3 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of Commissioners

Appling County Board of Commissioners

OfficeWho holds it nowNext term
Commission ChairLeslie Burch Republican sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 1Randy L. Sellers Republican sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 2Jakharis Jones Democratic source
County Commissioner, District 3Daryl L. Edwards Republican sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 4Chad Kent Republican source
County Commissioner, District 5Ricky Barnes Republican source

County officers

OfficeWho holds it now
Clerk of Superior CourtMarsha Thomas Republican source
CoronerHenry Jones Republican source
County SurveyorJerry Tomberlin Republican source
SheriffMark Melton Republican source
Tax CommissionerLacey Leggett Republican source

How many local governments Appling County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 9 local governments in Appling County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of governmentCensus count (2022)Listed on this page
County government11
Cities, towns, villages and townships30
School districts (school boards)10
Special districts (elected boards)40

Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).

About these counts

The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments, though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.

Who lives in Appling County

18,493people
39.6median ageU.S.: 38.9
$46,651 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
22.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
11.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$76,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700
3.1%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
5.4%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
5%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
16.8%U.S.: 8.4%
46.1%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
31.5%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 10.8% · White 67.5% · Black 18.1% · Asian 0.4% · Other or more than one race 3.2% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)

Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).

About these figures

The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.

Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.

Jobs in Appling County

4.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.5%. Georgia: 3.5%.
382people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
8,895people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
9,277in the September 2026, preliminary.
Unemployment rate, yearly average, Appling County 0.0%1.9%3.8%5.7%7.7% 20162018202020222024

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years
MonthRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
September 2026 (preliminary)4.1%3828,8959,277
August 20264.0%3648,6829,046
July 20264.2%3758,5518,926
June 20264.6%4098,3908,799
May 20263.4%3108,6939,003
April 20262.9%2608,7469,006
March 20263.6%3288,8359,163
February 20263.7%3448,9819,325
January 20264.3%3938,7329,125
December 20253.9%3558,8549,209
November 20253.6%3378,9529,289
October 2025not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 20253.5%3188,8129,130
August 20254.3%3768,4628,838
July 20254.5%3878,1778,564
June 20254.5%3778,0698,446
May 20253.6%3138,3088,621
April 20253.1%2658,3858,650
March 20253.4%2998,4948,793
February 20253.4%3098,6939,002
January 20254.1%3518,1788,529
December 20243.8%3408,5338,873
November 20243.6%3188,5088,826
October 20244.0%3568,5998,955
Yearly averages
YearRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
2025 (11 months)3.8%3358,4898,824
20243.9%3428,3638,705
20233.9%3378,2008,537
20224.1%3528,2628,614
20214.1%3357,8558,190
20205.4%4357,6208,055
20194.7%3797,7488,127
20185.0%3977,5427,939
20176.3%5187,6748,192
20167.3%5967,5188,114

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Georgia's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.3% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.

Crime reported in Appling County

555.7 per 100,0002018. Georgia: 338.9.
3,483.8 per 100,0002018. Georgia: 2,642.9.
1murders2018, 104 violent crimes in all.

2018 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.

Earlier years
YearViolentRatePropertyRate
2018104555.76523,483.8
201768364.16373,411.2
By police agency (3)
AgencyYearViolentPropertyPeople served
Appling County Sheriff's Office20192419213,515
Baxley Police Department2025101534,957
Graham Police Department201800295

Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Georgia · the U.S.

Police staffing

1.94 per 1,000 residents2018, 3 agencies serving 18,512 people.
36sworn officers2018, full-time, as of October 31.
42civilian staff2018, full-time.

2018 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.

Agencies counted (3), 2018
AgencyOfficersCiviliansPeople served
Appling County Sheriff's Office233813,499
Baxley Police Department1244,718
Graham Police Department10295
Earlier years
YearOfficersPer 1,000CiviliansAgencies
2018361.94423
2017341.84343

Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.

Quick answers

Who is the Appling County Clerk of Superior Court?
Marsha Thomas (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Appling County, Georgia.
Who is the Appling County Coroner?
Henry Jones (Republican) is the Coroner of Appling County, Georgia.
Who is the Appling County County Surveyor?
Jerry Tomberlin (Republican) is the County Surveyor of Appling County, Georgia.
Who is the Appling County Sheriff?
Mark Melton (Republican) is the Sheriff of Appling County, Georgia.
Who is the Appling County Tax Commissioner?
Lacey Leggett (Republican) is the Tax Commissioner of Appling County, Georgia.
Who are the Appling County commissioners?
Leslie Burch (Commission Chair); Randy L. Sellers (District 1); Jakharis Jones (District 2); Daryl L. Edwards (District 3); Chad Kent (District 4); Ricky Barnes (District 5).
What is the population of Appling County?
About 18,493 people, with a median age of 39.6; the median household income is $46,651 and 22.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Appling County?
4.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 382 people unemployed in a labor force of 9,277, against 3.5% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Appling County?
9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 1 school district and 4 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Georgia Secretary of State's official results of each seat's last election (the November 2024 general, or a special election since), and for seats up in 2026 whose 2022 result the SOS site doesn't carry, the incumbent the SOS marks on that seat's 2026 primary, nonpartisan or November contest; officials appointed since then may differ; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.

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