Who is the Hertford County Clerk of Superior Court?

Shirley Gatling Johnson (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Hertford County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Hertford County Register of Deeds?

La'Tia Lewter Wynn (Unaffiliated) is the Register of Deeds of Hertford County, North Carolina.

Who is the Hertford County Sheriff?

Dexter A. Hayes (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Hertford County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Hertford County commissioners?

Leroy Douglas (District 1); John D. Horton (District 1); Andre M. Lassiter (District 2); Ronald J. Gatling (District 2); William (Bill) Mitchell, Jr. (District 3).

Who is on the Hertford County School Board?

David L. Shields (Board of Education Member); Sheila J. Porter (Board of Education Member); Dennis M. Deloatch (Board of Education Member); Eddie Hall (Board of Education Member); J. Wendell Hall (Board of Education Member).

What is the population of Hertford County?

About 19,908 people, with a median age of 42.6; the median household income is $45,537 and 22.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Hertford County?

3.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 284 people unemployed in a labor force of 8,042, against 4.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Hertford County?

12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal and 5 special district governments.

What cities and towns are in Hertford County?

1: Winton. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.

Hertford County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Hertford County: 22 seats on 7 elected bodies. 9 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Hertford County Board of Commissioners

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner, District 1	Leroy Douglas Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 1	John D. Horton Democratic source
County Commissioner, District 2	Andre M. Lassiter Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 2	Ronald J. Gatling Democratic source
County Commissioner, District 3	William (Bill) Mitchell, Jr. Democratic source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Clerk of Superior Court	Shirley Gatling Johnson Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Register of Deeds	La'Tia Lewter Wynn Unaffiliated source
Sheriff	Dexter A. Hayes Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

School Board

Hertford County Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Board of Education Member	David L. Shields source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member	Sheila J. Porter source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member	Dennis M. Deloatch source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member	Eddie Hall source
Board of Education Member	J. Wendell Hall source

Cities and towns

Winton · Mayor Emy Winstead · 6 seats

Special districts

Boards elected by the voters who live in each district.

Hertford Soil and Water Conservation District · 3 seats

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	David Simons source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	C. Gray Pierce source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Pate Pierce source

How many local governments Hertford County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 12 local governments in Hertford 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	6	1
School districts (school boards)	0	1
Special districts (elected boards)	5	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 Hertford 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 Hertford County

19,908people

42.6median ageU.S.: 38.9

$45,537 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

22.9%below the U.S.: 12.5%

16.6%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$119,200median home valueU.S.: $332,700

6%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

4%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

8.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

8.6%U.S.: 8.4%

63.3%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

38.9%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 6.4% · White 32.2% · Black 55.6% · Asian 1.1% · Other or more than one race 4.8% (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 Hertford County

3.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.2%. North Carolina: 3.1%.

284people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

7,758people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

8,042in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	3.5%	284	7,758	8,042
August 2026	4.2%	332	7,606	7,938
July 2026	4.3%	335	7,488	7,823
June 2026	4.0%	321	7,696	8,017
May 2026	4.0%	319	7,715	8,034
April 2026	3.8%	307	7,868	8,175
March 2026	3.9%	321	7,883	8,204
February 2026	4.2%	350	7,921	8,271
January 2026	4.6%	376	7,835	8,211
December 2025	3.9%	325	7,959	8,284
November 2025	4.3%	358	7,989	8,347
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	4.2%	348	7,846	8,194
August 2025	4.8%	387	7,739	8,126
July 2025	4.9%	396	7,729	8,125
June 2025	4.5%	374	7,889	8,263
May 2025	4.1%	338	7,911	8,249
April 2025	3.9%	324	8,081	8,405
March 2025	4.4%	360	7,882	8,242
February 2025	4.5%	368	7,886	8,254
January 2025	4.2%	352	7,960	8,312
December 2024	3.9%	320	7,957	8,277
November 2024	4.1%	345	8,049	8,394
October 2024	3.7%	311	8,117	8,428

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.3%	357	7,897	8,254
2024	4.2%	356	8,081	8,437
2023	4.2%	353	8,115	8,468
2022	4.7%	405	8,165	8,570
2021	6.3%	528	7,905	8,433
2020	6.8%	591	8,039	8,630
2019	4.9%	443	8,619	9,062
2018	5.0%	443	8,504	8,947
2017	5.7%	510	8,474	8,984
2016	6.5%	592	8,464	9,056

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 Hertford County

353.1 per 100,0002018. North Carolina: 356.2.

2,131.1 per 100,0002018. North Carolina: 2,343.8.

7murders2018, 84 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 (4)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Hertford County Sheriff's Office	2025	10	68	11,152
Ahoskie Police Department	2025	46	126	4,614
Murfreesboro Police Department	2025	3	52	2,212
Winton Police Department	2018	0	0	733

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

2.42 per 1,000 residents2025, 4 agencies serving 18,568 people.

45sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

34civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (4), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Hertford County Sheriff's Office	25	32	11,152
Ahoskie Police Department	13	1	4,614
Murfreesboro Police Department	7	1	2,212
Winton Police Department	0	0	590

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	45	2.42	34	4
2024	47	2.47	34	4
2023	47	2.28	32	4
2022	48	2.26	35	4
2021	49	2.17	35	4
2020	42	1.78	36	4
2019	47	2.00	35	4

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 Hertford County Clerk of Superior Court?: Shirley Gatling Johnson (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Hertford County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Hertford County Register of Deeds?: La'Tia Lewter Wynn (Unaffiliated) is the Register of Deeds of Hertford County, North Carolina.
Who is the Hertford County Sheriff?: Dexter A. Hayes (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Hertford County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Hertford County commissioners?: Leroy Douglas (District 1); John D. Horton (District 1); Andre M. Lassiter (District 2); Ronald J. Gatling (District 2); William (Bill) Mitchell, Jr. (District 3).
Who is on the Hertford County School Board?: David L. Shields (Board of Education Member); Sheila J. Porter (Board of Education Member); Dennis M. Deloatch (Board of Education Member); Eddie Hall (Board of Education Member); J. Wendell Hall (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of Hertford County?: About 19,908 people, with a median age of 42.6; the median household income is $45,537 and 22.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Hertford County?: 3.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 284 people unemployed in a labor force of 8,042, against 4.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Hertford County?: 12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal and 5 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Hertford County?: 1: Winton. 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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