249,794 people (2024 Census estimate, +14.9% since 2020)
792 square miles of land · 315 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
47 active community water systems list Johnston County in the area they serve, reporting 215,595 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| JOHNSTON CO-WEST surface water · local government · NC0351070 | 99,027 served |
| CLAYTON, TOWN OF buys surface water · local government · NC0351020 | 30,876 served |
| JOHNSTON CO-EAST surface water · local government · NC4051018 | 25,212 served |
| SMITHFIELD, TOWN OF surface water · local government · NC0351010 | 12,900 served |
| FLOWERS PLANTATION buys surface water · private · NC0351195 | 12,809 served |
| SELMA, TOWN OF groundwater · local government · NC0351015 | 6,190 served |
| BENSON, TOWN OF buys surface water · local government · NC0351025 | 4,802 served |
| TOWN OF CLAYTON - NORTH buys surface water · local government · NC4051019 | 4,703 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 272 people were held in Johnston County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2024), or 170 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2018 it was about 224.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
1 school district has its office in Johnston County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $458.2 million — $423.3 million to run schools, about $11,353 per student, plus $26.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $105.8 million local (mostly property tax), $292.9 million state, $49.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $208.1 million.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Moderate compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Johnston County about $61.5 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Moderate; social vulnerability: Relatively Low.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
322 bridges in Johnston County: 147 in good condition, 163 fair, and 12 poor (3.7%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| NC42 over SWIFT CREEK · built 1947 | 21,000 vehicles a day |
| I95 SBL over BLACK CREEK · built 1955 | 21,000 vehicles a day |
| NC42 over WHITE OAK CREEK · built 1947 | 20,000 vehicles a day |
| SR1700 over NEUSE RIVER · built 1981 | 11,000 vehicles a day |
| US70BUS over I95 · built 1955 | 10,500 vehicles a day |
| SR1003 over BUFFALO CREEK · built 1977 | 4,800 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $151.2 million of work in Johnston County in fiscal 2025, about $700 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-09. Early voting: 2026-10-15 to 2026-10-31. Mail ballot request deadline: 2026-10-20. Election Day: 2026-11-03.
Source: NC State Board of Elections: upcoming election · NC State Board of Elections: vote in person · NC State Board of Elections: voter ID
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Johnston County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Johnston County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of North Carolina: the state government and every county in North Carolina.
Nearby counties: Wayne County (23 mi) · Wake County (25 mi) · Wilson County (28 mi) · Harnett County (30 mi) · Sampson County (36 mi) · Nash County (38 mi).