60,404 people (2024 Census estimate, +2.3% since 2020)
946 square miles of land · 64 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.
16 active community water systems list Sampson County in the area they serve, reporting 36,456 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| SAMPSON CO WTR DIST II groundwater · local government · NC0382070 | 12,895 served |
| CLINTON, CITY OF groundwater · local government · NC0382010 | 11,145 served |
| SAMPSON CO WTR DIST II - PLAINVIEW buys surface water · local government · NC5082022 | 3,725 served |
| HARRELLS WATER CORP groundwater · private · NC0382030 | 1,642 served |
| SALEMBURG, TOWN OF groundwater · local government · NC0382025 | 1,637 served |
| ROSEBORO, TOWN OF groundwater · local government · NC0382015 | 1,278 served |
| GARLAND, TOWN OF groundwater · local government · NC0382020 | 948 served |
| NEWTON GROVE, TOWN OF groundwater · local government · NC0382035 | 913 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 250 people were held in Sampson County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2024), or 683 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2019 it was about 246.
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.
2 school districts have their office in Sampson County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $105.7 million — $97.6 million to run schools, about $12,239 per student, plus $4.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $15.7 million local (mostly property tax), $65.3 million state, $24.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $73.8 million.
Spent $38.8 million — $36.6 million to run schools, about $11,982 per student, plus $1.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $7.8 million local (mostly property tax), $24 million state, $6.9 million federal.
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 Sampson County about $54.8 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Very High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
198 bridges in Sampson County: 104 in good condition, 88 fair, and 6 poor (3.0%). “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.
| US421 over GREAT COHARIE SWAMP · built 1920 | 7,000 vehicles a day |
| NC24 over SIX RUNS CREEK · built 1956 | 6,500 vehicles a day |
| US701 over BILLS SWAMP · built 1954 | 4,200 vehicles a day |
| SR1323 over BEARSKIN SWAMP · built 1980 | 1,700 vehicles a day |
| SR1214 over GREAT COHARIE OVRFL · built 1950 | 1,200 vehicles a day |
| SR1721 over GOSHEN SWAMP · built 1953 | 40 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $8.7 million of work in Sampson County in fiscal 2025, about $147 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 Sampson 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 Sampson County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of North Carolina: the state government and every county in North Carolina.
Nearby counties: Duplin County (25 mi) · Cumberland County (26 mi) · Bladen County (29 mi) · Wayne County (32 mi) · Johnston County (36 mi) · Harnett County (39 mi).