Sampson County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Sampson County: 21 seats on 8 elected bodies. 7 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
Board of County Commissioners
Sampson County Board of Commissioners
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
Who lives in each of the 2 school districts (Census figures)
School district
People
Median household income
Below the poverty line
Without health insurance
Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent
Clinton City Schools
16,133
$56,268
21.3%
17.2%
38.4%
Sampson County Schools
43,337
$50,152
22%
15%
51.9%
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates for each school district's area, matched to its board by name. They're estimates with a , larger for small districts.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 10 local governments in Sampson 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
1
School districts (school boards)
0
2
Special districts (elected boards)
1
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 (3 in Sampson 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 Sampson County
59,470people
39.7median ageU.S.: 38.9
$52,432 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
21.8%below the U.S.: 12.5%
16.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$150,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
10.6%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.9%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
15.6%U.S.: 8.4%
46.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
28.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 22% · White 49.2% · Black 24% · Asian 0.4% · Other or more than one race 4.3% (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 Sampson County
3.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.9%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
754people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
23,824people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
24,578in 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%
754
23,824
24,578
August 2026
3.6%
886
23,423
24,309
July 2026
4.1%
942
21,896
22,838
June 2026
3.7%
909
23,363
24,272
May 2026
3.6%
886
23,634
24,520
April 2026
3.5%
869
23,778
24,647
March 2026
3.6%
905
24,084
24,989
February 2026
4.1%
1,007
23,428
24,435
January 2026
4.2%
1,030
23,209
24,239
December 2025
3.6%
884
23,677
24,561
November 2025
4.1%
997
23,410
24,407
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.9%
940
23,180
24,120
August 2025
4.3%
1,049
23,225
24,274
July 2025
4.4%
1,066
23,045
24,111
June 2025
4.2%
1,044
23,887
24,931
May 2025
3.8%
948
24,281
25,229
April 2025
3.5%
882
24,489
25,371
March 2025
3.9%
980
24,473
25,453
February 2025
4.2%
1,030
23,670
24,700
January 2025
4.3%
1,050
23,512
24,562
December 2024
3.6%
862
23,068
23,930
November 2024
4.0%
951
23,052
24,003
October 2024
3.6%
866
23,266
24,132
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.0%
988
23,714
24,702
2024
4.0%
973
23,467
24,440
2023
3.9%
954
23,567
24,521
2022
4.1%
1,019
23,846
24,865
2021
5.0%
1,224
23,149
24,373
2020
6.4%
1,563
22,843
24,406
2019
4.1%
1,053
24,872
25,925
2018
4.4%
1,131
24,581
25,712
2017
5.2%
1,339
24,468
25,807
2016
5.9%
1,551
24,533
26,084
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 Sampson County
216.2 per 100,0002018. North Carolina: 356.2.
1,577.9 per 100,0002018. North Carolina: 2,343.8.
3murders2018, 141 violent crimes in all.
2018 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.
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Sampson County Sheriff's Office
2025
77
542
51,812
Clinton Police Department
2025
24
232
8,305
Newton Grove Police Department
2018
0
0
562
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
2.14 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 60,715 people.
130sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
45civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Sampson County Sheriff's Office
100
41
51,812
Clinton Police Department
28
4
8,305
Newton Grove Police Department
2
0
598
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
130
2.14
45
3
2024
129
2.14
41
3
2023
130
2.20
44
3
2022
123
2.08
44
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 Sampson County Clerk of Superior Court?
Chris Fann (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Sampson County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Sampson County Register of Deeds?
Anita H. Lane (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Sampson County, North Carolina.
Who is the Sampson County Sheriff?
Jimmy Thornton (Republican) is the Sheriff of Sampson County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Sampson County commissioners?
Allen McLamb (District 1); Eric Pope (District 2); Sue Lane Lee (District 3); Lethia R. Lee (District 4); Thaddeus L. Godwin, Sr. (District 5).
Who is on the Sampson County School Board?
Clark Hales (Board of Education Member); Jeremy Edgerton (Board of Education Member); Daryll Warren (Board of Education Member); Jennifer H. Naylor (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of Sampson County?
About 59,470 people, with a median age of 39.7; the median household income is $52,432 and 21.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Sampson County?
3.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 754 people unemployed in a labor force of 24,578, against 3.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Sampson County?
10 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 8 municipal and 1 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Sampson County?
1: Clinton. 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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