Carteret County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Carteret County: 26 seats on 7 elected bodies. 13 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
Board of County Commissioners
Carteret County Board of Commissioners
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 16 local governments in Carteret 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
11
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 Carteret 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 Carteret County
69,148people
50.5median ageU.S.: 38.9
$72,322 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
10.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%
34.5%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$333,300median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
2.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
12%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
8.1%U.S.: 8.4%
57%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
30.7%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4.9% · White 85.3% · Black 4.1% · Asian 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 Carteret County
2.8%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.4%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
897people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
31,278people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
32,175in 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%
897
31,278
32,175
August 2026
3.1%
996
31,203
32,199
July 2026
3.3%
1,072
31,023
32,095
June 2026
3.1%
1,027
31,619
32,646
May 2026
3.2%
1,038
31,339
32,377
April 2026
3.2%
1,014
31,108
32,122
March 2026
3.3%
1,047
31,003
32,050
February 2026
3.8%
1,198
30,293
31,491
January 2026
4.0%
1,257
29,900
31,157
December 2025
3.2%
1,031
30,786
31,817
November 2025
3.7%
1,179
30,952
32,131
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.4%
1,088
31,296
32,384
August 2025
3.7%
1,229
31,761
32,990
July 2025
3.5%
1,157
31,900
33,057
June 2025
3.5%
1,154
32,105
33,259
May 2025
3.4%
1,129
31,854
32,983
April 2025
3.1%
1,019
31,553
32,572
March 2025
3.7%
1,170
30,851
32,021
February 2025
3.9%
1,227
30,069
31,296
January 2025
3.9%
1,221
30,102
31,323
December 2024
3.1%
988
30,471
31,459
November 2024
3.4%
1,087
30,707
31,794
October 2024
3.0%
979
31,289
32,268
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.5%
1,146
31,203
32,349
2024
3.3%
1,079
31,161
32,240
2023
3.3%
1,071
31,046
32,117
2022
3.6%
1,131
30,413
31,544
2021
4.3%
1,300
29,117
30,417
2020
6.3%
1,873
27,766
29,639
2019
4.1%
1,290
29,848
31,138
2018
4.5%
1,371
29,344
30,715
2017
4.5%
1,396
29,422
30,818
2016
5.2%
1,592
28,873
30,465
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 Carteret County
203.5 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 379.2.
1,351.1 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 1,978.3.
2murders2024, 144 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
144
203.5
956
1,351.1
2023
127
180.7
1,060
1,508.4
2022
162
232.2
1,077
1,543.5
2021
153
222.4
1,134
1,648.6
2020
152
217.8
1,445
2,070.3
2019
128
183.3
1,440
2,061.7
2018
93
134.4
1,053
1,521.4
By police agency (9)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Carteret County Sheriff's Office
2025
58
310
41,817
Morehead City Police Department
2025
28
202
10,060
Beaufort Police Department
2024
16
85
4,920
Newport Police Department
2025
13
70
4,542
Emerald Isle Police Department
2025
11
63
4,041
Cape Carteret Police Department
2025
1
9
2,303
Pine Knoll Shores Police Department
2025
1
9
1,448
Atlantic Beach Police Department
2025
7
42
1,432
Indian Beach Police Department
2023
0
8
231
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
2.88 per 1,000 residents2025, 9 agencies serving 70,882 people.
204sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
43civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (9), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Carteret County Sheriff's Office
72
35
41,817
Morehead City Police Department
43
3
10,060
Beaufort Police Department
20
1
5,006
Emerald Isle Police Department
19
2
4,041
Atlantic Beach Police Department
16
1
1,432
Newport Police Department
13
1
4,542
Pine Knoll Shores Police Department
9
0
1,448
Cape Carteret Police Department
7
0
2,303
Indian Beach Police Department
5
0
233
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
204
2.88
43
9
2024
211
2.98
46
9
2023
191
2.72
52
9
2022
189
2.71
51
9
2021
189
2.75
49
9
2020
189
2.71
44
9
2019
184
2.63
40
9
2018
175
2.53
47
9
2017
177
2.55
40
9
2016
180
2.60
37
9
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 Carteret County Clerk of Superior Court?
Ken Raper (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Carteret County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Carteret County Register of Deeds?
Karen S. Hardesty (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Carteret County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Carteret County Sheriff?
Asa Buck (Republican) is the Sheriff of Carteret County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Carteret County commissioners?
David Quinn (District 1); Chuck Shinn (District 2); Mark Mansfield (District 3); Chimer Clark (District 3); Marianne Waldrop (District 4); Keith Moore (District 5); Chris Chadwick (District 6).
Who is on the Carteret County School Board?
Dana Vinson Mull (Board of Education Member, District 1); Katie Statler (Board of Education Member, District 2); Clark Jenkins (Board of Education Member, District 3); Nathan Chambers (Board of Education Member, District 3); Kevin W. White (Board of Education Member, District 4); Brittany Wheatly (Board of Education Member, District 5); Kathryn Smith Chadwick (Board of Education Member, District 6).
What is the population of Carteret County?
About 69,148 people, with a median age of 50.5; the median household income is $72,322 and 10.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Carteret County?
2.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 897 people unemployed in a labor force of 32,175, against 3.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Carteret County?
16 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 11 municipal and 4 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Carteret County?
1: Beaufort. 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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