Catawba County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Catawba County: 38 seats on 10 elected bodies. 11 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
Who lives in each of the 3 school districts (Census figures)
School district
People
Median household income
Below the poverty line
Without health insurance
Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent
Catawba County Schools
112,894
$71,351
11.9%
10%
41%
Hickory City Schools
32,560
$57,438
15%
11.8%
39.4%
Newton-Conover City Schools
18,119
$64,139
13.8%
11.9%
45.3%
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 Catawba 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
8
2
School districts (school boards)
0
3
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 (4 in Catawba 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 Catawba County
163,573people
42.1median ageU.S.: 38.9
$67,864 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
12.7%below the U.S.: 12.5%
26.1%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$241,600median home valueU.S.: $332,700
3.7%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
6.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
10.6%U.S.: 8.4%
41%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
21.7%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 11.5% · White 71.9% · Black 7.7% · Asian 4.3% · 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 Catawba County
3.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.5%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
73,039people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
75,347in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.1%
2,308
73,039
75,347
August 2026
3.5%
2,593
71,892
74,485
July 2026
3.6%
2,702
71,806
74,508
June 2026
3.4%
2,576
72,338
74,914
May 2026
3.5%
2,609
72,871
75,480
April 2026
3.4%
2,560
73,286
75,846
March 2026
3.4%
2,597
73,804
76,401
February 2026
3.7%
2,813
73,546
76,359
January 2026
3.9%
3,010
73,197
76,207
December 2025
3.3%
2,522
74,100
76,622
November 2025
3.7%
2,868
74,171
77,039
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.5%
2,702
74,520
77,222
August 2025
4.0%
3,061
73,588
76,649
July 2025
3.9%
3,012
74,927
77,939
June 2025
3.8%
2,949
74,455
77,404
May 2025
3.5%
2,742
74,707
77,449
April 2025
3.3%
2,531
74,929
77,460
March 2025
3.6%
2,801
75,081
77,882
February 2025
3.8%
2,939
74,760
77,699
January 2025
3.8%
2,961
74,761
77,722
December 2024
3.3%
2,541
74,454
76,995
November 2024
3.6%
2,783
74,455
77,238
October 2024
3.3%
2,565
75,134
77,699
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.7%
2,826
74,545
77,371
2024
3.6%
2,796
75,221
78,017
2023
3.4%
2,663
76,268
78,931
2022
3.6%
2,800
75,855
78,655
2021
4.8%
3,633
71,650
75,283
2020
8.1%
6,013
68,352
74,365
2019
3.7%
2,807
73,284
76,091
2018
3.7%
2,800
72,678
75,478
2017
4.3%
3,245
71,972
75,217
2016
4.9%
3,598
69,927
73,525
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 Catawba County
Police staffing
2.17 per 1,000 residents2025, 7 agencies serving 118,673 people.
258sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
104civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (7), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Catawba County Sheriff's Office
165
91
89,304
Newton Police Department
33
9
13,678
Conover Police Department
27
3
8,841
Maiden Police Department
21
1
3,894
Claremont Police Department
8
0
1,768
Brookford Police Department
2
0
453
Catawba Police Department
2
0
735
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
258
2.17
104
7
2024
246
2.08
101
7
2023
239
2.06
115
7
2019
226
1.98
72
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 Catawba County Clerk of Superior Court?
Kim Richards Sigmon (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Catawba County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Catawba County Register of Deeds?
Angela Sigmon Henson (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Catawba County, North Carolina.
Who is the Catawba County Sheriff?
Don Brown (Republican) is the Sheriff of Catawba County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Catawba County commissioners?
C. Randall (Randy) Isenhower (County Commissioner); Cole Setzer (County Commissioner); Robert C. Abernethy, Jr. (County Commissioner); Austin Allran (County Commissioner); Barbara Gale Beatty (County Commissioner).
Who is on the Catawba County School Board?
Michelle Teague (Board of Education Member); Don Sigmon (Board of Education Member); Tim Settlemyre (Board of Education Member); Leslie H. Barnette (Board of Education Member); David W. Goforth (Board of Education Member); April Underwood (Board of Education Member); Clayton C. Mullis (Board of Education Member); Roger Young (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Mike B. Heard (Board of Education Member, Ward 4); Jane Everson (Board of Education Member, Ward 6); Mark Pennell (Board of Education Member, Conover District); Cecilia Gordon (Board of Education Member, Conover District); Brad Scott (Board of Education Member, Newton District).
What is the population of Catawba County?
About 163,573 people, with a median age of 42.1; the median household income is $67,864 and 12.7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Catawba County?
3.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 2,308 people unemployed in a labor force of 75,347, against 3.5% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Catawba County?
12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 8 municipal and 3 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Catawba County?
2: Hickory, Newton. 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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