Alexander County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Alexander County: 21 seats on 7 elected bodies. 9 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 3 local governments in Alexander County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships
1
1
School districts (school boards)
0
1
Special districts (elected boards)
1
1
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 (1 in Alexander County), 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 Alexander County
36,412people
43.8median ageU.S.: 38.9
$65,354 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
12.6%below the U.S.: 12.5%
16.7%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$211,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
7.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
8.1%U.S.: 8.4%
39.4%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
16.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.6% · White 85.5% · Black 5% · Asian 1% · Other or more than one race 2.9% (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 Alexander County
2.9%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.6%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
453people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
15,023people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
15,476in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
2.9%
453
15,023
15,476
August 2026
3.4%
517
14,803
15,320
July 2026
3.7%
558
14,717
15,275
June 2026
3.3%
514
14,940
15,454
May 2026
3.4%
522
15,011
15,533
April 2026
3.2%
503
15,105
15,608
March 2026
3.4%
528
15,218
15,746
February 2026
3.6%
562
15,081
15,643
January 2026
3.9%
603
15,013
15,616
December 2025
3.2%
501
15,225
15,726
November 2025
3.7%
588
15,212
15,800
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.6%
569
15,250
15,819
August 2025
4.0%
632
15,132
15,764
July 2025
3.8%
614
15,376
15,990
June 2025
3.8%
611
15,450
16,061
May 2025
3.6%
581
15,436
16,017
April 2025
3.5%
557
15,515
16,072
March 2025
3.8%
614
15,534
16,148
February 2025
4.1%
660
15,374
16,034
January 2025
4.0%
643
15,360
16,003
December 2024
3.6%
562
15,267
15,829
November 2024
3.8%
597
15,279
15,876
October 2024
3.4%
545
15,419
15,964
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.7%
597
15,351
15,948
2024
3.7%
600
15,503
16,103
2023
3.5%
570
15,791
16,361
2022
3.5%
569
15,792
16,361
2021
4.6%
726
15,087
15,813
2020
8.0%
1,263
14,503
15,766
2019
3.5%
571
15,657
16,228
2018
3.5%
558
15,578
16,136
2017
3.9%
631
15,470
16,101
2016
4.6%
729
15,220
15,949
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. North Carolina's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.4% 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.
Crime reported in Alexander County
272.1 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 330.3.
851.8 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 1,779.9.
4murders2025, 100 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
100
272.1
313
851.8
2024
81
220.5
311
846.8
2023
102
279.0
328
897.3
2022
82
221.4
395
1,066.4
2021
92
249.4
444
1,203.6
2020
64
170.5
548
1,460.2
2019
96
257.1
574
1,537.0
2018
84
225.2
465
1,246.6
2017
64
170.5
636
1,694.3
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Alexander County Sheriff's Office
2025
100
302
34,459
Taylorsville Police Department
2024
0
27
2,258
Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in North Carolina · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.50 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 36,747 people.
55sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
45civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Alexander County Sheriff's Office
43
45
34,459
Taylorsville Police Department
12
0
2,288
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
55
1.50
45
2
2024
56
1.52
44
2
2023
51
1.40
41
2
2022
48
1.30
46
2
2021
51
1.38
39
2
2020
51
1.36
43
2
2019
54
1.45
40
2
2018
50
1.34
34
2
2017
46
1.23
35
2
2016
50
1.34
32
2
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 Alexander County Clerk of Superior Court?
Edwin P. Chapman (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Alexander County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Alexander County Register of Deeds?
Scott H. Hines (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Alexander County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Alexander County Sheriff?
Chad Pennell (Republican) is the Sheriff of Alexander County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Alexander County commissioners?
Marty Pennell (County Commissioner); Ronnie L. Reese (County Commissioner); Larry G. Yoder (County Commissioner); Robert Kent Herman (County Commissioner); Josh Lail (County Commissioner).
Who is on the Alexander County School Board?
Robert (Rob) Arguelles (Board of Education Member, District 1); Jesse Bowles (Board of Education Member, District 1); Shannon Oxentine (Board of Education Member, District 3); Anthony McLain (Board of Education Member, District 4); Corey McLain (Board of Education Member, District 4).
What is the population of Alexander County?
About 36,412 people, with a median age of 43.8; the median household income is $65,354 and 12.6% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Alexander County?
2.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 453 people unemployed in a labor force of 15,476, against 3.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Alexander County?
3 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 municipal and 1 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Alexander County?
1: Taylorsville. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the NC State Board of Elections' certified results of each seat's last election (2022–2025, and the March 2026 nonpartisan school board elections); officials appointed since then may differ; 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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