Who is the Ware County Clerk of Superior Court?

Samantha "Sam" Bennett (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Ware County, Georgia.

Who is the Ware County Coroner?

David Lane Jordan (Republican) is the Coroner of Ware County, Georgia.

Who is the Ware County Sheriff?

J. Carl James (Republican) is the Sheriff of Ware County, Georgia.

Who is the Ware County Tax Commissioner?

Roger E. Collins (Republican) is the Tax Commissioner of Ware County, Georgia.

Who are the Ware County commissioners?

Elmer Thrift (Commission Chair); Leonard Burse Jr (District 1); Jon Tindall (District 2); Timothy R. "Timmy" Lucas (District 3); Barry Cox (District 4).

Who is on the Ware County School Board?

Rusty Ganas (Board of Education Member, District 4); Wendell Bagley (Board of Education Member, District 5); Brandi R. Waters (Board of Education Member, District 6).

What is the population of Ware County?

About 35,976 people, with a median age of 37.9; the median household income is $47,448 and 21.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Ware County?

4.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 552 people unemployed in a labor force of 12,785, against 4.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Ware County?

8 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 municipal, 1 school district and 5 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Ware County: 12 seats on 6 elected bodies. 2 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of Commissioners

Ware County Board of Commissioners

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Commission Chair	Elmer Thrift Republican source
County Commissioner, District 1	Leonard Burse Jr Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 2	Jon Tindall Republican source
County Commissioner, District 3	Timothy R. "Timmy" Lucas Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 4	Barry Cox Republican source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now
Clerk of Superior Court	Samantha "Sam" Bennett Republican source
Coroner	David Lane Jordan Republican source
Sheriff	J. Carl James Republican source
Tax Commissioner	Roger E. Collins Republican source

School Board

Ware County Board of Education

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Board of Education Member, District 4	Rusty Ganas source	Re-elected (elected unopposed)
Board of Education Member, District 5	Wendell Bagley source	Re-elected (elected unopposed)
Board of Education Member, District 6	Brandi R. Waters source	Re-elected (elected, per the official body)

How many local governments Ware County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 8 local governments in Ware 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)	5	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 Ware County

35,976people

37.9median ageU.S.: 38.9

$47,448 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

21.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%

14.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$109,500median home valueU.S.: $332,700

5.9%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

3.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

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

16.8%U.S.: 8.4%

52.3%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

27.7%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.1% · White 61.2% · Black 29.7% · Asian 1.3% · Other or more than one race 2.8% (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 Ware County

4.3%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.2%. Georgia: 3.5%.

552people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

12,233people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

12,785in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	4.3%	552	12,233	12,785
August 2026	4.2%	531	12,130	12,661
July 2026	4.1%	522	12,086	12,608
June 2026	4.6%	577	11,992	12,569
May 2026	3.9%	492	12,116	12,608
April 2026	3.3%	419	12,100	12,519
March 2026	4.0%	502	12,130	12,632
February 2026	4.4%	556	12,077	12,633
January 2026	4.3%	545	12,017	12,562
December 2025	4.0%	509	12,210	12,719
November 2025	4.5%	568	12,145	12,713
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	4.2%	530	11,984	12,514
August 2025	4.5%	562	11,869	12,431
July 2025	4.4%	547	11,855	12,402
June 2025	4.6%	572	11,742	12,314
May 2025	4.2%	517	11,741	12,258
April 2025	3.8%	471	11,851	12,322
March 2025	4.3%	533	11,832	12,365
February 2025	4.3%	525	11,827	12,352
January 2025	4.4%	551	11,954	12,505
December 2024	3.8%	477	12,224	12,701
November 2024	4.1%	521	12,236	12,757
October 2024	4.2%	536	12,193	12,729

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.3%	535	11,910	12,445
2024	4.3%	547	12,274	12,821
2023	4.0%	520	12,499	13,019
2022	3.6%	493	13,301	13,794
2021	4.2%	575	13,218	13,793
2020	6.3%	859	12,842	13,701
2019	4.3%	603	13,369	13,972
2018	4.4%	625	13,488	14,113
2017	5.1%	735	13,618	14,353
2016	6.1%	851	13,046	13,897

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 Ware County

203.3 per 100,0002025. Georgia: 296.9.

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

1murders2025, 46 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	46	203.3	154	680.5
2024	41	180.1	133	584.1
2023	28	128.8	104	478.5
2022	27	120.8	96	429.5
2021	21	93.9	86	384.6
2020	42	188.7	121	543.6
2019	83	375.7	418	1,892.3
2018	93	423.2	625	2,843.9
2017	92	424.2	623	2,872.3
2016	82	386.6	604	2,847.6

By police agency (1)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Ware County Sheriff's Office	2025	46	154	22,629

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

1.81 per 1,000 residents2025, 1 agency serving 22,629 people.

41sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

65civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (1), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Ware County Sheriff's Office	41	65	22,629

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	41	1.81	65	1
2024	43	1.89	62	1
2023	44	2.02	66	1
2022	44	1.97	53	1
2021	43	1.92	70	1
2020	50	2.25	67	1
2018	49	2.23	79	1
2017	46	2.12	78	1
2016	39	1.84	105	1

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 Ware County Clerk of Superior Court?: Samantha "Sam" Bennett (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Ware County, Georgia.
Who is the Ware County Coroner?: David Lane Jordan (Republican) is the Coroner of Ware County, Georgia.
Who is the Ware County Sheriff?: J. Carl James (Republican) is the Sheriff of Ware County, Georgia.
Who is the Ware County Tax Commissioner?: Roger E. Collins (Republican) is the Tax Commissioner of Ware County, Georgia.
Who are the Ware County commissioners?: Elmer Thrift (Commission Chair); Leonard Burse Jr (District 1); Jon Tindall (District 2); Timothy R. "Timmy" Lucas (District 3); Barry Cox (District 4).
Who is on the Ware County School Board?: Rusty Ganas (Board of Education Member, District 4); Wendell Bagley (Board of Education Member, District 5); Brandi R. Waters (Board of Education Member, District 6).
What is the population of Ware County?: About 35,976 people, with a median age of 37.9; the median household income is $47,448 and 21.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Ware County?: 4.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 552 people unemployed in a labor force of 12,785, against 4.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Ware County?: 8 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 municipal, 1 school district and 5 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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