Who is the Burke County Clerk of Superior Court?

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

Who is the Burke County Register of Deeds?

Stephanie A. Norman (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Burke County, North Carolina.

Who is the Burke County Sheriff?

Banks Hinceman (Republican) is the Sheriff of Burke County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Burke County commissioners?

Randy Burns (County Commissioner); Phil Smith (County Commissioner); Mike Stroud (County Commissioner); Jeff Brittain (County Commissioner); Brian Barrier (County Commissioner).

Who is on the Burke County School Board?

Jamey Wycoff (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Sonya Rockett (Board of Education Member, Central District); Jeffrey Reid Beck (Board of Education Member, Eastern District); Brad Camp (Board of Education Member, Western District).

What is the population of Burke County?

About 87,795 people, with a median age of 44.9; the median household income is $58,592 and 15.6% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Burke County?

2.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,118 people unemployed in a labor force of 38,209, against 3.7% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Burke County?

12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal and 4 special district governments.

What cities and towns are in Burke County?

1: Morganton. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Burke County: 20 seats on 7 elected bodies. 6 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Burke County Board of Commissioners

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner	Randy Burns Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Phil Smith Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Mike Stroud Republican source
County Commissioner	Jeff Brittain Republican source
County Commissioner	Brian Barrier Republican source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Clerk of Superior Court	Crystal R. Carpenter Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Register of Deeds	Stephanie A. Norman Republican source
Sheriff	Banks Hinceman Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

School Board

Burke County Board of Education

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member, At-Large	Jamey Wycoff Republican source
Board of Education Member, Central District	Sonya Rockett Republican source
Board of Education Member, Eastern District	Jeffrey Reid Beck Republican source
Board of Education Member, Western District	Brad Camp Republican source

Cities and towns

Morganton · Mayor Ronnie Thompson · 5 seats

Special districts

Boards elected by the voters who live in each district.

Burke Soil and Water Conservation District · 3 seats

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Joshua Pless source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Joseph Wenzel source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Evan Crawley source

How many local governments Burke County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 12 local governments in Burke 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)	4	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 Burke 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 Burke County

87,795people

44.9median ageU.S.: 38.9

$58,592 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

15.6%below the U.S.: 12.5%

21%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$185,400median home valueU.S.: $332,700

4.4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

5.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

6.4%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

11%U.S.: 8.4%

36.9%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

21.9%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 8.5% · White 79.1% · Black 6.1% · Asian 3.5% · Other or more than one race 2.8% (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 Burke County

2.9%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.7%. North Carolina: 3.1%.

1,118people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

37,091people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

38,209in 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%	1,118	37,091	38,209
August 2026	3.4%	1,284	36,535	37,819
July 2026	3.7%	1,381	36,408	37,789
June 2026	3.4%	1,309	36,777	38,086
May 2026	3.4%	1,287	37,018	38,305
April 2026	3.3%	1,257	37,236	38,493
March 2026	3.4%	1,326	37,521	38,847
February 2026	3.6%	1,408	37,327	38,735
January 2026	3.7%	1,445	37,149	38,594
December 2025	3.3%	1,272	37,629	38,901
November 2025	3.8%	1,500	37,610	39,110
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.7%	1,431	37,735	39,166
August 2025	4.2%	1,636	37,347	38,983
July 2025	4.0%	1,597	38,009	39,606
June 2025	4.0%	1,599	37,919	39,518
May 2025	3.8%	1,501	38,006	39,507
April 2025	3.5%	1,390	38,144	39,534
March 2025	3.9%	1,540	38,235	39,775
February 2025	4.3%	1,691	37,994	39,685
January 2025	4.3%	1,718	37,968	39,686
December 2024	3.8%	1,502	37,774	39,276
November 2024	4.1%	1,606	37,767	39,373
October 2024	4.0%	1,599	38,115	39,714

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.9%	1,534	37,872	39,406
2024	3.6%	1,412	38,216	39,628
2023	3.3%	1,322	39,050	40,372
2022	3.5%	1,397	39,054	40,451
2021	4.6%	1,785	37,065	38,850
2020	7.2%	2,740	35,520	38,260
2019	3.7%	1,487	38,538	40,025
2018	3.7%	1,471	38,501	39,972
2017	4.3%	1,705	38,397	40,102
2016	4.9%	1,933	37,544	39,477

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 Burke County

Police staffing

2.04 per 1,000 residents2025, 8 agencies serving 139,094 people.

284sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

105civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (8), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Burke County Sheriff's Office	92	54	61,392
Hickory Police Department	98	39	45,436
Morganton Police Department	55	9	17,905
Long View Police Department	16	2	5,339
Valdese Police Department	13	1	4,719
Drexel Police Department	6	0	1,783
Glen Alpine Police Department	4	0	1,534
Rhodhiss Police Department	0	0	986

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	284	2.04	105	8
2024	288	2.08	100	8
2023	277	2.02	92	8
2022	287	2.10	82	8
2021	283	2.09	123	8
2020	292	2.14	117	8
2019	298	2.19	107	8

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 Burke County Clerk of Superior Court?: Crystal R. Carpenter (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Burke County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Burke County Register of Deeds?: Stephanie A. Norman (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Burke County, North Carolina.
Who is the Burke County Sheriff?: Banks Hinceman (Republican) is the Sheriff of Burke County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Burke County commissioners?: Randy Burns (County Commissioner); Phil Smith (County Commissioner); Mike Stroud (County Commissioner); Jeff Brittain (County Commissioner); Brian Barrier (County Commissioner).
Who is on the Burke County School Board?: Jamey Wycoff (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Sonya Rockett (Board of Education Member, Central District); Jeffrey Reid Beck (Board of Education Member, Eastern District); Brad Camp (Board of Education Member, Western District).
What is the population of Burke County?: About 87,795 people, with a median age of 44.9; the median household income is $58,592 and 15.6% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Burke County?: 2.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,118 people unemployed in a labor force of 38,209, against 3.7% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Burke County?: 12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal and 4 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Burke County?: 1: Morganton. 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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