Washington County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Washington County: 22 seats on 7 elected bodies. 9 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 7 local governments in Washington 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
3
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 (1 in Washington 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 Washington County
10,812people
48.8median ageU.S.: 38.9
$41,813 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
24.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%
14.8%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$125,900median home valueU.S.: $332,700
13%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
1.1%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
8.7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
9.2%U.S.: 8.4%
49.5%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
42.7%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4% · White 44.5% · Black 47.7% · Asian 0% · 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 Washington County
4.3%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.9%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
168people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
3,743people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
3,911in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
4.3%
168
3,743
3,911
August 2026
4.8%
184
3,662
3,846
July 2026
4.9%
183
3,539
3,722
June 2026
4.3%
170
3,760
3,930
May 2026
4.4%
171
3,726
3,897
April 2026
4.2%
166
3,765
3,931
March 2026
4.2%
169
3,831
4,000
February 2026
4.9%
194
3,757
3,951
January 2026
4.8%
186
3,713
3,899
December 2025
4.0%
154
3,744
3,898
November 2025
4.6%
182
3,748
3,930
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.9%
190
3,686
3,876
August 2025
5.3%
204
3,654
3,858
July 2025
5.1%
194
3,594
3,788
June 2025
4.9%
197
3,810
4,007
May 2025
4.8%
187
3,734
3,921
April 2025
4.4%
173
3,789
3,962
March 2025
4.7%
187
3,787
3,974
February 2025
5.1%
197
3,698
3,895
January 2025
5.1%
197
3,684
3,881
December 2024
4.1%
159
3,691
3,850
November 2024
4.3%
169
3,721
3,890
October 2024
4.0%
156
3,751
3,907
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.8%
187
3,721
3,908
2024
4.5%
175
3,752
3,927
2023
5.0%
199
3,799
3,998
2022
5.3%
216
3,834
4,050
2021
7.3%
290
3,673
3,963
2020
8.6%
342
3,639
3,981
2019
6.1%
250
3,874
4,124
2018
6.3%
270
3,988
4,258
2017
6.9%
307
4,113
4,420
2016
7.8%
352
4,177
4,529
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 Washington County
476.1 per 100,0002022. North Carolina: 285.7.
1,454.9 per 100,0002022. North Carolina: 2,007.8.
3murders2022, 54 violent crimes in all.
2022 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
2022
54
476.1
165
1,454.9
2021
39
333.8
151
1,292.3
2020
58
485.2
175
1,464.1
2019
57
465.3
248
2,024.7
2018
38
306.1
146
1,176.0
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Washington County Sheriff's Office
2022
9
72
7,678
Plymouth Police Department
2025
21
89
3,161
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
1.70 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 10,569 people.
18sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
10civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Washington County Sheriff's Office
12
9
7,408
Plymouth Police Department
6
1
3,161
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
18
1.70
10
2
2024
17
1.59
18
2
2023
19
1.77
15
2
2022
20
1.84
21
2
2021
22
1.97
20
2
2020
31
2.71
19
2
2018
36
3.04
23
2
2017
36
2.98
27
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 Washington County Clerk of Superior Court?
Brian Keith Phelps (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Washington County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Washington County Register of Deeds?
Timothy J. Esolen (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Washington County, North Carolina.
Who is the Washington County Sheriff?
Johnny Barnes (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Washington County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Washington County commissioners?
John Spruill (At-Large); Carol Phelps (District 1); Julius Walker, Jr. (District 2); Tracey A. Johnson (District 3); Ann C. Keyes (District 4).
Who is on the Washington County School Board?
Carlos Riddick (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Sherri Gilliam (Board of Education Member, District 1); Vanessa Cherry (Board of Education Member, District 1); Lois Clark (Board of Education Member, District 2); Wayne Rodgers (Board of Education Member, District 3).
What is the population of Washington County?
About 10,812 people, with a median age of 48.8; the median household income is $41,813 and 24.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Washington County?
4.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 168 people unemployed in a labor force of 3,911, against 4.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Washington County?
7 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal and 3 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Washington County?
1: Plymouth. 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.
See your members of Congress and every race and measure on your ballot in Washington County, from your address. Your address stays in your browser.Look up my races