Gates County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Gates County: 19 seats on 7 elected bodies. 7 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
Board of County Commissioners
Gates 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 Gates 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 Gates 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 Gates County
10,376people
47.6median ageU.S.: 38.9
$66,333 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
9.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%
10.9%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$170,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5.9%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
1.4%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
10.8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
6.2%U.S.: 8.4%
25.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
36.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 2.2% · White 63.2% · Black 31% · Asian 0% · Other or more than one race 3.6% (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 Gates County
2.9%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.7%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
130people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
4,318people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
4,448in 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%
130
4,318
4,448
August 2026
3.6%
158
4,253
4,411
July 2026
3.8%
165
4,234
4,399
June 2026
3.4%
152
4,292
4,444
May 2026
3.2%
142
4,257
4,399
April 2026
3.3%
147
4,296
4,443
March 2026
3.2%
144
4,336
4,480
February 2026
3.7%
163
4,273
4,436
January 2026
3.6%
160
4,265
4,425
December 2025
3.1%
139
4,320
4,459
November 2025
3.7%
168
4,325
4,493
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.7%
168
4,351
4,519
August 2025
4.1%
186
4,324
4,510
July 2025
3.9%
178
4,411
4,589
June 2025
3.7%
172
4,441
4,613
May 2025
3.6%
163
4,384
4,547
April 2025
3.2%
148
4,424
4,572
March 2025
3.5%
158
4,409
4,567
February 2025
3.4%
151
4,331
4,482
January 2025
3.5%
157
4,345
4,502
December 2024
3.2%
142
4,314
4,456
November 2024
3.6%
161
4,345
4,506
October 2024
3.2%
147
4,391
4,538
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.6%
163
4,370
4,533
2024
3.4%
156
4,400
4,556
2023
3.5%
162
4,428
4,590
2022
3.7%
168
4,369
4,537
2021
4.7%
206
4,177
4,383
2020
6.2%
269
4,053
4,322
2019
4.3%
198
4,457
4,655
2018
4.3%
202
4,493
4,695
2017
4.7%
221
4,495
4,716
2016
5.3%
253
4,493
4,746
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 Gates County
123.6 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 330.3.
884.5 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 1,779.9.
0murders2025, 13 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
13
123.6
93
884.5
2024
19
178.6
99
930.6
2023
14
131.9
88
828.8
2022
10
94.4
81
764.9
2021
21
182.5
53
460.5
2020
15
127.2
89
754.6
By police agency (1)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Gates County Sheriff's Office
2025
13
93
10,257
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
1.46 per 1,000 residents2025, 1 agency serving 10,257 people.
15sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
2civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (1), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Gates County Sheriff's Office
15
2
10,257
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
15
1.46
2
1
2024
14
1.35
1
1
2023
16
1.54
1
1
2022
14
1.36
1
1
2021
12
1.07
3
1
2020
14
1.22
2
1
2019
14
1.22
1
1
2018
12
1.05
1
1
2017
12
1.05
1
1
2016
13
1.15
0
1
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 Gates County Clerk of Superior Court?
Monica Horton-Wiggins (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Gates County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Gates County Register of Deeds?
Mary Cathy Horton (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Gates County, North Carolina.
Who is the Gates County Sheriff?
Ray Campbell (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Gates County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Gates County commissioners?
Jonathan T. Craddock (Eure District); Brian Keith Rountree (Gates District); Emily Truman (Gatesville District); Nathan Berryman (Hobbsville District); Dave Forsythe (Sunbury District).
Who is on the Gates County School Board?
Sallie J. Ryan (Board of Education Member, District 1); Ronnie L. Riddick (Board of Education Member, District 3); Terri R. Riddick (Board of Education Member, District 4); Leslie Byrum (Board of Education Member, District 5).
What is the population of Gates County?
About 10,376 people, with a median age of 47.6; the median household income is $66,333 and 9.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Gates County?
2.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 130 people unemployed in a labor force of 4,448, against 3.7% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Gates 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 Gates County?
1: Gatesville. 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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