Who is the Madison County Clerk of Superior Court?

Mark A. Cody (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Madison County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Madison County Register of Deeds?

Mary Jane Wallin (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Madison County, North Carolina.

Who is the Madison County Sheriff?

Buddy Harwood (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Madison County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Madison County commissioners?

C. William (Bill) Briggs (County Commissioner); Jeremy Hensley (County Commissioner); Alan Wyatt (County Commissioner); Michael Garrison (County Commissioner); Matthew (Matt) Wechtel (County Commissioner).

Who is on the Madison County School Board?

Karen Blevins (Board of Education Chair); Barbara Edmonds Wyatt (Board of Education Member, District 1); Tyler Dale Coates (Board of Education Member, District 1); Keith Ray (Board of Education Member, District 2); John H. Bratz (Board of Education Member, District 2).

What is the population of Madison County?

About 21,867 people, with a median age of 44.5; the median household income is $58,531 and 12.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Madison County?

2.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 292 people unemployed in a labor force of 10,470, against 3.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Madison County?

9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal and 5 special district governments.

What cities and towns are in Madison County?

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

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Madison County: 22 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

Madison County Board of Commissioners

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner	C. William (Bill) Briggs Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Jeremy Hensley Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Alan Wyatt Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Michael Garrison Republican source
County Commissioner	Matthew (Matt) Wechtel Republican source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Clerk of Superior Court	Mark A. Cody Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Register of Deeds	Mary Jane Wallin Democratic source
Sheriff	Buddy Harwood Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

School Board

Madison County Board of Education

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Board of Education Chair	Karen Blevins Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 1	Barbara Edmonds Wyatt Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 1	Tyler Dale Coates Republican source
Board of Education Member, District 2	Keith Ray Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 2	John H. Bratz Republican source

Cities and towns

Marshall · Mayor Aaron P. Haynie · 6 seats

Special districts

Boards elected by the voters who live in each district.

Madison Soil and Water Conservation District · 3 seats

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Ross Young source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Russell Blevins source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Jonathan C. Wallin source

How many local governments Madison County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 9 local governments in Madison 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	3	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 (1 in Madison 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 Madison County

21,867people

44.5median ageU.S.: 38.9

$58,531 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

12.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%

32.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$284,600median home valueU.S.: $332,700

3.1%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

1.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

6.9%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

8.4%U.S.: 8.4%

40.9%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

34.3%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 3.6% · White 91.2% · Black 1.1% · Asian 0.5% · 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 Madison County

2.8%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.8%. North Carolina: 3.1%.

292people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

10,178people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

10,470in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	2.8%	292	10,178	10,470
August 2026	3.3%	343	10,004	10,347
July 2026	3.5%	360	9,960	10,320
June 2026	3.4%	350	10,077	10,427
May 2026	3.4%	355	10,091	10,446
April 2026	3.4%	351	10,108	10,459
March 2026	3.5%	364	10,133	10,497
February 2026	3.8%	397	10,049	10,446
January 2026	4.1%	421	9,968	10,389
December 2025	3.3%	350	10,137	10,487
November 2025	3.9%	411	10,131	10,542
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.8%	401	10,213	10,614
August 2025	4.4%	462	10,129	10,591
July 2025	4.4%	472	10,247	10,719
June 2025	4.6%	489	10,221	10,710
May 2025	4.6%	489	10,193	10,682
April 2025	4.6%	487	10,200	10,687
March 2025	5.3%	571	10,119	10,690
February 2025	6.4%	681	10,004	10,685
January 2025	6.5%	696	9,966	10,662
December 2024	5.9%	625	9,969	10,594
November 2024	6.7%	713	9,871	10,584
October 2024	8.6%	912	9,690	10,602

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.7%	501	10,142	10,643
2024	4.0%	427	10,341	10,768
2023	3.0%	324	10,451	10,775
2022	3.3%	349	10,308	10,657
2021	4.1%	418	9,717	10,135
2020	6.6%	636	8,959	9,595
2019	3.5%	355	9,918	10,273
2018	3.5%	356	9,831	10,187
2017	4.0%	406	9,658	10,064
2016	4.6%	454	9,448	9,902

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.

Police in Madison County

Police staffing

1.46 per 1,000 residents2025, 4 agencies serving 22,615 people.

33sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

25civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (4), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Madison County Sheriff's Office	23	25	19,001
Mars Hill Police Department	5	0	2,244
Marshall Police Department	4	0	821
Hot Springs Police Department	1	0	549

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	33	1.46	25	4
2024	36	1.60	25	4
2022	33	1.51	24	4
2021	36	1.67	22	4
2020	31	1.42	23	4
2019	28	1.28	29	4
2018	34	1.55	17	4
2017	32	1.49	18	4
2016	33	1.56	19	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 Madison County Clerk of Superior Court?: Mark A. Cody (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Madison County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Madison County Register of Deeds?: Mary Jane Wallin (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Madison County, North Carolina.
Who is the Madison County Sheriff?: Buddy Harwood (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Madison County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Madison County commissioners?: C. William (Bill) Briggs (County Commissioner); Jeremy Hensley (County Commissioner); Alan Wyatt (County Commissioner); Michael Garrison (County Commissioner); Matthew (Matt) Wechtel (County Commissioner).
Who is on the Madison County School Board?: Karen Blevins (Board of Education Chair); Barbara Edmonds Wyatt (Board of Education Member, District 1); Tyler Dale Coates (Board of Education Member, District 1); Keith Ray (Board of Education Member, District 2); John H. Bratz (Board of Education Member, District 2).
What is the population of Madison County?: About 21,867 people, with a median age of 44.5; the median household income is $58,531 and 12.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Madison County?: 2.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 292 people unemployed in a labor force of 10,470, against 3.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Madison County?: 9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal and 5 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Madison County?: 1: Marshall. 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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