Berkeley County, SC elected officials: county council, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Berkeley County: 13 seats on 6 elected bodies.

County Council

Berkeley County Council

OfficeWho holds it now
County Council MemberPhillip Obie source
County Council MemberCaldwell Pinckney, Jr source
County Council MemberSteve Davis source
County Council MemberThomas Newell source
County Council MemberDan Owens source
County Council MemberAmy Stern source
County Council MemberMarshall West source
County Council MemberJar- rod Brooks source

County officers

OfficeWho holds it now
Clerk of CourtLeah Guerry Dupree source
CoronerDarnell Hartwell source
Probate JudgeKeith W. Kornahrens source
SheriffS. Duane Lewis source

Cities and towns

How many local governments Berkeley County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 11 local governments in Berkeley County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of governmentCensus count (2022)Listed on this page
County government11
Cities, towns, villages and townships61
School districts (school boards)10
Special districts (elected boards)30

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, 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 Berkeley County

246,802people
36.9median ageU.S.: 38.9
$84,358 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
9.9%below the U.S.: 12.5%
31%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$310,300median home valueU.S.: $332,700
3.2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
6.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
12.4%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
9.2%U.S.: 8.4%
51.3%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
24.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 9.2% · White 60.1% · Black 22.7% · Asian 2.5% · Other or more than one race 5.5% (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 Berkeley County

3.3%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.1%. South Carolina: 3.7%.
4,565people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
133,577people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
138,142in the September 2026, preliminary.
Unemployment rate, yearly average, Berkeley County 0.0%1.4%2.8%4.2%5.6% 20162018202020222024

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years
MonthRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
September 2026 (preliminary)3.3%4,565133,577138,142
August 20263.8%5,331133,379138,710
July 20264.0%5,618134,230139,848
June 20263.8%5,273133,372138,645
May 20263.4%4,728133,308138,036
April 20263.2%4,417132,482136,899
March 20263.7%5,032131,241136,273
February 20264.9%6,640129,264135,904
January 20264.9%6,561128,660135,221
December 20254.3%5,748129,325135,073
November 20254.4%6,012129,348135,360
October 2025not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 20254.1%5,411128,037133,448
August 20254.4%5,885128,048133,933
July 20254.3%5,805129,420135,225
June 20254.0%5,493130,291135,784
May 20253.4%4,610129,243133,853
April 20253.2%4,259129,133133,392
March 20253.6%4,838128,552133,390
February 20254.0%5,240127,114132,354
January 20253.7%4,958127,356132,314
December 20243.5%4,625126,602131,227
November 20243.8%4,993126,021131,014
October 20243.9%5,183126,676131,859
Yearly averages
YearRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
2025 (11 months)4.0%5,296128,715134,011
20243.6%4,741125,813130,554
20232.6%3,259121,423124,682
20222.9%3,421112,970116,391
20213.5%3,825106,471110,296
20205.3%5,628100,829106,457
20192.4%2,532103,187105,719
20182.9%2,92998,404101,333
20173.7%3,60394,40798,010
20164.4%4,20691,84096,046

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. South Carolina's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.0% 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.

Police in Berkeley County

Police staffing

2.02 per 1,000 residents2022, 9 agencies serving 426,067 people.
859sworn officers2022, full-time, as of October 31.
200civilian staff2022, full-time.

2022 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.

Agencies counted (9), 2022
AgencyOfficersCiviliansPeople served
Charleston Police Department41588152,324
Berkeley County Sheriff's Office18445137,406
Summerville Police Department1202951,423
Goose Creek Police Department803046,665
Moncks Corner Police Department28413,906
Hanahan Police Department26222,320
St. Stephen Police Department311,533
Jamestown Police Department2171
BONNEAU10419
Earlier years
YearOfficersPer 1,000CiviliansAgencies
20228592.022009
20168072.122799

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 Berkeley County Clerk of Court?
Leah Guerry Dupree is the Clerk of Court of Berkeley County, South Carolina.
Who is the Berkeley County Coroner?
Darnell Hartwell is the Coroner of Berkeley County, South Carolina.
Who is the Berkeley County Probate Judge?
Keith W. Kornahrens is the Probate Judge of Berkeley County, South Carolina.
Who is the Berkeley County Sheriff?
S. Duane Lewis is the Sheriff of Berkeley County, South Carolina.
Who are the Berkeley County commissioners?
Phillip Obie (County Council Member); Caldwell Pinckney, Jr (County Council Member); Steve Davis (County Council Member); Thomas Newell (County Council Member); Dan Owens (County Council Member); Amy Stern (County Council Member); Marshall West (County Council Member); Jar- rod Brooks (County Council Member).
What is the population of Berkeley County?
About 246,802 people, with a median age of 36.9; the median household income is $84,358 and 9.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Berkeley County?
3.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 4,565 people unemployed in a labor force of 138,142, against 4.1% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Berkeley County?
11 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal, 1 school district and 3 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Berkeley County?
1: Moncks Corner. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.

Officeholders as of October 15, 2026, from the South Carolina Legislative Manual's list of county officers and mayors of county seats; 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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