Cherokee County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Cherokee County: 23 seats on 7 elected bodies. 12 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
Board of County Commissioners
Cherokee County Board of Commissioners
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 6 local governments in Cherokee 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
2
1
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 Cherokee 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 Cherokee County
29,562people
53.5median ageU.S.: 38.9
$53,628 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
12.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%
24.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$232,300median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.1%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
1.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
10.2%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
12.5%U.S.: 8.4%
43.4%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
25.5%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 3.7% · White 89.3% · Black 1.8% · Asian 0.5% · 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 Cherokee County
3.3%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.8%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
368people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
10,696people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
11,064in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.3%
368
10,696
11,064
August 2026
3.6%
395
10,469
10,864
July 2026
4.1%
436
10,310
10,746
June 2026
3.9%
422
10,533
10,955
May 2026
3.9%
430
10,684
11,114
April 2026
3.7%
411
10,666
11,077
March 2026
3.8%
425
10,752
11,177
February 2026
4.2%
465
10,596
11,061
January 2026
4.1%
451
10,479
10,930
December 2025
3.5%
386
10,647
11,033
November 2025
4.2%
472
10,747
11,219
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.8%
425
10,723
11,148
August 2025
4.4%
488
10,652
11,140
July 2025
4.3%
466
10,487
10,953
June 2025
4.3%
473
10,586
11,059
May 2025
4.0%
452
10,713
11,165
April 2025
3.6%
398
10,777
11,175
March 2025
3.9%
428
10,687
11,115
February 2025
4.0%
441
10,485
10,926
January 2025
4.1%
451
10,542
10,993
December 2024
3.4%
377
10,600
10,977
November 2024
3.9%
436
10,776
11,212
October 2024
3.6%
399
10,805
11,204
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.0%
444
10,641
11,085
2024
3.9%
436
10,848
11,284
2023
3.8%
431
10,995
11,426
2022
4.0%
455
11,062
11,517
2021
4.9%
539
10,365
10,904
2020
7.7%
840
10,087
10,927
2019
4.3%
496
10,939
11,435
2018
4.4%
505
10,916
11,421
2017
4.9%
551
10,777
11,328
2016
5.5%
624
10,680
11,304
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.
Crime reported in Cherokee County
283.3 per 100,0002022. North Carolina: 285.7.
2,121.5 per 100,0002022. North Carolina: 2,007.8.
2murders2022, 84 violent crimes in all.
2022 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
2022
84
283.3
629
2,121.5
2021
122
423.7
932
3,236.4
2020
86
299.1
1,171
4,073.2
2018
83
294.4
987
3,501.4
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Cherokee County Sheriff's Office
2024
65
295
27,118
Andrews Police Department
2022
6
31
1,707
Murphy Police Department
2024
7
65
1,673
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
1.53 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 30,749 people.
47sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
28civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Cherokee County Sheriff's Office
33
27
27,249
Murphy Police Department
9
1
1,714
Andrews Police Department
5
0
1,786
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
47
1.53
28
3
2024
54
1.77
29
3
2023
48
1.61
29
3
2022
56
1.89
25
3
2021
47
1.63
37
3
2020
48
1.67
41
3
2019
45
1.58
44
3
2018
44
1.56
41
3
2017
46
1.64
38
3
2016
45
1.66
39
3
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 Cherokee County Clerk of Superior Court?
Roger Gibson (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Cherokee County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Cherokee County Register of Deeds?
Karen Mintz Wright (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Cherokee County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Cherokee County Sheriff?
Dustin D. Smith (Republican) is the Sheriff of Cherokee County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Cherokee County commissioners?
Cal Stiles (District I); Ben Adams (District III); Dan Eichenbaum (District IV).
Who is on the Cherokee County School Board?
Steve Coleman (Board of Education Member, At-Large); James Ellis (Board of Education Member, District I); Jeff Tatham (Board of Education Member, District I); Jeannie Gaddis (Board of Education Member, District II); Arnold Mathews (Board of Education Member, District II); Jason Murphy (Board of Education Member, District III); Shannon D. Raper (Board of Education Member, District III).
What is the population of Cherokee County?
About 29,562 people, with a median age of 53.5; the median household income is $53,628 and 12.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Cherokee County?
3.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 368 people unemployed in a labor force of 11,064, against 3.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Cherokee County?
6 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal and 3 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Cherokee County?
1: Murphy. 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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