Who is the Beaufort County Clerk of Superior Court?

Marty Paramore (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Beaufort County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Beaufort County Register of Deeds?

Carolyn L. Garris (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Beaufort County, North Carolina.

Who is the Beaufort County Sheriff?

Scott Hammonds (Republican) is the Sheriff of Beaufort County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Beaufort County commissioners?

Ed Booth (County Commissioner); Jerry E. Langley (County Commissioner).

Who is on the Beaufort County School Board?

Eltha Booth (Board of Education Member, District 1); Charles Hickman III (Board of Education Member, District 2); TW Allen (Board of Education Member, District 3); Terry Williams (Board of Education Member, District 4); Stacey Davis (Board of Education Member, District 5); Gary M. Carlton (Board of Education Member, District 6); Carolyn Walker (Board of Education Member, District 7); Donald W. Shreve (Board of Education Member, District 8); Daniel Hudson (Board of Education Member, District 9).

What is the population of Beaufort County?

About 44,499 people, with a median age of 47.7; the median household income is $58,357 and 17.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Beaufort County?

3.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 593 people unemployed in a labor force of 19,344, against 3.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Beaufort County?

18 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal and 10 special district governments.

What cities and towns are in Beaufort County?

1: Washington. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.

Beaufort County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Beaufort County: 23 seats on 7 elected bodies. 9 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Beaufort County Board of Commissioners

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner	Ed Booth Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Jerry E. Langley Democratic source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Clerk of Superior Court	Marty Paramore Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Register of Deeds	Carolyn L. Garris Republican source
Sheriff	Scott Hammonds Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

School Board

Beaufort 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 1	Eltha Booth Democratic source
Board of Education Member, District 2	Charles Hickman III Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 3	TW Allen Republican source
Board of Education Member, District 4	Terry Williams Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 5	Stacey Davis Republican source
Board of Education Member, District 6	Gary M. Carlton Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 7	Carolyn Walker Republican source
Board of Education Member, District 8	Donald W. Shreve Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 9	Daniel Hudson Republican source

Cities and towns

Washington · Mayor Ellen Brabo · 6 seats

Special districts

Boards elected by the voters who live in each district.

Beaufort Soil and Water Conservation District · 3 seats

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	S. Archie Griffin source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	James E. Allen source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Tracy Warren source

How many local governments Beaufort County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 18 local governments in Beaufort 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	7	1
School districts (school boards)	0	1
Special districts (elected boards)	10	1

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 (2 in Beaufort 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 Beaufort County

44,499people

47.7median ageU.S.: 38.9

$58,357 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

17.8%below the U.S.: 12.5%

21.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$192,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700

3.9%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

3.6%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

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

9%U.S.: 8.4%

51%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

24.5%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 7.9% · White 66.3% · Black 22.8% · Asian 0.2% · Other or more than one race 2.9% (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 Beaufort County

3.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.4%. North Carolina: 3.1%.

593people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

18,751people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

19,344in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	3.1%	593	18,751	19,344
August 2026	3.5%	665	18,432	19,097
July 2026	3.7%	696	17,942	18,638
June 2026	3.5%	662	18,377	19,039
May 2026	3.5%	664	18,442	19,106
April 2026	3.4%	652	18,544	19,196
March 2026	3.5%	673	18,793	19,466
February 2026	3.8%	733	18,585	19,318
January 2026	3.8%	733	18,429	19,162
December 2025	3.1%	610	18,756	19,366
November 2025	3.6%	710	18,764	19,474
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.4%	654	18,837	19,491
August 2025	3.9%	761	18,698	19,459
July 2025	3.7%	715	18,545	19,260
June 2025	3.7%	721	18,882	19,603
May 2025	3.5%	681	18,935	19,616
April 2025	3.2%	622	18,942	19,564
March 2025	3.5%	692	18,908	19,600
February 2025	3.6%	698	18,635	19,333
January 2025	3.6%	696	18,614	19,310
December 2024	3.2%	608	18,473	19,081
November 2024	3.5%	681	18,521	19,202
October 2024	3.3%	638	18,848	19,486

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.5%	687	18,774	19,461
2024	3.7%	705	18,457	19,162
2023	3.9%	751	18,320	19,071
2022	3.9%	755	18,750	19,505
2021	4.8%	922	18,225	19,147
2020	6.3%	1,168	17,310	18,478
2019	4.5%	858	18,174	19,032
2018	4.6%	886	18,203	19,089
2017	5.0%	979	18,430	19,409
2016	5.7%	1,117	18,577	19,694

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. North Carolina's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.4% 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.

Police in Beaufort County

Police staffing

2.29 per 1,000 residents2025, 4 agencies serving 44,527 people.

102sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

57civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (4), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Beaufort County Sheriff's Office	67	42	32,673
Washington Police Department	26	13	9,702
Belhaven Police Department	6	2	1,405
Chocowinity Police Department	3	0	747

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	102	2.29	57	4
2024	83	1.86	47	4
2023	83	1.88	40	4
2022	85	1.91	42	4
2018	93	1.98	48	5
2017	90	1.89	46	5
2016	96	2.02	48	5

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 Beaufort County Clerk of Superior Court?: Marty Paramore (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Beaufort County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Beaufort County Register of Deeds?: Carolyn L. Garris (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Beaufort County, North Carolina.
Who is the Beaufort County Sheriff?: Scott Hammonds (Republican) is the Sheriff of Beaufort County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Beaufort County commissioners?: Ed Booth (County Commissioner); Jerry E. Langley (County Commissioner).
Who is on the Beaufort County School Board?: Eltha Booth (Board of Education Member, District 1); Charles Hickman III (Board of Education Member, District 2); TW Allen (Board of Education Member, District 3); Terry Williams (Board of Education Member, District 4); Stacey Davis (Board of Education Member, District 5); Gary M. Carlton (Board of Education Member, District 6); Carolyn Walker (Board of Education Member, District 7); Donald W. Shreve (Board of Education Member, District 8); Daniel Hudson (Board of Education Member, District 9).
What is the population of Beaufort County?: About 44,499 people, with a median age of 47.7; the median household income is $58,357 and 17.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Beaufort County?: 3.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 593 people unemployed in a labor force of 19,344, against 3.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Beaufort County?: 18 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal and 10 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Beaufort County?: 1: Washington. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the NC State Board of Elections' certified results of each seat's last election (2022–2025, and the March 2026 nonpartisan school board elections); 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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