Forsyth County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Forsyth County: 37 seats on 8 elected bodies. 17 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 11 local governments in Forsyth 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
8
2
School districts (school boards)
0
1
Special districts (elected boards)
2
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 Forsyth 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 Forsyth County
389,977people
38.4median ageU.S.: 38.9
$67,165 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
14.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
38.5%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$250,400median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
9.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
9.8%U.S.: 8.4%
49.1%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
24.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 15.1% · White 53.5% · Black 24.6% · Asian 2.3% · Other or more than one race 4.4% (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 Forsyth County
3.3%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.9%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
177,229people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
183,230in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.3%
6,001
177,229
183,230
August 2026
3.9%
7,010
174,302
181,312
July 2026
3.9%
7,104
173,897
181,001
June 2026
3.8%
6,845
174,468
181,313
May 2026
3.7%
6,711
175,648
182,359
April 2026
3.6%
6,604
176,350
182,954
March 2026
3.6%
6,716
177,648
184,364
February 2026
4.0%
7,339
176,985
184,324
January 2026
4.3%
7,866
175,566
183,432
December 2025
3.6%
6,661
177,752
184,413
November 2025
4.0%
7,374
177,858
185,232
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.9%
7,258
178,334
185,592
August 2025
4.4%
8,038
175,360
183,398
July 2025
4.3%
8,056
177,367
185,423
June 2025
4.2%
7,720
176,078
183,798
May 2025
3.9%
7,130
176,441
183,571
April 2025
3.6%
6,532
177,324
183,856
March 2025
3.9%
7,212
176,794
184,006
February 2025
4.0%
7,318
175,662
182,980
January 2025
4.0%
7,310
175,946
183,256
December 2024
3.5%
6,421
176,558
182,979
November 2024
3.8%
6,947
177,210
184,157
October 2024
3.4%
6,367
178,760
185,127
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.0%
7,328
176,811
184,139
2024
3.8%
7,007
177,802
184,809
2023
3.7%
6,810
179,376
186,186
2022
3.9%
7,172
178,838
186,010
2021
5.1%
9,108
170,438
179,546
2020
7.5%
13,186
163,577
176,763
2019
3.8%
6,984
176,169
183,153
2018
4.0%
7,204
173,420
180,624
2017
4.5%
8,010
171,304
179,314
2016
4.9%
8,769
168,671
177,440
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.
Crime reported in Forsyth County
541.6 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 330.3.
2,448.4 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 1,779.9.
34murders2025, 2,215 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
2,215
541.6
10,014
2,448.4
2024
2,430
598.6
9,655
2,378.4
2023
2,609
652.5
10,158
2,540.4
2022
3,312
833.7
12,428
3,128.3
2021
3,239
835.7
12,560
3,240.8
2020
3,489
889.8
14,713
3,752.4
2019
2,907
747.9
14,210
3,656.1
2018
2,451
634.5
13,356
3,457.5
2017
2,457
642.9
15,213
3,980.8
2016
2,229
587.9
15,182
4,004.2
By police agency (4)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Winston-Salem Police Department
2025
1,910
7,683
257,431
Forsyth County Sheriff's Office
2025
234
1,358
114,329
Kernersville Police Department
2025
63
811
29,334
King Police Department
2025
8
162
7,907
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 North Carolina · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.99 per 1,000 residents2025, 4 agencies serving 409,001 people.
812sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
476civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (4), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Winston-Salem Police Department
438
177
257,431
Forsyth County Sheriff's Office
278
276
114,329
Kernersville Police Department
69
20
29,334
King Police Department
27
3
7,907
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
812
1.99
476
4
2024
745
1.84
429
4
2023
716
1.79
390
4
2022
749
1.89
387
4
2021
802
2.07
461
4
2020
824
2.10
502
4
2019
826
2.13
519
4
2018
797
2.06
506
4
2017
799
2.09
460
4
2016
830
2.19
453
4
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 Forsyth County Clerk of Superior Court?
Denise Hines (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Forsyth County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Forsyth County Register of Deeds?
Lynne Johnson (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Forsyth County, North Carolina.
Who is the Forsyth County Sheriff?
Bobby F. Kimbrough, Jr. (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Forsyth County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Forsyth County commissioners?
Dan Besse (At-Large); Tonya D. McDaniel (District A); Shai Woodbury (District A); Don Martin (District B); Richard V. Linville (District B); Gloria D. Whisenhunt (District B); Gray Wilson (District B).
Who is on the Forsyth County School Board?
Deanna Kaplan (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Sabrina Coone-Godfrey (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Richard Watts (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Alex B. Bohannon (Board of Education Member, District 1); Trevonia (BG) Brown-Gaither (Board of Education Member, District 1); Leah H. Crowley (Board of Education Member, District 2); Susan Miller (replacing Stanley Elrod) (Board of Education Member, District 2); Robert Barr (Board of Education Member, District 2); Steve Wood (Board of Education Member, District 2).
What is the population of Forsyth County?
About 389,977 people, with a median age of 38.4; the median household income is $67,165 and 14.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Forsyth County?
3.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 6,001 people unemployed in a labor force of 183,230, against 3.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Forsyth County?
11 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 8 municipal and 2 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Forsyth County?
2: Kernersville, Winston-Salem. 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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