North Carolina · county 37187

Washington County, North Carolina: public records at a glance

What national public records say about Washington County — people, schools, health, drinking water, bridges, disaster risk, the jail, federal grants and how to vote — each with its source. A full County Commons site (the budget line by line, your tax bill, audits, local offices) isn't built for Washington County yet — not gathered, never hidden.

10,654 people (2024 Census estimate, −3.0% since 2020)
347 square miles of land · 31 people per square mile

How Washington County compares — against the other counties in North Carolina

“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.

Drinking water — public water systems serving Washington County

4 active community water systems list Washington County in the area they serve, reporting 10,964 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).

WASHINGTON COUNTY WATER SYSTEM
groundwater · local government · NC0494025
6,693 served
PLYMOUTH WATER SYSTEM
groundwater · local government · NC0494010
3,243 served
ROPER WATER SYSTEM
buys groundwater · local government · NC0494015
546 served
CRESWELL TOWN OF
buys groundwater · local government · NC0494020
482 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.

The jail — people held in the county jail

About 15 people were held in Washington County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2024), or 249 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2019 it was about 23.

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.

Public schools — district budgets, fiscal 2023

1 school district has its office in Washington County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.

WASHINGTON COUNTY SCH1,104 students

Spent $23.7 million — $19.1 million to run schools, about $17,309 per student, plus $3.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.8 million local (mostly property tax), $12.8 million state, $8.3 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.

Health, money and internet at home — Washington County beside North Carolina

Life expectancy71.2 years · North Carolina 75.9 years
Adults under 65 without health insurance12.2% · North Carolina 11.2%
Children in poverty35.8% · North Carolina 17.5%
Households without enough food (food insecurity)17.7% · North Carolina 14.0%
Households with broadband internet72.9% · North Carolina 88.6%
Households with severe housing problems20.5% · North Carolina 14.2%
Residents per primary care doctor2,178 · North Carolina 1,413
Residents per mental health provider974 · North Carolina 299
Unemployment4.8% · North Carolina 3.5%
Median household income$47,239 · North Carolina $70,838

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.

Disaster risk — FEMA's National Risk Index

Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Washington County about $13.6 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Moderate; social vulnerability: Very High.

The costliest hazards here

Hurricane$10.3 million a year · Relatively High
River and inland flooding$1.6 million a year · Very Low
Tornado$589,794 a year · Relatively Low
Heat wave$288,870 a year · Relatively Low
Strong wind$162,393 a year · Relatively Low

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.

Bridges — condition of every public bridge, 2025

59 bridges in Washington County: 32 in good condition, 26 fair, and 1 poor (1.7%). “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.

Busiest bridges rated poor

NC32 NC37 NC94
over ALBEMARLE SOUND · built 1990
3,500 vehicles a day

Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.

Federal grants — the money that came in, and what's open now

Federal grants paid for $1.9 million of work in Washington County in fiscal 2025, about $170 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.

Open now: federal grants county governments can apply for

F26AS00062: Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act FY 2026
Fish and Wildlife Service · F26AS00062
closes 2026-10-13
OVC FY 2026 Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking
Office for Victims of Crime · O-OVC-2026-172699
closes 2026-10-14
BJA FY 2026 Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Program
Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172661
closes 2026-10-15
FY26 Bureau of Land Management Youth Conservation Corps - Bureau wide
Bureau of Land Management · L26AS00064
closes 2026-10-16
FY 2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) FAA Contract Tower (FCT) Competitive Grant Program
Airport Improvement Program Discretionary Grants · DOT-FAA-26-0117-002
closes 2026-10-19
Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Service Area Competition (SAC)
Health Resources and Services Administration · HRSA-27-005
closes 2026-10-19
Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Competition
AmeriCorps · AC-08-20-2026
closes 2026-10-20
DOJ FY 2026 Assisting Neighborhoods and Governments with Enforcement of Laws (ANGEL) Grant Program
Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172778
closes 2026-10-20
Long-term health outcomes of people living with spina bifida
Centers for Disease Control - NCBDDD · CDC-RFA-DD-26-0222
closes 2026-10-26
OJJDP FY 2026 Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Program
Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention · O-OJJDP-2026-172741
closes 2026-10-29
BJA FY 2026 Veterans Treatment Court Program
Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172714
closes 2026-10-29
BJA FY 2026 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA
Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172708
closes 2026-10-29

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.

Voting

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

Not here yet

The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Washington 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 Washington County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.

More of North Carolina: the state government and every county in North Carolina.

Nearby counties: Chowan County (20 mi) · Tyrrell County (23 mi) · Perquimans County (25 mi) · Bertie County (26 mi) · Beaufort County (29 mi) · Martin County (31 mi).