Somerset County, MD elected officials: county council or commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Somerset County: 17 seats on 7 elected bodies. 15 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
County Council or Board of County Commissioners
Somerset County Board of County Commissioners
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
How many local governments Somerset County has
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 10 local governments in Somerset 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
2
0
School districts (school boards)
0
1
Special districts (elected boards)
7
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 (1 in Somerset County), 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 Somerset County
24,822people
38.1median ageU.S.: 38.9
$64,943 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
16.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%
19.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$173,200median home valueU.S.: $332,700
7.5%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
5.1%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
3.6%U.S.: 8.4%
48.5%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
29.3%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4.6% · White 50.8% · Black 38.5% · Asian 0.7% · Other or more than one race 5.3% (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 Somerset County
4.2%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 5.0%. Maryland: 3.5%.
402people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
9,274people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
9,676in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
4.2%
402
9,274
9,676
August 2026
4.4%
431
9,319
9,750
July 2026
4.9%
472
9,228
9,700
June 2026
4.8%
482
9,611
10,093
May 2026
4.2%
419
9,517
9,936
April 2026
5.2%
508
9,182
9,690
March 2026
5.0%
493
9,338
9,831
February 2026
5.8%
557
9,045
9,602
January 2026
5.4%
519
9,052
9,571
December 2025
4.1%
398
9,382
9,780
November 2025
4.6%
443
9,287
9,730
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
5.0%
483
9,147
9,630
August 2025
5.4%
524
9,132
9,656
July 2025
5.3%
514
9,238
9,752
June 2025
5.1%
510
9,504
10,014
May 2025
4.4%
436
9,411
9,847
April 2025
4.3%
421
9,259
9,680
March 2025
4.6%
462
9,519
9,981
February 2025
5.1%
487
9,078
9,565
January 2025
5.5%
517
8,916
9,433
December 2024
4.1%
394
9,235
9,629
November 2024
4.5%
432
9,113
9,545
October 2024
4.2%
407
9,298
9,705
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.8%
472
9,261
9,733
2024
4.2%
407
9,211
9,618
2023
3.1%
293
9,254
9,547
2022
4.0%
376
9,075
9,451
2021
6.2%
578
8,708
9,286
2020
7.4%
692
8,609
9,301
2019
5.4%
525
9,184
9,709
2018
6.3%
617
9,163
9,780
2017
6.2%
617
9,321
9,938
2016
6.3%
633
9,400
10,033
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. Maryland's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.9% 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 Somerset County
331.6 per 100,0002025. Maryland: 358.0.
817.1 per 100,0002025. Maryland: 1,819.7.
0murders2025, 84 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
84
331.6
207
817.1
2024
73
287.9
270
1,065.0
2022
57
231.5
238
966.4
2020
55
216.2
213
837.3
2019
38
149.3
229
899.7
2018
77
300.4
178
694.4
2017
91
352.4
214
828.8
2016
75
294.3
232
910.5
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Somerset County Sheriff's Office
2025
26
59
19,077
Princess Anne Police Department
2025
48
113
3,709
Crisfield Police Department
2025
10
35
2,546
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 Maryland · the U.S.
Police staffing
2.25 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 25,332 people.
57sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
9civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Somerset County Sheriff's Office
36
3
19,077
Princess Anne Police Department
14
2
3,709
Crisfield Police Department
7
4
2,546
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
57
2.25
9
3
2024
58
2.29
9
3
2023
51
2.07
9
3
2022
49
1.99
10
3
2021
47
1.83
9
3
2020
43
1.69
9
3
2019
46
1.81
9
3
2018
47
1.83
10
3
2017
43
1.67
7
3
2016
48
1.88
8
3
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 Somerset County Clerk of the Circuit Court?
Charles T. Horner (Republican) is the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Somerset County, Maryland. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Somerset County Chief Judge of the Orphans' Court?
Kathleen Lovely Crossan (Republican) is the Chief Judge of the Orphans' Court of Somerset County, Maryland. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Somerset County Judge of the Orphans' Court?
Elizabeth M. (Libby) Hall (Republican) is the Judge of the Orphans' Court of Somerset County, Maryland. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Somerset County Judge of the Orphans' Court?
Stephen S. Willing (Republican) is the Judge of the Orphans' Court of Somerset County, Maryland. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Somerset County Register of Wills?
Keith B. Ward (Republican) is the Register of Wills of Somerset County, Maryland. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Somerset County Sheriff?
Ronald W. Howard (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Somerset County, Maryland. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Somerset County State's Attorney?
Wessman D. Garner (Republican) is the State's Attorney of Somerset County, Maryland. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Somerset County commissioners?
Charles W. Laird (District 4); Randy Laird (District 5); Craig N. Mathies, Sr. (District 1); Darryl K. Webster (District 2); Eldon S. Willing III (District 3).
Who is on the Somerset County School Board?
Matthew W. Lankford (District 4); Andrew S. Gleason (District 1); Mary Beth Bozman (District 2); William J. McInturff, Jr. (District 3); John Atwell Robertson (District 5).
What is the population of Somerset County?
About 24,822 people, with a median age of 38.1; the median household income is $64,943 and 16.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Somerset County?
4.2% in September 2026 (preliminary): 402 people unemployed in a labor force of 9,676, against 5.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Somerset County?
10 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal and 7 special district governments.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Maryland Manual On-Line published by the Maryland State Archives; 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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