Chowan County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Chowan County: 27 seats on 7 elected bodies. 9 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 6 local governments in Chowan 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
1
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 (1 in Chowan 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 Chowan County
13,836people
48.6median ageU.S.: 38.9
$53,864 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
19.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%
25%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$235,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.1%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
2.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
10.5%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
8.2%U.S.: 8.4%
54.5%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
32.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4% · White 60.4% · Black 32.4% · Asian 0.1% · Other or more than one race 3.2% (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 Chowan County
2.9%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.5%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
178people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
5,989people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
6,167in 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%
178
5,989
6,167
August 2026
3.4%
204
5,873
6,077
July 2026
3.6%
214
5,803
6,017
June 2026
3.3%
204
5,938
6,142
May 2026
3.4%
212
5,999
6,211
April 2026
3.2%
201
6,003
6,204
March 2026
3.4%
213
6,088
6,301
February 2026
3.7%
229
6,024
6,253
January 2026
3.9%
242
5,998
6,240
December 2025
3.2%
204
6,157
6,361
November 2025
3.6%
228
6,075
6,303
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.5%
216
5,991
6,207
August 2025
4.0%
243
5,876
6,119
July 2025
3.7%
222
5,852
6,074
June 2025
3.6%
225
5,943
6,168
May 2025
3.4%
207
5,957
6,164
April 2025
3.1%
190
5,955
6,145
March 2025
3.5%
213
5,938
6,151
February 2025
3.6%
219
5,927
6,146
January 2025
3.7%
230
5,976
6,206
December 2024
3.2%
199
6,079
6,278
November 2024
3.5%
220
6,020
6,240
October 2024
3.2%
200
5,996
6,196
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.5%
218
5,968
6,186
2024
3.4%
214
6,025
6,239
2023
3.3%
213
6,175
6,388
2022
3.7%
234
6,058
6,292
2021
4.7%
274
5,614
5,888
2020
5.7%
321
5,330
5,651
2019
4.3%
251
5,610
5,861
2018
4.2%
248
5,617
5,865
2017
5.0%
292
5,553
5,845
2016
6.0%
350
5,469
5,819
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 Chowan County
150.7 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 330.3.
1,026.4 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 1,779.9.
0murders2025, 21 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
21
150.7
143
1,026.4
2024
48
341.6
139
989.1
2023
40
284.3
137
973.6
2022
19
137.2
178
1,285.7
2021
63
466.1
125
924.8
2020
65
469.0
225
1,623.5
2019
59
423.4
237
1,700.8
2018
72
513.6
276
1,968.6
2017
65
452.8
232
1,616.3
2016
86
600.3
284
1,982.3
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Chowan County Sheriff's Office
2025
10
94
9,433
Edenton Police Department
2025
11
49
4,499
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
2.30 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 13,932 people.
32sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
24civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Chowan County Sheriff's Office
17
22
9,433
Edenton Police Department
15
2
4,499
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
32
2.30
24
2
2024
29
2.06
25
2
2023
31
2.20
13
2
2022
32
2.31
25
2
2021
32
2.37
21
2
2020
33
2.38
22
2
2018
35
2.50
21
2
2017
37
2.58
22
2
2016
36
2.51
19
2
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 Chowan County Clerk of Superior Court?
Dwayne L. Goodwin (Unaffiliated) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Chowan County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Chowan County Register of Deeds?
Lynn Gilliard (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Chowan County, North Carolina.
Who is the Chowan County Sheriff?
Edward (Scooter) Basnight (Republican) is the Sheriff of Chowan County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Chowan County commissioners?
Chris Evans (At-Large); Ron Cummings (District 1 Seat 1); Bob Kirby (District 1 Seat 2); Tony Shaffer (District 2 Seat 1); Larry McLaughlin (District 2 Seat 2); Tray Taylor (District 3 Seat 1); Ellis Lawrence (District 3 Seat 2).
Who is on the Chowan County School Board?
George Lewis (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Sheila P. Evans (Board of Education Member, District 1 Seat 1); Lisa Perry (Board of Education Member, District 1 Seat 2); Paul Clifton (Board of Education Member, District 2 Seat 1); Ricky Browder (Board of Education Member, District 2 Seat 2); Sherronne Battle (Board of Education Member, District 3 Seat 1); Joan Hoggard White (Board of Education Member, District 3 Seat 2).
What is the population of Chowan County?
About 13,836 people, with a median age of 48.6; the median household income is $53,864 and 19.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Chowan County?
2.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 178 people unemployed in a labor force of 6,167, against 3.5% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Chowan County?
6 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 municipal and 4 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Chowan County?
1: Edenton. 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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