Richmond County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Richmond County: 27 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 10 local governments in Richmond 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
6
1
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 Richmond 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 Richmond County
42,344people
40.5median ageU.S.: 38.9
$44,883 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
25.2%below the U.S.: 12.5%
16%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$127,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700
9.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
4.1%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
5.7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
11.6%U.S.: 8.4%
51.3%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
35%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 7.8% · White 54.7% · Black 31.2% · Asian 1% · 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 Richmond County
3.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.3%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
667people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
18,257people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
18,924in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.5%
667
18,257
18,924
August 2026
3.9%
732
17,854
18,586
July 2026
4.0%
728
17,270
17,998
June 2026
3.7%
707
18,247
18,954
May 2026
3.7%
694
18,195
18,889
April 2026
3.6%
688
18,309
18,997
March 2026
3.7%
721
18,523
19,244
February 2026
4.3%
822
18,213
19,035
January 2026
4.5%
859
18,108
18,967
December 2025
3.7%
710
18,440
19,150
November 2025
4.1%
781
18,296
19,077
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.3%
806
18,001
18,807
August 2025
4.8%
890
17,802
18,692
July 2025
4.7%
870
17,638
18,508
June 2025
4.3%
846
18,674
19,520
May 2025
4.1%
803
18,639
19,442
April 2025
3.7%
722
18,755
19,477
March 2025
4.1%
798
18,856
19,654
February 2025
4.6%
878
18,398
19,276
January 2025
4.3%
831
18,377
19,208
December 2024
3.9%
745
18,327
19,072
November 2024
4.2%
806
18,255
19,061
October 2024
3.9%
750
18,355
19,105
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.2%
812
18,352
19,164
2024
4.0%
784
18,652
19,436
2023
3.8%
754
18,962
19,716
2022
4.3%
845
18,723
19,568
2021
6.2%
1,158
17,519
18,677
2020
7.9%
1,459
16,984
18,443
2019
4.4%
845
18,195
19,040
2018
4.8%
895
17,875
18,770
2017
5.2%
985
17,911
18,896
2016
6.0%
1,137
17,794
18,931
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 Richmond County
503.8 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 379.2.
3,462.1 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 1,978.3.
11murders2024, 218 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
218
503.8
1,498
3,462.1
2023
293
672.2
1,486
3,409.0
2018
104
228.4
1,084
2,381.1
2016
257
556.2
1,896
4,103.1
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
2025
151
872
27,231
Rockingham Police Department
2024
54
337
8,786
Hamlet Police Department
2024
27
233
5,898
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
2.68 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 41,789 people.
112sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
30civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Richmond County Sheriff's Office
63
27
27,231
Rockingham Police Department
35
2
8,703
Hamlet Police Department
14
1
5,855
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
112
2.68
30
3
2024
116
2.73
27
3
2023
110
2.57
22
3
2022
107
2.50
25
3
2020
110
2.46
9
3
2019
111
2.49
34
3
2018
111
2.49
42
3
2017
111
2.48
42
3
2016
109
2.41
41
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 Richmond County Clerk of Superior Court?
Vickie Daniel (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Richmond County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Richmond County Register of Deeds?
Kimberly Roberts (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Richmond County, North Carolina.
Who is the Richmond County Sheriff?
Mark B. Gulledge (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Richmond County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Richmond County commissioners?
Rick Watkins (County Commissioner); Jason Gainey (County Commissioner); Justin Dawkins (County Commissioner); Robin Roberts (County Commissioner); Jeff Smart (County Commissioner); Jamie Gathings (County Commissioner); Andy Grooms (County Commissioner).
Who is on the Richmond County School Board?
Bobbie Sue Ormsby (Board of Education Member); Cory Satterfield (Board of Education Member); Daryl Mason (Board of Education Member); Scotty Baldwin (Board of Education Member); Jerry Ethridge (Board of Education Member); Bess York Shuler (Board of Education Member); Ronald Tillman (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of Richmond County?
About 42,344 people, with a median age of 40.5; the median household income is $44,883 and 25.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Richmond County?
3.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 667 people unemployed in a labor force of 18,924, against 4.3% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Richmond County?
10 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal and 3 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Richmond County?
1: Rockingham. 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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