Who is the Dougherty County Clerk of Superior Court?

Phyllis Johnson (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Dougherty County, Georgia.

Who is the Dougherty County Coroner?

Michael Fowler, Sr. (Democratic) is the Coroner of Dougherty County, Georgia.

Who is the Dougherty County Sheriff?

Terron Hayes (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Dougherty County, Georgia.

Who are the Dougherty County commissioners?

Lorenzo L. Heard (Commission Chair); Ed Newsome (District 1); Victor Edwards (District 2); Clinton S. Johnson (District 3); Russell B. Gray (District 4); Gloria J. Gaines (District 5); Anthony Jones (District 6).

Who is on the Dougherty County School Board?

Geraldine West Hudley (Board of Education Member, At-large); Carolyn D. Hand (Board of Education Member, District 1); Norma Gaines Heath (Board of Education Member, District 2); Velvet E. Poole (Board of Education Member, District 3); Melissa Strother (Board of Education Member, District 4); James C. Bush (Board of Education Member, District 5); Dean T. Phinazee (Board of Education Member, District 6).

What is the population of Dougherty County?

About 83,091 people, with a median age of 36.6; the median household income is $49,044 and 25% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Dougherty County?

5.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,659 people unemployed in a labor force of 32,876, against 5.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Dougherty County?

9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 municipal, 1 school district and 6 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Dougherty County: 17 seats on 5 elected bodies. 7 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of Commissioners

Dougherty County Board of Commissioners

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Commission Chair	Lorenzo L. Heard Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 1	Ed Newsome Republican source
County Commissioner, District 2	Victor Edwards Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 3	Clinton S. Johnson Democratic source
County Commissioner, District 4	Russell B. Gray Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 5	Gloria J. Gaines Democratic source
County Commissioner, District 6	Anthony Jones Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

County officers

Office	Who holds it now
Clerk of Superior Court	Phyllis Johnson Democratic source
Coroner	Michael Fowler, Sr. Democratic source
Sheriff	Terron Hayes Democratic source

School Board

Dougherty County Board of Education

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Board of Education Member, At-large	Geraldine West Hudley Democratic source
Board of Education Member, District 1	Carolyn D. Hand Democratic source
Board of Education Member, District 2	Norma Gaines Heath Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 3	Velvet E. Poole Democratic source
Board of Education Member, District 4	Melissa Strother Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 5	James C. Bush Democratic source
Board of Education Member, District 6	Dean T. Phinazee Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Dougherty County has

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

Kind of government	Census count (2022)	Listed on this page
County government	1	1
Cities, towns, villages and townships	1	0
School districts (school boards)	1	1
Special districts (elected boards)	6	0

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 Dougherty County

83,091people

36.6median ageU.S.: 38.9

$49,044 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

25%below the U.S.: 12.5%

22.8%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$134,400median home valueU.S.: $332,700

10.2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

2.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

9.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

13.1%U.S.: 8.4%

49.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

30.9%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 3.3% · White 22.8% · Black 70.2% · Asian 0.7% · Other or more than one race 3% (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 Dougherty County

5.0%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 5.0%. Georgia: 3.5%.

1,659people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

31,217people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

32,876in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	5.0%	1,659	31,217	32,876
August 2026	4.8%	1,559	30,962	32,521
July 2026	4.6%	1,508	30,967	32,475
June 2026	5.1%	1,644	30,650	32,294
May 2026	4.6%	1,490	30,895	32,385
April 2026	4.1%	1,339	30,984	32,323
March 2026	4.7%	1,525	30,838	32,363
February 2026	5.1%	1,644	30,729	32,373
January 2026	5.3%	1,693	30,528	32,221
December 2025	4.9%	1,610	30,917	32,527
November 2025	5.3%	1,714	30,882	32,596
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	5.0%	1,633	30,824	32,457
August 2025	5.2%	1,654	30,449	32,103
July 2025	5.1%	1,659	30,695	32,354
June 2025	5.3%	1,735	30,982	32,717
May 2025	4.7%	1,523	30,858	32,381
April 2025	4.3%	1,424	31,457	32,881
March 2025	4.7%	1,542	31,513	33,055
February 2025	4.8%	1,573	31,272	32,845
January 2025	4.8%	1,586	31,242	32,828
December 2024	4.3%	1,420	31,690	33,110
November 2024	4.6%	1,512	31,522	33,034
October 2024	4.8%	1,603	32,025	33,628

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.9%	1,605	31,008	32,613
2024	4.8%	1,582	31,629	33,211
2023	4.5%	1,506	31,939	33,445
2022	4.6%	1,569	32,221	33,790
2021	6.7%	2,291	31,987	34,278
2020	9.3%	3,248	31,758	35,006
2019	5.1%	1,793	33,464	35,257
2018	5.5%	1,976	33,867	35,843
2017	6.4%	2,377	34,838	37,215
2016	7.2%	2,637	33,779	36,416

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 Dougherty County

701.8 per 100,0002025. Georgia: 296.9.

1,905.0 per 100,0002025. Georgia: 1,409.3.

23murders2025, 574 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	574	701.8	1,558	1,905.0
2024	692	841.9	1,704	2,073.2
2023	717	873.6	1,763	2,148.1
2021	1,147	1,340.7	3,187	3,725.2
2020	1,289	1,479.6	3,409	3,913.1
2019	829	913.5	3,736	4,116.8
2018	838	945.4	4,031	4,547.7
2017	862	964.3	4,438	4,964.7
2016	917	1,012.1	3,928	4,335.3

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Albany Police Department	2025	506	1,337	66,132
Dougherty County Police Department	2025	68	221	15,652

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

1.93 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 81,784 people.

158sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

67civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Albany Police Department	125	58	66,132
Dougherty County Police Department	33	9	15,652

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	158	1.93	67	2
2024	159	1.93	52	2
2023	141	1.72	62	2
2022	155	1.83	45	2
2021	156	1.82	33	2
2020	196	2.25	43	2
2019	182	2.01	41	2
2017	196	2.19	32	2
2016	202	2.23	33	2

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 Dougherty County Clerk of Superior Court?: Phyllis Johnson (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Dougherty County, Georgia.
Who is the Dougherty County Coroner?: Michael Fowler, Sr. (Democratic) is the Coroner of Dougherty County, Georgia.
Who is the Dougherty County Sheriff?: Terron Hayes (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Dougherty County, Georgia.
Who are the Dougherty County commissioners?: Lorenzo L. Heard (Commission Chair); Ed Newsome (District 1); Victor Edwards (District 2); Clinton S. Johnson (District 3); Russell B. Gray (District 4); Gloria J. Gaines (District 5); Anthony Jones (District 6).
Who is on the Dougherty County School Board?: Geraldine West Hudley (Board of Education Member, At-large); Carolyn D. Hand (Board of Education Member, District 1); Norma Gaines Heath (Board of Education Member, District 2); Velvet E. Poole (Board of Education Member, District 3); Melissa Strother (Board of Education Member, District 4); James C. Bush (Board of Education Member, District 5); Dean T. Phinazee (Board of Education Member, District 6).
What is the population of Dougherty County?: About 83,091 people, with a median age of 36.6; the median household income is $49,044 and 25% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Dougherty County?: 5.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,659 people unemployed in a labor force of 32,876, against 5.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Dougherty County?: 9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 municipal, 1 school district and 6 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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