Harnett County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Harnett County: 22 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
Harnett County Board of Commissioners
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 8 local governments in Harnett 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
5
1
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 (1 in Harnett 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 Harnett County
139,150people
35.6median ageU.S.: 38.9
$71,287 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
13.7%below the U.S.: 12.5%
24.5%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$246,200median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.7%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
6.5%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
11.8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
9.7%U.S.: 8.4%
45.1%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
27.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 15.1% · White 58.2% · Black 19.8% · Asian 0.9% · Other or more than one race 5.9% (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 Harnett County
3.4%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.9%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
59,057people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
61,122in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.4%
2,065
59,057
61,122
August 2026
3.9%
2,364
57,518
59,882
July 2026
4.1%
2,427
56,179
58,606
June 2026
3.8%
2,288
57,595
59,883
May 2026
3.8%
2,260
57,917
60,177
April 2026
3.7%
2,214
58,409
60,623
March 2026
3.7%
2,245
58,846
61,091
February 2026
4.0%
2,448
58,578
61,026
January 2026
4.3%
2,569
57,699
60,268
December 2025
3.6%
2,167
58,298
60,465
November 2025
4.0%
2,432
58,712
61,144
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.9%
2,357
58,693
61,050
August 2025
4.4%
2,649
57,446
60,095
July 2025
4.4%
2,610
57,194
59,804
June 2025
4.1%
2,494
57,820
60,314
May 2025
3.9%
2,338
58,113
60,451
April 2025
3.6%
2,177
58,447
60,624
March 2025
3.9%
2,355
58,415
60,770
February 2025
3.9%
2,341
57,926
60,267
January 2025
4.0%
2,394
57,757
60,151
December 2024
3.5%
2,063
57,378
59,441
November 2024
3.8%
2,250
57,684
59,934
October 2024
3.4%
2,072
58,168
60,240
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.0%
2,392
58,075
60,467
2024
3.9%
2,308
57,458
59,766
2023
3.7%
2,211
56,866
59,077
2022
3.9%
2,281
55,605
57,886
2021
5.1%
2,808
52,392
55,200
2020
7.1%
3,790
49,857
53,647
2019
4.3%
2,391
52,806
55,197
2018
4.5%
2,452
51,898
54,350
2017
4.8%
2,618
51,423
54,041
2016
5.5%
2,899
49,970
52,869
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 Harnett County
287.8 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 379.2.
1,470.3 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 1,978.3.
8murders2024, 422 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
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2024
422
287.8
2,156
1,470.3
2023
401
282.0
2,194
1,542.8
2022
408
292.4
2,321
1,663.6
2021
361
262.7
2,554
1,858.7
2018
306
225.7
1,925
1,419.6
By police agency (6)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Harnett County Sheriff's Office
2025
331
1,488
120,729
Angier Police Department
2025
16
72
9,098
Dunn Police Department
2025
38
375
8,835
Erwin Police Department
2025
16
110
4,954
Lillington Police Department
2025
16
103
4,861
Coats Police Department
2024
5
47
2,300
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
1.50 per 1,000 residents2025, 6 agencies serving 150,839 people.
227sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
102civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (6), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Harnett County Sheriff's Office
132
93
120,729
Dunn Police Department
41
7
8,835
Angier Police Department
20
0
9,098
Lillington Police Department
14
1
4,861
Erwin Police Department
13
1
4,954
Coats Police Department
7
0
2,362
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
227
1.50
102
6
2024
229
1.56
86
6
2023
219
1.54
107
6
2022
183
1.31
45
6
2021
216
1.57
82
6
2020
232
1.67
81
6
2019
241
1.76
107
6
2018
240
1.77
106
6
2017
205
1.53
109
6
2016
200
1.53
103
6
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 Harnett County Clerk of Superior Court?
Renee Whittenton (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Harnett County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Harnett County Register of Deeds?
Matthew S. Willis (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Harnett County, North Carolina.
Who is the Harnett County Sheriff?
Wayne Coats (Republican) is the Sheriff of Harnett County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Harnett County commissioners?
Barbara McKoy (District 1); W.H. (Bill) Morris (District 2); W. Brooks Matthews (District 3); Eddie Jaggers (District 4); Matthew Nicol (District 5).
Who is on the Harnett County School Board?
Sharon McNeill Gainey (Board of Education Member, District 1); Joey Powell (Board of Education Member, District 2); Brad Abate (Board of Education Member, District 3); John Hairr (Board of Education Member, District 4); Don Godfrey (Board of Education Member, District 5).
What is the population of Harnett County?
About 139,150 people, with a median age of 35.6; the median household income is $71,287 and 13.7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Harnett County?
3.4% in September 2026 (preliminary): 2,065 people unemployed in a labor force of 61,122, against 3.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Harnett County?
8 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 5 municipal and 2 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Harnett County?
1: Lillington. 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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