Martin County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Martin 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
Martin County Board of Commissioners
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 17 local governments in Martin 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
9
1
School districts (school boards)
0
1
Special districts (elected boards)
7
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 Martin 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 Martin County
21,644people
46.8median ageU.S.: 38.9
$48,578 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
20.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%
16.7%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$109,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700
6.1%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
1.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
5.9%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
7.1%U.S.: 8.4%
41.6%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
30.7%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4.4% · White 51.2% · Black 40.1% · Asian 0.6% · Other or more than one race 3.8% (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 Martin County
3.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.8%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
318people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
8,713people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
9,031in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.5%
318
8,713
9,031
August 2026
4.0%
351
8,519
8,870
July 2026
4.3%
368
8,170
8,538
June 2026
4.0%
356
8,585
8,941
May 2026
3.7%
337
8,666
9,003
April 2026
3.7%
336
8,730
9,066
March 2026
3.7%
338
8,875
9,213
February 2026
4.1%
371
8,699
9,070
January 2026
4.3%
385
8,622
9,007
December 2025
3.5%
322
8,767
9,089
November 2025
4.1%
369
8,733
9,102
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.8%
345
8,737
9,082
August 2025
4.4%
395
8,568
8,963
July 2025
4.5%
396
8,372
8,768
June 2025
4.0%
366
8,805
9,171
May 2025
3.9%
353
8,761
9,114
April 2025
3.5%
319
8,895
9,214
March 2025
3.8%
353
8,909
9,262
February 2025
4.1%
378
8,761
9,139
January 2025
4.2%
385
8,711
9,096
December 2024
3.7%
338
8,676
9,014
November 2024
4.2%
385
8,707
9,092
October 2024
3.7%
336
8,815
9,151
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.0%
362
8,729
9,091
2024
4.1%
375
8,824
9,199
2023
4.0%
367
8,837
9,204
2022
4.1%
376
8,801
9,177
2021
5.2%
475
8,582
9,057
2020
6.5%
589
8,533
9,122
2019
4.7%
444
9,087
9,531
2018
4.8%
463
9,276
9,739
2017
5.3%
533
9,527
10,060
2016
6.3%
652
9,635
10,287
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 Martin County
492.3 per 100,0002021. North Carolina: 419.5.
2,142.3 per 100,0002021. North Carolina: 2,087.2.
3murders2021, 111 violent crimes in all.
2021 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
2021
111
492.3
483
2,142.3
2020
111
479.2
507
2,188.6
2018
119
506.1
667
2,836.6
2017
95
395.8
608
2,532.9
2016
72
298.2
463
1,917.7
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Martin County Sheriff's Office
2025
44
162
15,159
Williamston Police Department
2025
72
312
5,027
Robersonville Police Department
2020
13
48
1,328
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
2.62 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 21,406 people.
56sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
7civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Martin County Sheriff's Office
38
4
15,159
Williamston Police Department
16
3
5,027
Robersonville Police Department
2
0
1,220
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
56
2.62
7
3
2024
55
2.57
9
3
2023
60
2.82
6
3
2022
64
2.95
8
3
2021
62
2.87
7
3
2020
65
2.92
8
3
2019
65
2.90
7
3
2018
66
2.93
4
3
2017
63
2.74
3
3
2016
66
2.85
4
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 Martin County Clerk of Superior Court?
Tonya C. Leggett (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Martin County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Martin County Register of Deeds?
Kimberly J. Griffin (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Martin County, North Carolina.
Who is the Martin County Sheriff?
Tim Manning (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Martin County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Martin County commissioners?
David (Skip) Gurganus (Eastern District); Jeremiah Taylor (Eastern District); Joe R. Ayers (Western District).
Who is on the Martin County School Board?
Abby Mason (Board of Education Member, District 1); Pat C. Nelson (Board of Education Member, District 2); Chase Conner (Board of Education Member, District 3); Gene Scott (Board of Education Member, District 4); Renee Purvis (Board of Education Member, District 5); Doug Baker (Board of Education Member, District 6); Jimbo Shiver (Board of Education Member, District 7).
What is the population of Martin County?
About 21,644 people, with a median age of 46.8; the median household income is $48,578 and 20.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Martin County?
3.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 318 people unemployed in a labor force of 9,031, against 3.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Martin County?
17 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 9 municipal and 7 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Martin County?
1: Williamston. 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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