Who is the Brunswick County Clerk of Superior Court?

Katie Madon (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Brunswick County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Brunswick County Register of Deeds?

Dana Varnam (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Brunswick County, North Carolina.

Who is the Brunswick County Sheriff?

John W. Ingram V (Republican) is the Sheriff of Brunswick County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Brunswick County commissioners?

Randy Thompson (District 1); J.M. (Marty) Cooke (District 2); Pat Sykes (District 3); Mike Forte (District 4); Frank Williams (District 5).

Who is on the Brunswick County School Board?

Vickie Smith (Board of Education Member, District 1); Catherine Cooke (Board of Education Member, District 2); Robin Moffitt (Board of Education Member, District 3); Steven Barger (Board of Education Member, District 4); Steve Gainey (Board of Education Member, District 5).

What is the population of Brunswick County?

About 152,568 people, with a median age of 56.4; the median household income is $77,024 and 9.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Brunswick County?

3.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 2,503 people unemployed in a labor force of 69,137, against 4.1% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Brunswick County?

23 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 19 municipal and 3 special district governments.

What cities and towns are in Brunswick County?

2: Bolivia, Leland. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.

Brunswick County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Brunswick County: 26 seats on 8 elected bodies. 8 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Brunswick County Board of Commissioners

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner, District 1	Randy Thompson Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 2	J.M. (Marty) Cooke Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 3	Pat Sykes Republican source
County Commissioner, District 4	Mike Forte Republican source
County Commissioner, District 5	Frank Williams Republican source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Clerk of Superior Court	Katie Madon Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Register of Deeds	Dana Varnam Republican source
Sheriff	John W. Ingram V Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

School Board

Brunswick County Board of Education

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Board of Education Member, District 1	Vickie Smith Republican source
Board of Education Member, District 2	Catherine Cooke Republican source
Board of Education Member, District 3	Robin Moffitt Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 4	Steven Barger Republican source
Board of Education Member, District 5	Steve Gainey Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

Cities and towns

Bolivia · Mayor Nancy B. Cook · 5 seats
Leland · Mayor Brenda Bozeman · 5 seats

Special districts

Boards elected by the voters who live in each district.

Brunswick Soil and Water Conservation District · 3 seats

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Jody E. Clemmons source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Mike Barbee source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Anthony Wayne Street source

How many local governments Brunswick County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 23 local governments in Brunswick 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	19	2
School districts (school boards)	0	1
Special districts (elected boards)	3	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 Brunswick 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 Brunswick County

152,568people

56.4median ageU.S.: 38.9

$77,024 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

9.2%below the U.S.: 12.5%

34.7%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$349,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700

4.7%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

3.6%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

10.8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

7.5%U.S.: 8.4%

51.9%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

30.5%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.6% · White 80.8% · Black 8.3% · Asian 0.7% · Other or more than one race 4.6% (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 Brunswick County

3.6%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.1%. North Carolina: 3.1%.

2,503people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

66,634people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

69,137in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	3.6%	2,503	66,634	69,137
August 2026	3.9%	2,651	65,875	68,526
July 2026	4.1%	2,826	65,650	68,476
June 2026	4.0%	2,746	65,827	68,573
May 2026	4.0%	2,768	66,180	68,948
April 2026	3.8%	2,617	66,507	69,124
March 2026	4.0%	2,762	66,426	69,188
February 2026	4.6%	3,146	65,863	69,009
January 2026	4.7%	3,238	65,136	68,374
December 2025	3.8%	2,631	66,152	68,783
November 2025	4.4%	3,061	66,403	69,464
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	4.1%	2,825	66,631	69,456
August 2025	4.6%	3,198	66,254	69,452
July 2025	4.3%	3,024	67,091	70,115
June 2025	4.4%	3,075	66,164	69,239
May 2025	4.2%	2,928	66,035	68,963
April 2025	3.9%	2,657	65,965	68,622
March 2025	4.2%	2,858	65,154	68,012
February 2025	4.7%	3,191	64,169	67,360
January 2025	4.6%	3,117	64,195	67,312
December 2024	3.8%	2,555	64,453	67,008
November 2024	4.2%	2,804	64,714	67,518
October 2024	3.8%	2,568	65,554	68,122

