Orange County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Orange County: 39 seats on 9 elected bodies. 8 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
Who lives in each of the 2 school districts (Census figures)
School district
People
Median household income
Below the poverty line
Without health insurance
Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools
91,059
$89,868
15.7%
5.3%
59.8%
Orange County Schools
58,619
$90,396
8%
8.5%
51.6%
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates for each school district's area, matched to its board by name. They're estimates with a , larger for small districts.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 6 local governments in Orange 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
2
School districts (school boards)
0
2
Special districts (elected boards)
2
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 Orange 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 Orange County
149,678people
36.1median ageU.S.: 38.9
$90,089 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
12.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
61.8%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$459,500median home valueU.S.: $332,700
3.6%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
12.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
4.7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
6.5%U.S.: 8.4%
58.1%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
22.3%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 10.6% · White 66.2% · Black 10.1% · Asian 7.8% · Other or more than one race 5.2% (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 Orange County
2.8%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.4%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
75,994people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
78,148in 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%
2,154
75,994
78,148
August 2026
3.5%
2,735
74,673
77,408
July 2026
3.5%
2,726
74,892
77,618
June 2026
3.3%
2,547
74,979
77,526
May 2026
3.2%
2,444
74,953
77,397
April 2026
3.2%
2,457
75,267
77,724
March 2026
3.1%
2,449
75,597
78,046
February 2026
3.3%
2,595
75,484
78,079
January 2026
3.7%
2,864
74,741
77,605
December 2025
3.1%
2,415
75,861
78,276
November 2025
3.3%
2,621
76,079
78,700
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.4%
2,667
76,331
78,998
August 2025
3.7%
2,937
75,498
78,435
July 2025
3.7%
2,977
77,054
80,031
June 2025
3.5%
2,786
76,334
79,120
May 2025
3.3%
2,572
76,132
78,704
April 2025
3.0%
2,355
76,644
78,999
March 2025
3.4%
2,653
76,249
78,902
February 2025
3.0%
2,359
76,065
78,424
January 2025
3.2%
2,556
76,194
78,750
December 2024
3.0%
2,340
75,843
78,183
November 2024
3.1%
2,461
76,365
78,826
October 2024
2.8%
2,187
77,146
79,333
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.3%
2,627
76,222
78,849
2024
3.2%
2,514
76,666
79,180
2023
3.1%
2,457
76,632
79,089
2022
3.2%
2,518
75,066
77,584
2021
3.8%
2,802
70,578
73,380
2020
5.6%
3,911
65,527
69,438
2019
3.6%
2,643
71,483
74,126
2018
3.6%
2,634
71,038
73,672
2017
4.0%
2,924
69,876
72,800
2016
4.5%
3,208
68,210
71,418
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 Orange County
115.8 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 330.3.
837.0 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 1,779.9.
0murders2025, 101 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
101
115.8
730
837.0
2024
171
194.1
1,244
1,411.9
2023
180
204.2
1,370
1,554.5
2022
227
258.1
1,384
1,573.6
2021
193
229.1
1,202
1,426.8
2020
149
173.8
1,187
1,384.3
2019
138
159.6
975
1,127.6
2018
130
149.7
1,227
1,412.9
2017
142
167.8
1,366
1,614.4
2016
119
142.2
1,325
1,583.2
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Orange County Sheriff's Office
2024
95
393
57,273
Carrboro Police Department
2025
55
401
21,029
Hillsborough Police Department
2025
19
268
9,802
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
1.73 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 87,215 people.
151sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
68civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Orange County Sheriff's Office
91
59
56,384
Carrboro Police Department
32
6
21,029
Hillsborough Police Department
28
3
9,802
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
151
1.73
68
3
2024
155
1.76
58
3
2023
157
1.78
62
3
2022
149
1.69
75
3
2021
163
1.93
58
3
2020
160
1.87
51
3
2019
160
1.85
61
3
2018
150
1.73
50
3
2017
160
1.89
51
3
2016
158
1.89
50
3
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 Orange County Clerk of Superior Court?
Mark Kleinschmidt (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Orange County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Orange County Register of Deeds?
Mark H. Chilton (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Orange County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Orange County Sheriff?
Charles Blackwood (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Orange County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Orange County commissioners?
Sally Greene (At-Large); Amy Fowler (At-Large); Jamezetta R. Bedford (District 1); Jean Hamilton (District 1); Marilyn Carter (District 1); Earl McKee (District 2); Phyllis Portie-Ascott (District 2).
Who is on the Orange County School Board?
Rani Dasi (Board of Education Member); Barbara Fedders (Board of Education Member); Meredith Ballew (Board of Education Member); Vickie Feaster Fornville (Board of Education Member); Melinda Manning (Board of Education Member); Riza Jenkins (Board of Education Member); George Griffin (Board of Education Member); Andre Richmond (Board of Education Member); Will Atherton (Board of Education Member); Anne Purcell (Board of Education Member); Sarah Smylie (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of Orange County?
About 149,678 people, with a median age of 36.1; the median household income is $90,089 and 12.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Orange County?
2.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 2,154 people unemployed in a labor force of 78,148, against 3.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Orange County?
6 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal and 2 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Orange County?
2: Chapel Hill, Hillsborough. 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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