Lee County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Lee County: 28 seats on 7 elected bodies. 11 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 6 local governments in Lee 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
1
School districts (school boards)
0
1
Special districts (elected boards)
3
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 Lee 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 Lee County
65,816people
39.5median ageU.S.: 38.9
$65,387 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
16.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
21.3%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$240,200median home valueU.S.: $332,700
3.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
9.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
7.2%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
12.2%U.S.: 8.4%
43.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
27.2%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 21.7% · White 55.8% · Black 17.2% · Asian 0.9% · 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 Lee County
3.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.7%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
948people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
29,621people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
30,569in 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%
948
29,621
30,569
August 2026
3.6%
1,095
29,052
30,147
July 2026
3.8%
1,144
28,660
29,804
June 2026
3.5%
1,060
29,164
30,224
May 2026
3.4%
1,027
29,223
30,250
April 2026
3.3%
1,003
29,332
30,335
March 2026
3.4%
1,035
29,512
30,547
February 2026
3.8%
1,145
29,289
30,434
January 2026
4.0%
1,201
28,884
30,085
December 2025
3.4%
1,028
29,442
30,470
November 2025
3.9%
1,182
29,362
30,544
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.7%
1,118
29,429
30,547
August 2025
4.2%
1,261
28,893
30,154
July 2025
4.2%
1,262
28,872
30,134
June 2025
4.0%
1,206
29,194
30,400
May 2025
3.7%
1,137
29,310
30,447
April 2025
3.5%
1,063
29,451
30,514
March 2025
3.8%
1,149
29,425
30,574
February 2025
3.8%
1,149
29,081
30,230
January 2025
3.8%
1,152
29,140
30,292
December 2024
3.3%
1,008
29,317
30,325
November 2024
3.6%
1,108
29,367
30,475
October 2024
3.2%
991
29,747
30,738
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.8%
1,155
29,236
30,391
2024
3.5%
1,082
29,483
30,565
2023
3.6%
1,075
29,191
30,266
2022
3.9%
1,149
28,660
29,809
2021
4.9%
1,389
26,711
28,100
2020
7.3%
2,012
25,603
27,615
2019
4.1%
1,170
27,374
28,544
2018
4.1%
1,170
27,416
28,586
2017
4.8%
1,357
27,181
28,538
2016
5.5%
1,535
26,565
28,100
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 Lee County
129.4 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 379.2.
1,497.1 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 1,978.3.
5murders2024, 89 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
89
129.4
1,030
1,497.1
2023
97
145.7
932
1,400.0
2022
115
176.3
997
1,528.8
2021
102
164.9
939
1,517.8
2020
81
130.1
1,122
1,802.7
2018
77
126.6
828
1,361.3
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Lee County Sheriff's Office
2025
33
171
34,774
Sanford Police Department
2024
59
804
32,687
Broadway Police Department
2025
2
12
1,385
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
2.23 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 69,854 people.
156sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
71civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Lee County Sheriff's Office
79
45
34,774
Sanford Police Department
73
26
33,695
Broadway Police Department
4
0
1,385
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
156
2.23
71
3
2024
157
2.28
65
3
2023
152
2.28
59
3
2022
147
2.25
57
3
2021
152
2.46
61
3
2020
164
2.64
61
3
2019
119
1.92
68
3
2018
153
2.52
53
3
2017
151
2.51
63
3
2016
153
2.55
62
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 Lee County Clerk of Superior Court?
Susie K. Thomas (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Lee County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Lee County Register of Deeds?
Pam Britt (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Lee County, North Carolina.
Who is the Lee County Sheriff?
Brian Estes (Republican) is the Sheriff of Lee County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Lee County commissioners?
Samantha Martin (At-Large); Mark Lovick (At-Large); Cameron Sharpe (At-Large); Robert Reives (District 1); Kirk D. Smith (District 2); Andre Knecht (District 3); Taylor Vorbeck (District 4).
Who is on the Lee County School Board?
Eric N. Davidson (Board of Education Member); Alan Rummel (Board of Education Member); Chris Gaster (Board of Education Member); Megan Garner (Board of Education Member); Cynthia (Cindy) Ortiz (Board of Education Member); Sherry Lynn Womack (Board of Education Member); Carla Hooker (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of Lee County?
About 65,816 people, with a median age of 39.5; the median household income is $65,387 and 16.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Lee County?
3.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 948 people unemployed in a labor force of 30,569, against 3.7% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Lee County?
6 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal and 3 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Lee County?
1: Sanford. 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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