Macon County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Macon County: 23 seats on 7 elected bodies. 10 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
Board of County Commissioners
Macon County Board of Commissioners
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 4 local governments in Macon 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
2
1
School districts (school boards)
0
1
Special districts (elected boards)
1
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 Macon 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 Macon County
37,941people
49.7median ageU.S.: 38.9
$59,061 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
11.6%below the U.S.: 12.5%
27.9%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$251,900median home valueU.S.: $332,700
2.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
5.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
9.4%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
13.7%U.S.: 8.4%
38.1%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
26.3%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 10% · White 85.2% · Black 1.4% · Asian 0.6% · Other or more than one race 2.7% (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 Macon County
2.9%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.3%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
490people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
16,630people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
17,120in 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%
490
16,630
17,120
August 2026
3.3%
556
16,214
16,770
July 2026
3.6%
595
16,082
16,677
June 2026
3.4%
566
16,188
16,754
May 2026
3.4%
576
16,309
16,885
April 2026
3.3%
552
16,240
16,792
March 2026
3.4%
573
16,289
16,862
February 2026
3.8%
634
16,015
16,649
January 2026
4.0%
658
15,960
16,618
December 2025
3.2%
531
16,264
16,795
November 2025
3.7%
619
16,219
16,838
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.3%
552
16,407
16,959
August 2025
3.7%
628
16,315
16,943
July 2025
3.5%
602
16,606
17,208
June 2025
3.7%
621
16,208
16,829
May 2025
3.6%
596
16,163
16,759
April 2025
3.3%
541
16,063
16,604
March 2025
3.7%
605
15,737
16,342
February 2025
4.0%
643
15,524
16,167
January 2025
4.1%
655
15,478
16,133
December 2024
3.1%
508
15,785
16,293
November 2024
3.5%
572
15,788
16,360
October 2024
3.2%
529
16,081
16,610
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.6%
599
16,089
16,688
2024
3.4%
559
16,067
16,626
2023
3.3%
552
16,321
16,873
2022
3.6%
587
15,713
16,300
2021
4.3%
672
14,798
15,470
2020
6.7%
1,010
14,077
15,087
2019
3.9%
616
15,031
15,647
2018
4.1%
620
14,658
15,278
2017
4.7%
714
14,435
15,149
2016
5.4%
820
14,306
15,126
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 Macon County
117.4 per 100,0002023. North Carolina: 393.5.
1,221.9 per 100,0002023. North Carolina: 2,070.7.
1murders2023, 44 violent crimes in all.
2023 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
2023
44
117.4
458
1,221.9
2022
44
118.3
481
1,293.7
2021
37
106.7
606
1,748.1
2020
37
105.4
678
1,931.8
2019
58
168.3
714
2,071.7
2018
34
100.3
655
1,931.3
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Macon County Sheriff's Office
2023
36
345
33,139
Franklin Police Department
2025
9
107
4,408
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
2.00 per 1,000 residents2024, 2 agencies serving 38,024 people.
76sworn officers2024, full-time, as of October 31.
26civilian staff2024, full-time.
2024 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.
Agencies counted (2), 2024
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Macon County Sheriff's Office
61
25
33,647
Franklin Police Department
15
1
4,377
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2024
76
2.00
26
2
2023
68
1.81
28
2
2022
66
1.78
21
2
2021
72
2.08
17
2
2020
69
1.97
22
2
2019
74
2.15
23
2
2018
70
2.06
21
2
2017
66
1.97
28
2
2016
67
2.01
27
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 Macon County Clerk of Superior Court?
Shawna Thun Lamb (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Macon County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Macon County Register of Deeds?
Todd Raby (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Macon County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Macon County Sheriff?
Brent Holbrooks (Republican) is the Sheriff of Macon County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Macon County commissioners?
John Shearl (District 1); Gary Shields (District 2); Danny Antoine (District 2); Josh Young (District 2); Barry Breeden (District 3).
Who is on the Macon County School Board?
Hilary Wilkes (Board of Education Member, District 1); Stephanie Hyder Laseter (Board of Education Member, District 2); Melissa Evans (Board of Education Member, District 3); Diedre Kaye Breeden (Board of Education Member, District 4); Jim Breedlove (Board of Education Member, District 4).
What is the population of Macon County?
About 37,941 people, with a median age of 49.7; the median household income is $59,061 and 11.6% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Macon County?
2.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 490 people unemployed in a labor force of 17,120, against 3.3% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Macon County?
4 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal and 1 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Macon County?
1: Franklin. 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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