Bladen County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Bladen County: 23 seats on 7 elected bodies. 10 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
Board of County Commissioners
Bladen County Board of Commissioners
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 14 local governments in Bladen 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
7
1
School districts (school boards)
0
1
Special districts (elected boards)
6
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 (2 in Bladen 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 Bladen County
29,566people
44.7median ageU.S.: 38.9
$42,422 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
22%below the U.S.: 12.5%
19.5%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$135,100median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5.4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
3.8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
8.1%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
10.2%U.S.: 8.4%
51.3%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
34.4%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 9.3% · White 53.4% · Black 32.1% · Asian 0.2% · Other or more than one race 5% (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 Bladen County
4.4%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 5.4%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
470people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
10,327people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
10,797in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
4.4%
470
10,327
10,797
August 2026
4.8%
517
10,196
10,713
July 2026
5.2%
540
9,774
10,314
June 2026
4.8%
522
10,363
10,885
May 2026
4.9%
531
10,332
10,863
April 2026
4.6%
508
10,440
10,948
March 2026
4.7%
529
10,628
11,157
February 2026
5.3%
583
10,405
10,988
January 2026
5.7%
618
10,272
10,890
December 2025
4.8%
526
10,406
10,932
November 2025
5.3%
579
10,282
10,861
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
5.4%
587
10,303
10,890
August 2025
6.1%
675
10,380
11,055
July 2025
6.3%
682
10,204
10,886
June 2025
5.2%
602
10,985
11,587
May 2025
5.1%
584
10,919
11,503
April 2025
4.5%
525
11,092
11,617
March 2025
5.1%
597
11,155
11,752
February 2025
5.5%
632
10,910
11,542
January 2025
5.4%
621
10,896
11,517
December 2024
4.7%
532
10,743
11,275
November 2024
5.1%
573
10,661
11,234
October 2024
4.6%
524
10,805
11,329
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
5.3%
601
10,685
11,286
2024
5.0%
589
11,252
11,841
2023
4.7%
576
11,607
12,183
2022
4.9%
595
11,490
12,085
2021
6.7%
798
11,089
11,887
2020
8.3%
983
10,831
11,814
2019
5.3%
648
11,484
12,132
2018
6.1%
731
11,208
11,939
2017
6.7%
803
11,213
12,016
2016
7.9%
963
11,174
12,137
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 Bladen County
552.2 per 100,0002020. North Carolina: 419.3.
1,996.8 per 100,0002020. North Carolina: 2,226.5.
7murders2020, 185 violent crimes in all.
2020 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
2020
185
552.2
669
1,996.8
2018
23
67.0
228
664.4
By police agency (4)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Bladen County Sheriff's Office
2024
42
301
23,924
Elizabethtown Police Department
2025
23
154
3,286
Bladenboro Police Department
2020
3
15
1,599
White Lake Police Department
2025
2
11
854
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
2.62 per 1,000 residents2025, 4 agencies serving 29,800 people.
78sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
20civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (4), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Bladen County Sheriff's Office
53
19
24,019
Elizabethtown Police Department
12
1
3,286
White Lake Police Department
7
0
854
Bladenboro Police Department
6
0
1,641
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
78
2.62
20
4
2024
78
2.63
48
4
2023
76
2.59
53
4
2022
79
2.67
46
4
2021
69
2.14
44
4
2020
80
2.46
28
4
2019
80
2.43
45
4
2018
81
2.44
47
4
2017
83
2.47
39
4
2016
81
2.37
33
4
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 Bladen County Clerk of Superior Court?
Cristin Hursey (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Bladen County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Bladen County Register of Deeds?
Beverly T. Parks (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Bladen County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Bladen County Sheriff?
Jim McVicker (Republican) is the Sheriff of Bladen County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Bladen County commissioners?
David R. Gooden (County-Wide); Arthur A. Bullock (District 1); Ophelia Munn-Goins (District 1); Charles Ray Peterson (District 2); Rodney Hester (District 2); Cameron McGill (District 3); Danny L. Ellis II (District 3).
Who is on the Bladen County School Board?
Dennis R. Edwards (Board of Education Member, County-Wide); Gary N. Rhoda (Board of Education Member, District 1); Anthony Thomas (Board of Education Member, District 1); Tim Benton (Board of Education Member, District 2); Keith Locklear (Board of Education Member, District 3); Chris Clark (Board of Education Member, District 3).
What is the population of Bladen County?
About 29,566 people, with a median age of 44.7; the median household income is $42,422 and 22% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Bladen County?
4.4% in September 2026 (preliminary): 470 people unemployed in a labor force of 10,797, against 5.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Bladen County?
14 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal and 6 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Bladen County?
1: Elizabethtown. 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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