Buncombe County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Buncombe County: 33 seats on 8 elected bodies. 17 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Who lives in each of the 2 school districts (Census figures)
School district
People
Median household income
Below the poverty line
Without health insurance
Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent
Asheville City Schools
43,043
$78,015
15.4%
8.2%
50.5%
Buncombe County Schools
231,317
$73,872
11.2%
11.3%
54.8%
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates for each school district's area, matched to its board by name. They're estimates with a , larger for small districts.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 12 local governments in Buncombe 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
6
1
School districts (school boards)
0
2
Special districts (elected boards)
5
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 (3 in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
274,360people
42.6median ageU.S.: 38.9
$74,436 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
11.8%below the U.S.: 12.5%
45.9%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$391,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
6.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
10.9%U.S.: 8.4%
53.9%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
25.9%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 8.6% · White 80.8% · Black 4.8% · Asian 1.1% · Other or more than one race 4.7% (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 Buncombe County
2.8%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.8%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
133,507people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
137,407in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
2.8%
3,900
133,507
137,407
August 2026
3.2%
4,335
131,112
135,447
July 2026
3.4%
4,547
130,822
135,369
June 2026
3.2%
4,411
132,125
136,536
May 2026
3.3%
4,451
132,348
136,799
April 2026
3.2%
4,363
132,557
136,920
March 2026
3.4%
4,625
132,773
137,398
February 2026
3.7%
5,094
131,798
136,892
January 2026
4.0%
5,474
130,741
136,215
December 2025
3.3%
4,597
132,931
137,528
November 2025
3.9%
5,339
133,100
138,439
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.8%
5,295
134,395
139,690
August 2025
4.4%
6,083
133,005
139,088
July 2025
4.5%
6,326
134,554
140,880
June 2025
4.6%
6,432
133,816
140,248
May 2025
4.6%
6,480
133,499
139,979
April 2025
4.8%
6,703
133,541
140,244
March 2025
5.5%
7,746
132,351
140,097
February 2025
6.8%
9,598
131,045
140,643
January 2025
7.0%
9,835
130,649
140,484
December 2024
6.4%
8,910
130,835
139,745
November 2024
8.0%
11,242
129,640
140,882
October 2024
11.3%
16,269
127,241
143,510
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.8%
6,767
132,990
139,757
2024
4.4%
6,224
135,644
141,868
2023
2.9%
4,060
137,876
141,936
2022
3.1%
4,386
135,462
139,848
2021
4.4%
5,854
127,770
133,624
2020
8.5%
11,034
119,161
130,195
2019
3.1%
4,283
131,815
136,098
2018
3.2%
4,276
129,173
133,449
2017
3.6%
4,755
126,083
130,838
2016
4.0%
5,192
123,112
128,304
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.
Police in Buncombe County
Police staffing
1.59 per 1,000 residents2025, 7 agencies serving 281,508 people.
448sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
212civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (7), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Buncombe County Sheriff's Office
188
146
162,165
Asheville Police Department
179
58
95,155
Black Mountain Police Department
25
1
8,605
Weaverville Police Department
20
2
4,854
Woodfin Police Department
19
1
8,204
Biltmore Forest Police Department
13
4
1,478
Montreat Police Department
4
0
1,047
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
448
1.59
212
7
2024
430
1.54
221
7
2023
434
1.57
171
7
2022
442
1.61
98
7
2021
460
1.76
188
7
2020
489
1.85
205
7
2019
531
2.03
214
7
2018
512
1.97
217
7
2017
512
1.97
225
7
2016
511
1.99
215
7
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 Buncombe County Clerk of Superior Court?
Jean Marie Christy (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Buncombe County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Buncombe County Register of Deeds?
Drew Reisinger (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Buncombe County, North Carolina.
Who is the Buncombe County Sheriff?
Quentin Miller (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Buncombe County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Buncombe County commissioners?
Amanda Edwards (Chair, Board of Commissioners); Al Whitesides (District 1); Jennifer Horton (District 1); Martin Moore (District 2); Terri Wells (District 2); Parker Sloan (District 3).
Who is on the Buncombe County School Board?
Amy Ray (Board of Education Member); Sarah Thornburg (Board of Education Member); Rebecca Strimer (Board of Education Member); Liza English-Kelly (Board of Education Member); Pepi Acebo (Board of Education Member); Jesse Warren (Board of Education Member); George Sieburg (Board of Education Member); Charles Martin (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Ann B. Franklin (Board of Education Member, District 1); Greg Cheatham (Board of Education Member, District 2); Amy Churchill (Board of Education Member, District 4); Judy S. Lewis (Board of Education Member, Enka); Kim Plemmons (Board of Education Member, Erwin); Rob Elliot (Board of Education Member, Reynolds).
What is the population of Buncombe County?
About 274,360 people, with a median age of 42.6; the median household income is $74,436 and 11.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Buncombe County?
2.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 3,900 people unemployed in a labor force of 137,407, against 3.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Buncombe County?
12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal and 5 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Buncombe County?
1: Asheville. 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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