Mecklenburg County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Mecklenburg County: 59 seats on 11 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 11 local governments in Mecklenburg 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
7
5
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 (2 in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County
1,154,681people
35.5median ageU.S.: 38.9
$87,005 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
10.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%
49.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$406,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
17.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
5%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
11.5%U.S.: 8.4%
49.4%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
23.4%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 16% · White 43.2% · Black 29.7% · Asian 6.3% · 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 Mecklenburg County
3.3%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.8%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
640,710people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
662,350in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.3%
21,640
640,710
662,350
August 2026
3.7%
24,015
631,595
655,610
July 2026
3.7%
24,398
631,619
656,017
June 2026
3.6%
23,614
631,818
655,432
May 2026
3.6%
23,501
631,075
654,576
April 2026
3.6%
23,324
632,837
656,161
March 2026
3.7%
24,181
635,863
660,044
February 2026
4.1%
26,845
633,036
659,881
January 2026
4.3%
28,155
629,320
657,475
December 2025
3.5%
23,178
639,065
662,243
November 2025
3.8%
25,452
638,754
664,206
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.8%
25,207
639,444
664,651
August 2025
4.2%
27,832
632,129
659,961
July 2025
4.2%
28,201
642,738
670,939
June 2025
4.1%
26,850
635,909
662,759
May 2025
3.8%
25,019
633,551
658,570
April 2025
3.6%
23,455
634,322
657,777
March 2025
3.9%
25,431
633,357
658,788
February 2025
4.1%
27,175
629,455
656,630
January 2025
4.0%
26,519
632,396
658,915
December 2024
3.5%
22,713
633,524
656,237
November 2024
3.7%
24,210
632,325
656,535
October 2024
3.4%
22,328
638,800
661,128
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.9%
25,847
635,556
661,403
2024
3.7%
24,496
634,026
658,522
2023
3.5%
23,036
630,892
653,928
2022
3.7%
23,408
617,338
640,746
2021
5.0%
30,450
577,349
607,799
2020
7.7%
46,206
552,099
598,305
2019
3.7%
22,560
587,286
609,846
2018
3.9%
23,175
573,315
596,490
2017
4.4%
25,687
560,852
586,539
2016
4.8%
27,289
542,642
569,931
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 Mecklenburg County
643.0 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 379.2.
3,405.9 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 1,978.3.
109murders2024, 7,659 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
7,659
643.0
40,569
3,405.9
2023
7,473
643.3
41,097
3,537.5
2022
7,392
652.3
35,577
3,139.3
2021
7,877
692.5
33,769
2,968.9
2020
8,351
734.8
34,975
3,077.6
2018
6,782
614.4
38,484
3,486.3
2016
6,799
640.9
41,337
3,896.5
By police agency (7)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
2025
5,787
35,265
1,035,037
Huntersville Police Department
2025
79
748
68,534
Cornelius Police Department
2025
44
335
35,117
Matthews Police Department
2024
58
834
31,422
Mint Hill Police Department
2025
37
235
29,430
Stallings Police Department
2025
7
97
17,988
Pineville Police Department
2025
83
881
11,812
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
1.63 per 1,000 residents2025, 7 agencies serving 1,230,633 people.
2,010sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
613civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (7), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
1,702
540
1,035,037
Huntersville Police Department
92
20
68,534
Cornelius Police Department
59
17
35,117
Matthews Police Department
56
13
32,715
Pineville Police Department
34
17
11,812
Mint Hill Police Department
43
4
29,430
Stallings Police Department
24
2
17,988
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
2,010
1.63
613
7
2024
1,962
1.65
698
7
2023
1,938
1.67
714
7
2022
1,972
1.74
599
7
2021
2,037
1.79
604
7
2020
2,052
1.81
629
7
2019
2,123
1.90
529
7
2018
2,118
1.92
584
7
2017
2,325
2.15
1,440
7
2016
2,327
2.19
1,402
7
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 Mecklenburg County Clerk of Superior Court?
Elisa Chinn Gary (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds?
Fred Smith (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
Who is the Mecklenburg County Sheriff?
Garry L. McFadden (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Mecklenburg County commissioners?
Arthur Griffin, Jr. (At-Large); Yvette Townsend-Ingram (At-Large); Leigh Altman (At-Large); Elaine Powell (District 1); Vilma D. Leake (District 2); George Dunlap (District 3); Mark Jerrell (District 4); Laura Meier (District 5); Susan Rodriguez-McDowell (District 6).
Who is on the Mecklenburg County School Board?
Lenora Shipp (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Liz Monterrey (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Monty Witherspoon (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Charlitta Hatch (Board of Education Member, District 1); Shamaiye Haynes (Board of Education Member, District 2); Gregory (Dee) Rankin (Board of Education Member, District 3); Stephanie Sneed (Board of Education Member, District 4); Cynthia Stone (Board of Education Member, District 5); Anna London (Board of Education Member, District 6).
What is the population of Mecklenburg County?
About 1,154,681 people, with a median age of 35.5; the median household income is $87,005 and 10.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Mecklenburg County?
3.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 21,640 people unemployed in a labor force of 662,350, against 3.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Mecklenburg County?
11 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal and 3 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Mecklenburg County?
5: Charlotte, Cornelius, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill. 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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