Pamlico County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Pamlico County: 22 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 12 local governments in Pamlico 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)
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 Pamlico 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 Pamlico County
12,390people
54.1median ageU.S.: 38.9
$59,717 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
15.2%below the U.S.: 12.5%
25.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$216,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5.1%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
2.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
11.7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
8.4%U.S.: 8.4%
47.9%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
29%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4.8% · White 73.4% · Black 16.1% · Asian 0.6% · Other or more than one race 5.1% (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 Pamlico County
3.2%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.7%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
160people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
4,897people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
5,057in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.2%
160
4,897
5,057
August 2026
3.3%
175
5,083
5,258
July 2026
3.6%
183
4,964
5,147
June 2026
3.4%
178
5,094
5,272
May 2026
3.4%
175
4,985
5,160
April 2026
3.3%
166
4,937
5,103
March 2026
3.1%
157
4,988
5,145
February 2026
3.3%
169
4,881
5,050
January 2026
3.7%
184
4,759
4,943
December 2025
3.2%
161
4,942
5,103
November 2025
3.8%
196
4,914
5,110
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.7%
185
4,817
5,002
August 2025
3.9%
209
5,089
5,298
July 2025
3.7%
192
5,062
5,254
June 2025
3.7%
198
5,101
5,299
May 2025
3.8%
198
5,016
5,214
April 2025
3.4%
175
4,978
5,153
March 2025
3.7%
189
4,968
5,157
February 2025
4.2%
212
4,814
5,026
January 2025
4.0%
201
4,775
4,976
December 2024
3.3%
164
4,777
4,941
November 2024
3.6%
177
4,793
4,970
October 2024
3.6%
172
4,649
4,821
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.7%
192
4,952
5,144
2024
3.8%
185
4,706
4,891
2023
3.7%
181
4,707
4,888
2022
4.1%
197
4,621
4,818
2021
4.9%
229
4,427
4,656
2020
6.4%
281
4,111
4,392
2019
4.2%
194
4,439
4,633
2018
4.7%
216
4,354
4,570
2017
5.2%
242
4,381
4,623
2016
5.9%
276
4,399
4,675
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 Pamlico County
261.8 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 330.3.
952.0 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 1,779.9.
1murders2025, 33 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
33
261.8
120
952.0
2024
22
175.2
123
979.8
2022
35
280.7
152
1,219.1
2018
22
174.2
191
1,512.0
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Pamlico County Sheriff's Office
2025
33
117
11,697
Oriental Police Department
2018
0
0
856
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
2.30 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 12,605 people.
29sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
30civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Pamlico County Sheriff's Office
27
30
11,697
Oriental Police Department
2
0
908
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
29
2.30
30
2
2024
28
2.23
32
2
2023
25
2.01
35
2
2022
24
1.92
28
2
2021
24
1.92
28
2
2020
24
1.89
27
2
2019
24
1.90
27
2
2018
24
1.90
27
2
2017
24
1.87
29
2
2016
23
1.81
28
2
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 Pamlico County Clerk of Superior Court?
Steven E. Hollowell (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Pamlico County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Pamlico County Register of Deeds?
Lynn H. Lewis (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Pamlico County, North Carolina.
Who is the Pamlico County Sheriff?
Chris Davis (Republican) is the Sheriff of Pamlico County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Pamlico County commissioners?
Doug Brinson (At-Large); Kari Forrest (At-Large); Thomas Andrew Mills (District 1); Candy Bohmert (District 2); Edward Lee Riggs, Jr. (District 3); Carl J. Ollison (District 4); Ken Heath (District 5).
Who is on the Pamlico County School Board?
Jamie D. Gibbs (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Erik Smith (Board of Education Member, At-Large); John B. Prescott (Board of Education Member, District 1); Cathy S. Dunbar (Board of Education Member, District 2); Jaclyn Cowell Jones (Board of Education Member, District 3); Helen J. Robinson (Board of Education Member, District 4); Heather Harrison (Board of Education Member, District 5).
What is the population of Pamlico County?
About 12,390 people, with a median age of 54.1; the median household income is $59,717 and 15.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Pamlico County?
3.2% in September 2026 (preliminary): 160 people unemployed in a labor force of 5,057, against 3.7% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Pamlico County?
12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 9 municipal and 2 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Pamlico County?
1: Bayboro. 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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