Lincoln County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Lincoln County: 23 seats on 7 elected bodies. 13 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 5 local governments in Lincoln 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)
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 (1 in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County
92,716people
44.4median ageU.S.: 38.9
$80,016 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
11.2%below the U.S.: 12.5%
28.3%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$321,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700
3.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
5.5%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.4%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
8.7%U.S.: 8.4%
41.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
22.2%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 8.1% · White 82% · Black 5.9% · Asian 0.8% · 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 Lincoln County
2.9%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.3%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
46,239people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
47,601in 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%
1,362
46,239
47,601
August 2026
3.3%
1,537
45,605
47,142
July 2026
3.4%
1,621
45,519
47,140
June 2026
3.2%
1,529
45,651
47,180
May 2026
3.2%
1,496
45,566
47,062
April 2026
3.1%
1,469
45,702
47,171
March 2026
3.2%
1,519
45,939
47,458
February 2026
3.5%
1,645
45,659
47,304
January 2026
3.6%
1,701
45,391
47,092
December 2025
3.0%
1,439
46,120
47,559
November 2025
3.5%
1,682
46,045
47,727
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.3%
1,571
46,045
47,616
August 2025
3.7%
1,765
45,607
47,372
July 2025
3.5%
1,679
46,347
48,026
June 2025
3.5%
1,682
46,032
47,714
May 2025
3.3%
1,587
45,809
47,396
April 2025
3.0%
1,443
45,896
47,339
March 2025
3.4%
1,597
45,835
47,432
February 2025
3.4%
1,614
45,460
47,074
January 2025
3.6%
1,682
45,647
47,329
December 2024
3.1%
1,457
45,687
47,144
November 2024
3.4%
1,606
45,599
47,205
October 2024
3.1%
1,477
46,069
47,546
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.4%
1,613
45,895
47,508
2024
3.3%
1,572
45,794
47,366
2023
3.2%
1,496
45,844
47,340
2022
3.3%
1,528
44,629
46,157
2021
4.3%
1,837
41,165
43,002
2020
6.7%
2,766
38,473
41,239
2019
3.6%
1,535
40,702
42,237
2018
3.6%
1,484
39,324
40,808
2017
4.2%
1,672
38,264
39,936
2016
4.9%
1,908
37,166
39,074
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 Lincoln County
124.8 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 379.2.
909.7 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 1,978.3.
5murders2024, 124 violent crimes in all.
2024 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
2024
124
124.8
904
909.7
2023
167
173.5
1,205
1,251.9
2022
158
170.5
1,336
1,441.7
2021
154
175.4
1,379
1,570.6
2020
204
234.3
1,486
1,707.0
2019
182
215.5
1,320
1,562.9
2018
115
138.5
1,087
1,308.8
2017
145
177.1
1,379
1,684.5
2016
120
147.1
1,421
1,741.9
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Lincoln County Sheriff's Office
2024
79
639
86,894
Lincolnton Police Department
2025
29
247
12,678
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
2.05 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 100,365 people.
206sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
62civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Lincoln County Sheriff's Office
163
59
87,687
Lincolnton Police Department
43
3
12,678
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
206
2.05
62
2
2024
196
1.97
63
2
2023
177
1.84
65
2
2022
166
1.79
61
2
2021
155
1.77
58
2
2020
150
1.72
58
2
2019
152
1.80
59
2
2018
147
1.77
58
2
2017
147
1.80
58
2
2016
140
1.72
56
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 Lincoln County Clerk of Superior Court?
Fred R. Hatley (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Lincoln County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Lincoln County Register of Deeds?
Danny Hester (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Lincoln County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Lincoln County Sheriff?
Bill Beam (Republican) is the Sheriff of Lincoln County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Lincoln County commissioners?
Jamie Lineberger (County Commissioner); Bud Cesena (County Commissioner); Mark L. Mullen (County Commissioner); Trent Carpenter (County Commissioner); Alex Patton (County Commissioner).
Who is on the Lincoln County School Board?
Tony A. Jenkins (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Erin Amanda Long (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Brandi Wyant (Board of Education Member, District 1); Fred Jarrett (Board of Education Member, District 2); Christina Sutton (Board of Education Member, District 3); Kevin Sanders (Board of Education Member, District 4); Krista Heavner (Board of Education Member, District 5).
What is the population of Lincoln County?
About 92,716 people, with a median age of 44.4; the median household income is $80,016 and 11.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Lincoln County?
2.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,362 people unemployed in a labor force of 47,601, against 3.3% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Lincoln County?
5 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 municipal and 3 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Lincoln County?
1: Lincolnton. 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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