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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Pickens County: 12 seats on 7 elected bodies. 3 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of Commissioners

Pickens County Board of Commissioners

OfficeWho holds it nowNext term
Commission ChairKristopher "Kris" Stancill Republican source
County Commissioner, District 1Josh Tippens Republican sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 2Josh Tatum Republican source

County officers

OfficeWho holds it now
Clerk of Superior CourtJennifer Edwards Jordan Republican source
CoronerErin R. Lohr Republican source
Probate JudgeDavid W. Lindsey Republican source
SheriffDonald E. Craig Republican source
Tax CommissionerDaniel Reeves Republican source

School Board

Pickens County Board of Education

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

OfficeWho holds it nowNext term
Board of Education Member, Post 1Tommy H. Gartrell Republican source
Board of Education Member, Post 2Steve Lowe Republican sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, Post 4Sue Finley Republican source
Board of Education Member, Post 5Joe Wigington Republican sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Pickens County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 9 local governments in Pickens 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)11
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 Pickens County

34,951people
46.7median ageU.S.: 38.9
$78,930 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
12%below the U.S.: 12.5%
26.7%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$332,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700
3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
2.8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
7.5%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
12%U.S.: 8.4%
53.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
23.4%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4% · White 91.5% · Black 0.6% · Asian 0.3% · Other or more than one race 3.5% (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 Pickens County

3.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.8%. Georgia: 3.5%.
552people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
17,322people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
17,874in the September 2026, preliminary.
Unemployment rate, yearly average, Pickens County 0.0%1.3%2.6%3.9%5.1% 20162018202020222024

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years
MonthRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
September 2026 (preliminary)3.1%55217,32217,874
August 20263.0%52517,18817,713
July 20262.7%47117,14917,620
June 20262.9%52017,14317,663
May 20262.7%47617,20117,677
April 20262.4%42517,22817,653
March 20262.9%51617,18017,696
February 20263.2%55517,02517,580
January 20262.9%50216,92617,428
December 20252.5%43917,09217,531
November 20253.0%52917,09617,625
October 2025not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 20252.8%49817,03717,535
August 20253.2%56616,90217,468
July 20252.9%50716,98417,491
June 20253.0%52716,94317,470
May 20252.8%48716,94517,432
April 20252.3%40817,04017,448
March 20252.8%49917,03017,529
February 20253.0%52416,93317,457
January 20253.0%51616,97417,490
December 20242.4%42616,99617,422
November 20242.8%48617,00517,491
October 20242.7%47017,07617,546
Yearly averages
YearRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
2025 (11 months)2.9%50016,99817,498
20242.8%49917,02417,523
20232.7%47316,76117,234
20222.6%43616,11216,548
20212.8%44615,50215,948
20204.8%72114,45515,176
20193.1%49015,09715,587
20183.6%54714,81415,361
20174.3%65214,55715,209
20164.9%71013,69514,405

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 Pickens County

52.1 per 100,0002024. Georgia: 319.7.
655.2 per 100,0002024. Georgia: 1,660.4.
1murders2024, 19 violent crimes in all.

2024 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
20241952.1239655.2
20231234.2160455.9
202244128.3211615.5
202163192.8274838.4
202072224.03591,116.7
201948152.23651,157.7
201887279.76191,990.4
201779260.16512,143.6
201669232.15401,816.7
By police agency (2)
AgencyYearViolentPropertyPeople served
Pickens County Sheriff's Office20252813031,249
Jasper Police Department20244635,298

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

2.52 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 36,883 people.
93sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
31civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
AgencyOfficersCiviliansPeople served
Pickens County Sheriff's Office732931,249
Jasper Police Department2025,634
Earlier years
YearOfficersPer 1,000CiviliansAgencies
2025932.52312
2024882.41362
2023812.31242
2022782.28132
2021782.39122
2020912.83112
20171043.42102

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 Pickens County Clerk of Superior Court?
Jennifer Edwards Jordan (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Pickens County, Georgia.
Who is the Pickens County Coroner?
Erin R. Lohr (Republican) is the Coroner of Pickens County, Georgia.
Who is the Pickens County Probate Judge?
David W. Lindsey (Republican) is the Probate Judge of Pickens County, Georgia.
Who is the Pickens County Sheriff?
Donald E. Craig (Republican) is the Sheriff of Pickens County, Georgia.
Who is the Pickens County Tax Commissioner?
Daniel Reeves (Republican) is the Tax Commissioner of Pickens County, Georgia.
Who are the Pickens County commissioners?
Kristopher "Kris" Stancill (Commission Chair); Josh Tippens (District 1); Josh Tatum (District 2).
Who is on the Pickens County School Board?
Tommy H. Gartrell (Board of Education Member, Post 1); Steve Lowe (Board of Education Member, Post 2); Sue Finley (Board of Education Member, Post 4); Joe Wigington (Board of Education Member, Post 5).
What is the population of Pickens County?
About 34,951 people, with a median age of 46.7; the median household income is $78,930 and 12% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Pickens County?
3.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 552 people unemployed in a labor force of 17,874, against 2.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Pickens 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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