U.S. CENSUS:
JOHNSTON HAS
191,450 RESIDENTS
That  estimate – for 2016 – shows a gain of almost 6,000 residents since 2015. To review historical Census data for Johnston County and its towns, click here.

N.C. "REPORT CARDS"
FOR OUR SCHOOLS
Click here for a PDF of 2015-16 results for all 44 of Johnston County's public schools.

FOR THE LATEST LOCAL NEWS, check out "Johnston County Report" from radio station WTSB.

WEATHER DATA
Temperature and conditions at Johnston County Airport

Regional radar from weather.com

Neuse River depth at Smithfield from USGS

Click here for all sorts of historical weather statistics for Smithfield

OFFICIAL TIME
Click here and set your clock

ALMANAC
Click here for today's times of sunrise, sunset (& moonrise, moonset)

Next full moon:
• July 9 @ 12:08 a.m.

Summer arrives:
• June 21 @ 12:24 a.m.

 THINGS TO SEE & DO
Click here for a rundown of upcoming cultural events – compiled by the Johnston County Visitors Bureau.

4 AMTRAK TRAINS
STOP HERE DAILY
Click here for information about passenger trains that stop at Selma Union Station.






HURRICANE MATTHEW'S RECORD FLOOD HERE
This photograph was taken looking westward from Smithfield's Market Street bridge over the Neuse River last Oct. 10 when flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew pushed the river's depth here to just over 29 feet – two feet higher than floods following hurricanes Fran in 1996 and Floyd in 1999 as measured by the U.S. Geological Survey's gauging station not far from this spot.
• To view more photos of the Matthew flood's crest, click here.
 • To access FEMA's website portal to local flood maps, click here.

ALMOST ANOTHER RECORD AFTER APRIL RAIN
Excessive rainfall in the Raleigh region April 23-25 resulted in the fourth highest flooding of the Neuse at Smithfield in modern times when the USGS reading taken near the Market Street bridge topped 25 feet on the evening of April 26.
• To get current USGS river readings at Smithfield, click here.
WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
Click here for the school system's "newsroom"

TRACKING OUR LOCAL GOVERNING BOARDS:

JOHNSTON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Click here for highlights of recent board meetings
Click here for minutes of recent board meetings

JOHNSTON COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
Click here for meeting agendas and minutes

SMITHFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
Click here for meeting agendas and minutes

SELMA TOWN COUNCIL
Click here for minutes of meetings
JOBLESS RATE
IMPROVES TO 3.8%
Johnston County's unemployment rate in April dropped to 3.8% – the lowest monthly rate in a decade. The number of employed Johnstonians rose to a new high of 89,926 in April while the number looking for work yet unemployed dropped to 3,538, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce. For more information from NCDC, click here.

RETAIL SALES UP
14.7% 1st QUARTER
According to the N.C. Dept. of Revenue, taxable retail sales of $423,097,694 in Johnston County
January-March were 14.7% above the total of $368,729,283 reported for the first quarter of 2016. For monthly reports going back to the late 1990s, click here.

JOHNSTON NO. 4
IN CASH CROPS
Local farmers produced crops worth $139.4 million in 2015, ranking 4th among the state's 100 counties. We continue to rank 2nd in production of flue-cured tobacco (behind neighboring Sampson County). In addition to income from crops, Johnston's farmers earned $106.6 million from hogs, chickens, turkeys, and other livestock. For more stats about N.C. agriculture, click here.

MORE ECONOMIC DATA
ABOUT JOHNSTON CO.
 Click here to access the website of the county's Economic Development Office.
a Hometown Heritage site: updated 6/15/17
E-mail the editor:
Wingate Lassiter