Who is the New Hanover County Clerk of Superior Court?

Jan Giacalone Kennedy (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of New Hanover County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the New Hanover County Register of Deeds?

Morghan Getty Collins (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of New Hanover County, North Carolina.

Who is the New Hanover County Sheriff?

Ed McMahon (Democratic) is the Sheriff of New Hanover County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the New Hanover County commissioners?

LeAnn Pierce (County Commissioner); Rob Zapple (County Commissioner); Bill Rivenbark (County Commissioner); Stephanie Walker (County Commissioner); Dane Scalise (County Commissioner).

Who is on the New Hanover County School Board?

Pat Bradford (Board of Education Member); Peter C. Wildeboer (Board of Education Member); Josie Barnhart (Board of Education Member); Melissa Mason (Board of Education Member); Judy Justice (Board of Education Member); Tim Merrick (Board of Education Member); David Perry (Board of Education Member).

What is the population of New Hanover County?

About 235,229 people, with a median age of 39.9; the median household income is $75,166 and 12.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in New Hanover County?

2.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 3,609 people unemployed in a labor force of 127,187, against 3.3% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in New Hanover County?

9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal and 4 special district governments.

What cities and towns are in New Hanover County?

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

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in New Hanover County: 25 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

New Hanover County Board of Commissioners

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner	LeAnn Pierce Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Rob Zapple Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Bill Rivenbark Republican source
County Commissioner	Stephanie Walker Democratic source
County Commissioner	Dane Scalise Republican source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Clerk of Superior Court	Jan Giacalone Kennedy Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Register of Deeds	Morghan Getty Collins Republican source
Sheriff	Ed McMahon Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

School Board

New Hanover County Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Board of Education Member	Pat Bradford Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member	Peter C. Wildeboer Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member	Josie Barnhart Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member	Melissa Mason Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member	Judy Justice Democratic source
Board of Education Member	Tim Merrick Democratic source
Board of Education Member	David Perry Republican source

Cities and towns

Wilmington · Mayor Bill Saffo · 7 seats

Special districts

Boards elected by the voters who live in each district.

New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District · 3 seats

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Evan Folds source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Frank Christopher Meares source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Matt Collogan source

How many local governments New Hanover County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 9 local governments in New Hanover 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	4	1
School districts (school boards)	0	1
Special districts (elected boards)	4	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 New Hanover 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 New Hanover County

235,229people

39.9median ageU.S.: 38.9

$75,166 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

12.3%below the U.S.: 12.5%

45.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$387,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700

4.5%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

5.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

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

9.6%U.S.: 8.4%

54.9%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

27.2%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 7.9% · White 74.7% · Black 10.7% · Asian 1.4% · Other or more than one race 5.3% (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 New Hanover County

2.8%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.3%. North Carolina: 3.1%.

3,609people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

123,578people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

127,187in 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%	3,609	123,578	127,187
August 2026	3.3%	4,135	122,024	126,159
July 2026	3.4%	4,271	121,873	126,144
June 2026	3.2%	4,087	122,236	126,323
May 2026	3.2%	4,019	122,833	126,852
April 2026	3.1%	3,929	123,448	127,377
March 2026	3.2%	4,026	123,132	127,158
February 2026	3.5%	4,419	121,959	126,378
January 2026	3.7%	4,658	120,668	125,326
December 2025	3.1%	3,904	122,582	126,486
November 2025	3.4%	4,406	123,390	127,796
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.3%	4,297	124,056	128,353
August 2025	3.7%	4,789	123,115	127,904
July 2025	3.7%	4,754	124,594	129,348
June 2025	3.7%	4,716	122,880	127,596
May 2025	3.5%	4,420	122,474	126,894
April 2025	3.3%	4,132	122,402	126,534
March 2025	3.6%	4,552	120,623	125,175
February 2025	3.8%	4,658	118,769	123,427
January 2025	3.7%	4,552	118,969	123,521
December 2024	3.1%	3,790	119,567	123,357
November 2024	3.3%	4,116	120,239	124,355
October 2024	3.0%	3,780	121,765	125,545

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.5%	4,471	122,169	126,640
2024	3.4%	4,209	120,877	125,086
2023	3.4%	4,230	120,669	124,899
2022	3.5%	4,285	118,246	122,531
2021	4.5%	5,200	110,905	116,105
2020	7.4%	8,368	104,061	112,429
2019	3.6%	4,221	111,567	115,788
2018	3.9%	4,482	109,021	113,503
2017	4.3%	4,813	107,644	112,457
2016	4.8%	5,333	105,460	110,793

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 New Hanover County

405.4 per 100,0002018. North Carolina: 356.2.

2,253.6 per 100,0002018. North Carolina: 2,343.8.

10murders2018, 936 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 (5)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Wilmington Police Department	2025	516	3,697	127,752
New Hanover County Sheriff's Office	2025	203	1,157	108,399
Carolina Beach Police Department	2025	23	92	6,943
Wrightsville Beach Police Department	2025	7	74	2,397
Kure Beach Police Department	2018	0	0	2,118

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

2.85 per 1,000 residents2025, 5 agencies serving 247,638 people.

705sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

267civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (5), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
New Hanover County Sheriff's Office	410	168	108,399
Wilmington Police Department	225	93	127,752
Carolina Beach Police Department	29	3	6,943
Wrightsville Beach Police Department	27	2	2,397
Kure Beach Police Department	14	1	2,147

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	705	2.85	267	5
2024	737	3.01	257	5
2023	732	3.06	178	5
2022	689	2.96	288	5
2021	694	2.93	252	5
2020	697	2.93	254	5
2019	706	2.99	245	5
2018	691	2.99	221	5
2017	690	3.03	236	5
2016	672	3.00	215	5

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 New Hanover County Clerk of Superior Court?: Jan Giacalone Kennedy (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of New Hanover County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the New Hanover County Register of Deeds?: Morghan Getty Collins (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of New Hanover County, North Carolina.
Who is the New Hanover County Sheriff?: Ed McMahon (Democratic) is the Sheriff of New Hanover County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the New Hanover County commissioners?: LeAnn Pierce (County Commissioner); Rob Zapple (County Commissioner); Bill Rivenbark (County Commissioner); Stephanie Walker (County Commissioner); Dane Scalise (County Commissioner).
Who is on the New Hanover County School Board?: Pat Bradford (Board of Education Member); Peter C. Wildeboer (Board of Education Member); Josie Barnhart (Board of Education Member); Melissa Mason (Board of Education Member); Judy Justice (Board of Education Member); Tim Merrick (Board of Education Member); David Perry (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of New Hanover County?: About 235,229 people, with a median age of 39.9; the median household income is $75,166 and 12.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in New Hanover County?: 2.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 3,609 people unemployed in a labor force of 127,187, against 3.3% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in New Hanover County?: 9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal and 4 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in New Hanover County?: 1: Wilmington. 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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