Columbus County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Columbus County: 30 seats on 8 elected bodies. 13 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
Board of County Commissioners
Columbus County Board of Commissioners
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
Who lives in each of the 2 school districts (Census figures)
School district
People
Median household income
Below the poverty line
Without health insurance
Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent
Columbus County Schools
37,544
$51,137
18.3%
13%
47.6%
Whiteville City Schools
12,596
$43,533
17.8%
11.7%
54.7%
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 15 local governments in Columbus 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
10
1
School districts (school boards)
0
2
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 (3 in Columbus 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 Columbus County
50,140people
42.6median ageU.S.: 38.9
$49,442 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
18.2%below the U.S.: 12.5%
14.6%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$146,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
3.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
12.7%U.S.: 8.4%
49.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
36.2%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.6% · White 58.6% · Black 28% · Asian 0.5% · Other or more than one race 7.3% (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 Columbus County
3.7%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.1%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
734people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
19,024people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
19,758in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.7%
734
19,024
19,758
August 2026
4.2%
824
18,823
19,647
July 2026
4.4%
848
18,330
19,178
June 2026
4.2%
813
18,662
19,475
May 2026
4.0%
787
18,881
19,668
April 2026
3.8%
753
19,017
19,770
March 2026
3.9%
788
19,191
19,979
February 2026
4.4%
875
18,823
19,698
January 2026
4.8%
943
18,697
19,640
December 2025
3.8%
763
19,151
19,914
November 2025
4.2%
847
19,128
19,975
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.1%
803
18,996
19,799
August 2025
4.6%
911
18,930
19,841
July 2025
4.7%
918
18,703
19,621
June 2025
4.6%
919
18,980
19,899
May 2025
4.3%
854
19,222
20,076
April 2025
3.8%
766
19,437
20,203
March 2025
4.3%
854
19,228
20,082
February 2025
4.6%
920
18,912
19,832
January 2025
4.6%
913
18,887
19,800
December 2024
4.0%
784
18,824
19,608
November 2024
4.1%
817
19,092
19,909
October 2024
3.9%
778
19,195
19,973
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.3%
861
19,052
19,913
2024
4.4%
878
19,256
20,134
2023
4.1%
838
19,718
20,556
2022
4.5%
962
20,625
21,587
2021
6.6%
1,355
19,070
20,425
2020
8.6%
1,728
18,315
20,043
2019
5.2%
1,065
19,493
20,558
2018
5.4%
1,080
19,015
20,095
2017
5.8%
1,170
18,899
20,069
2016
6.8%
1,394
18,997
20,391
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 Columbus County
328.2 per 100,0002018. North Carolina: 356.2.
2,231.0 per 100,0002018. North Carolina: 2,343.8.
5murders2018, 188 violent crimes in all.
2018 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.
By police agency (6)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Columbus County Sheriff's Office
2018
94
654
42,332
Whiteville Police Department
2025
42
376
4,673
Tabor City Police Department
2025
16
62
3,824
Chadbourn Police Department
2025
13
90
1,521
Lake Waccamaw Police Department
2018
0
0
1,400
Fair Bluff Police Department
2025
2
8
735
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
2.74 per 1,000 residents2025, 6 agencies serving 49,927 people.
137sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
58civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (6), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Columbus County Sheriff's Office
99
52
37,962
Whiteville Police Department
21
4
4,673
Chadbourn Police Department
6
1
1,521
Tabor City Police Department
5
1
3,824
Lake Waccamaw Police Department
5
0
1,212
Fair Bluff Police Department
1
0
735
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
137
2.74
58
6
2024
137
2.72
67
6
2023
130
2.62
60
6
2022
129
2.58
15
6
2021
136
2.54
48
6
2020
133
2.41
43
6
2019
129
2.33
46
6
2018
124
2.23
46
6
2017
119
2.11
43
6
2016
122
2.16
47
6
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 Columbus County Clerk of Superior Court?
Jesse Hill (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Columbus County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Columbus County Register of Deeds?
Kandance H. Bullock (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Columbus County, North Carolina.
Who is the Columbus County Sheriff?
Jody Greene (Republican) is the Sheriff of Columbus County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Columbus County commissioners?
Barbara Roseboro Featherson (District 1); Chris Smith (District 2); Giles E. (Buddy) Byrd (District 3); Lavern Coleman (District 4); Brent Watts (District 5); Ricky Bullard (District 6); Scott S. Floyd (District 7).
Who is on the Columbus County School Board?
Emily Parks Grice (Board of Education Member, District 1); Ronnie Strickland (Board of Education Member, District 2); William Irvin Enzor III (Board of Education Member, District 3); Chris Worley (Board of Education Member, District 4); Steve Long (Board of Education Member, District 5); R. Byron Fisher (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Anna Hall Richardson (Board of Education Member, District 1); David Flowers (Board of Education Member, District 2); Jackie A. Ray-Pierce (Board of Education Member, District 3); Greg Merritt (Board of Education Member, District 4).
What is the population of Columbus County?
About 50,140 people, with a median age of 42.6; the median household income is $49,442 and 18.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Columbus County?
3.7% in September 2026 (preliminary): 734 people unemployed in a labor force of 19,758, against 4.1% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Columbus County?
15 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 10 municipal and 4 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Columbus County?
1: Whiteville. 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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