Polk County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Polk County: 20 seats on 7 elected bodies. 8 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 5 local governments in Polk 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)
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 Polk 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 Polk County
19,891people
54.9median ageU.S.: 38.9
$67,758 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
14%below the U.S.: 12.5%
36.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$315,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5.1%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
4.5%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
8.6%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
9.9%U.S.: 8.4%
52.1%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
21.9%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.6% · White 86.6% · Black 4.4% · Asian 0.8% · Other or more than one race 2.6% (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 Polk County
2.7%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.5%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
259people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
9,264people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
9,523in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
2.7%
259
9,264
9,523
August 2026
3.1%
293
9,103
9,396
July 2026
3.4%
314
8,886
9,200
June 2026
3.1%
294
9,145
9,439
May 2026
3.2%
304
9,197
9,501
April 2026
3.0%
281
9,130
9,411
March 2026
3.1%
298
9,210
9,508
February 2026
3.4%
315
9,014
9,329
January 2026
3.6%
331
8,917
9,248
December 2025
3.2%
297
9,123
9,420
November 2025
3.7%
346
9,073
9,419
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.5%
328
9,141
9,469
August 2025
3.9%
368
9,077
9,445
July 2025
3.7%
347
9,025
9,372
June 2025
3.7%
354
9,199
9,553
May 2025
3.6%
347
9,237
9,584
April 2025
3.4%
328
9,185
9,513
March 2025
3.7%
352
9,134
9,486
February 2025
4.1%
380
8,892
9,272
January 2025
4.0%
374
8,864
9,238
December 2024
3.7%
335
8,769
9,104
November 2024
4.2%
384
8,676
9,060
October 2024
4.4%
404
8,765
9,169
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.7%
347
9,086
9,433
2024
3.3%
314
9,070
9,384
2023
3.1%
295
9,139
9,434
2022
3.7%
343
9,023
9,366
2021
4.6%
410
8,532
8,942
2020
6.1%
522
8,034
8,556
2019
3.6%
316
8,556
8,872
2018
3.7%
322
8,386
8,708
2017
4.0%
348
8,378
8,726
2016
4.5%
388
8,311
8,699
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 Polk County
130.6 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 330.3.
1,090.3 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 1,779.9.
0murders2025, 26 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
26
130.6
217
1,090.3
2024
41
207.1
164
828.3
2023
30
152.5
195
991.2
2022
16
82.3
214
1,101.3
2021
16
79.7
268
1,335.1
2020
17
84.7
282
1,405.2
2019
11
55.2
152
762.4
2018
9
45.3
258
1,297.2
2017
9
45.8
248
1,261.3
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Polk County Sheriff's Office
2025
24
187
17,224
Tryon Police Department
2025
2
15
1,626
Columbus Police Department
2025
0
15
1,053
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
2.81 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 19,903 people.
56sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
40civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Polk County Sheriff's Office
40
37
17,224
Columbus Police Department
9
1
1,053
Tryon Police Department
7
2
1,626
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
56
2.81
40
3
2024
56
2.83
42
3
2023
42
2.13
25
3
2022
50
2.57
26
3
2021
45
2.24
24
3
2020
51
2.54
31
3
2019
48
2.41
30
3
2018
51
2.56
3
3
2017
52
2.64
14
3
2016
54
2.75
13
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 Polk County Clerk of Superior Court?
Pam Hyder (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Polk County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Polk County Register of Deeds?
Sheila W. Whitmire (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Polk County, North Carolina.
Who is the Polk County Sheriff?
Timothy Wright (Republican) is the Sheriff of Polk County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Polk County commissioners?
Myron Yoder (County Commissioner); Jennifer Hargett (County Commissioner); Paul (Little) Beiler (County Commissioner).
Who is on the Polk County School Board?
Danielle Edwards Gibbs (Board of Education Member, Columbus Twp); Judy N. Jackson (Board of Education Member, Cooper Gap Twp); Sherry Horne Page (Board of Education Member, Green Creek Twp); Rick Stich (Board of Education Member, Saluda Twp); Mike Ashworth (Board of Education Member, Tryon Twp); Rick Covil (Board of Education Member, Tryon Twp); Lucinda (Cindy) Allen (Board of Education Member, White Oak Twp).
What is the population of Polk County?
About 19,891 people, with a median age of 54.9; the median household income is $67,758 and 14% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Polk County?
2.7% in September 2026 (preliminary): 259 people unemployed in a labor force of 9,523, against 3.5% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Polk County?
5 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal and 1 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Polk County?
1: Columbus. 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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