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.3%	2,960	65,838	68,798
2024	4.0%	2,742	65,056	67,798
2023	4.0%	2,605	62,935	65,540
2022	4.4%	2,737	59,903	62,640
2021	5.5%	3,195	54,609	57,804
2020	8.2%	4,423	49,747	54,170
2019	5.0%	2,713	51,742	54,455
2018	5.3%	2,718	48,963	51,681
2017	5.6%	2,781	47,092	49,873
2016	6.3%	3,056	45,439	48,495

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 Brunswick County

144.9 per 100,0002018. North Carolina: 356.2.

1,371.2 per 100,0002018. North Carolina: 2,343.8.

2murders2018, 195 violent crimes in all.

2018 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.

By police agency (13)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Brunswick County Sheriff's Office	2025	235	1,126	101,248
Leland Police Department	2025	47	265	37,268
Oak Island Police Department	2024	9	107	9,838
Boiling Spring Lakes Police Department	2025	12	71	6,964
Shallotte Police Department	2025	12	188	5,454
Sunset Beach Police Department	2025	2	50	4,615
Southport Police Department	2025	6	45	4,431
Navassa Police Department	2023	3	14	1,842
Northwest Police Department	2023	4	17	1,037
Ocean Isle Beach Police Department	2024	1	31	1,019
Holden Beach Police Department	2025	1	19	921
Caswell Beach Police Department	2025	1	3	386
Bald Head Island Police Department	2022	0	27	273

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

2.24 per 1,000 residents2024, 13 agencies serving 169,166 people.

379sworn officers2024, full-time, as of October 31.

156civilian staff2024, full-time.

2024 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.

Agencies counted (13), 2024

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Brunswick County Sheriff's Office	188	142	98,915
Leland Police Department	46	2	33,162
Oak Island Police Department	28	2	9,838
Bald Head Island Police Department	26	1	287
Shallotte Police Department	18	2	5,548
Sunset Beach Police Department	19	1	4,660
Southport Police Department	14	2	4,494
Boiling Spring Lakes Police Department	12	2	6,903
Ocean Isle Beach Police Department	12	1	1,019
Holden Beach Police Department	8	1	945
Caswell Beach Police Department	4	0	397
Navassa Police Department	3	0	1,868
Northwest Police Department	1	0	1,130

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2024	379	2.24	156	13
2022	367	2.42	150	13
2019	338	2.40	135	13
2018	332	2.47	125	13
2017	335	2.56	116	13
2016	301	2.39	114	13

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 Brunswick County Clerk of Superior Court?: Katie Madon (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Brunswick County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Brunswick County Register of Deeds?: Dana Varnam (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Brunswick County, North Carolina.
Who is the Brunswick County Sheriff?: John W. Ingram V (Republican) is the Sheriff of Brunswick County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Brunswick County commissioners?: Randy Thompson (District 1); J.M. (Marty) Cooke (District 2); Pat Sykes (District 3); Mike Forte (District 4); Frank Williams (District 5).
Who is on the Brunswick County School Board?: Vickie Smith (Board of Education Member, District 1); Catherine Cooke (Board of Education Member, District 2); Robin Moffitt (Board of Education Member, District 3); Steven Barger (Board of Education Member, District 4); Steve Gainey (Board of Education Member, District 5).
What is the population of Brunswick County?: About 152,568 people, with a median age of 56.4; the median household income is $77,024 and 9.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Brunswick County?: 3.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 2,503 people unemployed in a labor force of 69,137, against 4.1% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Brunswick County?: 23 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 19 municipal and 3 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Brunswick County?: 2: Bolivia, Leland. 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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