Ashe County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Ashe County: 20 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 5 local governments in Ashe 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
3
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 Ashe 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 Ashe County
26,950people
49.8median ageU.S.: 38.9
$56,866 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
13.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
25.9%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$243,100median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
2.8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.6%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
9.8%U.S.: 8.4%
41.4%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
26.4%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 6% · White 90.8% · Black 0.9% · Asian 0.4% · Other or more than one race 1.8% (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 Ashe County
2.6%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.1%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
327people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
12,045people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
12,372in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
2.6%
327
12,045
12,372
August 2026
2.9%
354
11,925
12,279
July 2026
3.2%
383
11,553
11,936
June 2026
3.0%
363
11,881
12,244
May 2026
2.9%
355
11,902
12,257
April 2026
2.8%
346
11,929
12,275
March 2026
2.9%
362
11,974
12,336
February 2026
3.2%
395
11,768
12,163
January 2026
3.3%
402
11,618
12,020
December 2025
2.8%
343
11,873
12,216
November 2025
3.4%
423
11,852
12,275
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.1%
387
11,959
12,346
August 2025
3.6%
447
12,008
12,455
July 2025
3.4%
416
11,766
12,182
June 2025
3.4%
428
12,106
12,534
May 2025
3.5%
429
11,971
12,400
April 2025
3.1%
384
11,944
12,328
March 2025
3.6%
441
11,877
12,318
February 2025
3.8%
466
11,667
12,133
January 2025
4.0%
480
11,609
12,089
December 2024
3.2%
390
11,722
12,112
November 2024
3.6%
439
11,632
12,071
October 2024
3.4%
421
11,842
12,263
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.4%
422
11,876
12,298
2024
3.1%
386
12,002
12,388
2023
3.1%
384
11,934
12,318
2022
3.6%
439
11,910
12,349
2021
4.2%
505
11,476
11,981
2020
6.5%
758
10,933
11,691
2019
3.8%
460
11,730
12,190
2018
3.8%
454
11,518
11,972
2017
4.2%
507
11,425
11,932
2016
5.0%
581
11,145
11,726
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 Ashe County
109.4 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 379.2.
696.6 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 1,978.3.
0murders2024, 30 violent crimes in all.
2024 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2024
30
109.4
191
696.6
2023
38
138.7
279
1,018.3
2022
33
122.3
292
1,082.1
2021
43
160.8
242
904.8
2020
41
150.7
318
1,169.0
2019
61
225.3
264
974.9
2016
29
107.5
298
1,104.6
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Ashe County Sheriff's Office
2025
16
130
24,425
Jefferson Police Department
2024
2
24
1,638
West Jefferson Police Department
2025
1
75
1,347
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
1.90 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 27,425 people.
52sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
41civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Ashe County Sheriff's Office
36
40
24,425
West Jefferson Police Department
9
0
1,347
Jefferson Police Department
7
1
1,653
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
52
1.90
41
3
2024
49
1.79
42
3
2023
52
1.90
37
3
2022
48
1.78
36
3
2021
51
1.91
39
3
2020
49
1.80
42
3
2019
45
1.66
43
3
2018
42
1.56
34
3
2017
44
1.63
33
3
2016
42
1.56
32
3
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 Ashe County Clerk of Superior Court?
Pam W. Barlow (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Ashe County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Ashe County Register of Deeds?
Deaett R. Roten (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Ashe County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Ashe County Sheriff?
B. Phil Howell (Republican) is the Sheriff of Ashe County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Ashe County commissioners?
Todd A. McNeill (County Commissioner); Mike Eldreth (County Commissioner); Wes Greene (County Commissioner); Russell M. Killen (County Commissioner); Jerry D. Powers (County Commissioner).
Who is on the Ashe County School Board?
Dianne Eldreth (Board of Education Member); Polly Sexton Jones (Board of Education Member); Janet Ward (Board of Education Member); Josh Roten (Board of Education Member); Teresa Calhoun (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of Ashe County?
About 26,950 people, with a median age of 49.8; the median household income is $56,866 and 13.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Ashe County?
2.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 327 people unemployed in a labor force of 12,372, against 3.1% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Ashe County?
5 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal and 1 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Ashe County?
1: Jefferson. 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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