Who is the Rutherford County Clerk of Superior Court?

Steve H. Owens (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Rutherford County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Rutherford County Register of Deeds?

Rachel Thomas (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Rutherford County, North Carolina.

Who is the Rutherford County Sheriff?

Aaron Ellenburg (Republican) is the Sheriff of Rutherford County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Rutherford County commissioners?

Bryan A. King (District 1); Donnie Haulk (District 2); Hunter Haynes (District 3); Michael J. Benfield (District 4); Alan Toney (District 5).

Who is on the Rutherford County School Board?

Phillip Morrow (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Brandi Edney Nanney (Board of Education Member, District 1); Angel King (Board of Education Member, District 1); Paul Scott (Board of Education Member, District 2); Tracy Short (Board of Education Member, District 2); April Mayse (Board of Education Member, District 3); Thomas Crawford (Board of Education Member, District 3).

What is the population of Rutherford County?

About 64,930 people, with a median age of 45.3; the median household income is $51,410 and 16.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Rutherford County?

3.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 949 people unemployed in a labor force of 26,062, against 4.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Rutherford County?

12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 8 municipal and 3 special district governments.

What cities and towns are in Rutherford County?

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

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Rutherford County: 20 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

Rutherford County Board of Commissioners

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner, District 1	Bryan A. King Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 2	Donnie Haulk Republican source
County Commissioner, District 3	Hunter Haynes Republican source
County Commissioner, District 4	Michael J. Benfield Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 5	Alan Toney Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Clerk of Superior Court	Steve H. Owens Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Register of Deeds	Rachel Thomas Republican source
Sheriff	Aaron Ellenburg Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

School Board

Rutherford County Board of Education

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Board of Education Member, At-Large	Phillip Morrow Republican source
Board of Education Member, District 1	Brandi Edney Nanney Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 1	Angel King Republican source
Board of Education Member, District 2	Paul Scott Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 2	Tracy Short Republican source
Board of Education Member, District 3	April Mayse Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 3	Thomas Crawford Republican source

Cities and towns

Rutherfordton · 2 seats

Special districts

Boards elected by the voters who live in each district.

Rutherford Soil and Water Conservation District · 3 seats

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Clint Green source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Shannon A. Buckley source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor	Ronald W. Hawkins source

How many local governments Rutherford County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 12 local governments in Rutherford 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	8	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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford County

64,930people

45.3median ageU.S.: 38.9

$51,410 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

16.8%below the U.S.: 12.5%

21.5%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$201,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700

6.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

3.1%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

7.4%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

12%U.S.: 8.4%

46.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

25.2%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.7% · White 80.8% · Black 7.7% · Asian 0.5% · Other or more than one race 5.4% (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 Rutherford County

3.6%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.4%. North Carolina: 3.1%.

949people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

25,113people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

26,062in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	3.6%	949	25,113	26,062
August 2026	4.1%	1,055	24,585	25,640
July 2026	4.4%	1,111	24,330	25,441
June 2026	4.2%	1,104	25,393	26,497
May 2026	4.1%	1,072	25,172	26,244
April 2026	3.9%	1,035	25,197	26,232
March 2026	4.2%	1,105	25,372	26,477
February 2026	4.6%	1,207	24,950	26,157
January 2026	4.8%	1,253	24,796	26,049
December 2025	4.2%	1,097	25,149	26,246
November 2025	4.7%	1,244	25,142	26,386
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	4.4%	1,160	25,341	26,501
August 2025	5.0%	1,329	25,033	26,362
July 2025	5.2%	1,367	24,849	26,216
June 2025	5.0%	1,344	25,767	27,111
May 2025	4.6%	1,217	25,404	26,621
April 2025	4.4%	1,181	25,396	26,577
March 2025	4.8%	1,287	25,333	26,620
February 2025	5.3%	1,380	24,810	26,190
January 2025	5.5%	1,462	24,981	26,443
December 2024	4.7%	1,247	25,038	26,285
November 2024	5.2%	1,372	24,974	26,346
October 2024	5.2%	1,383	25,311	26,694

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.8%	1,279	25,200	26,479
2024	4.3%	1,159	25,506	26,665
2023	4.0%	1,094	26,013	27,107
2022	4.2%	1,149	26,205	27,354
2021	5.7%	1,505	25,024	26,529
2020	8.3%	2,172	23,962	26,134
2019	4.3%	1,189	26,557	27,746
2018	4.6%	1,243	25,828	27,071
2017	5.4%	1,455	25,398	26,853
2016	6.0%	1,615	25,467	27,082

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 Rutherford County

227.4 per 100,0002018. North Carolina: 356.2.

2,459.5 per 100,0002018. North Carolina: 2,343.8.

2murders2018, 151 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
Rutherford County Sheriff's Office	2025	81	466	49,147
Forest City Police Department	2025	23	356	7,405
Spindale Police Department	2018	0	0	4,203
Rutherfordton Police Department	2025	8	99	3,732
Lake Lure Police Department	2023	1	12	1,381

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

2.35 per 1,000 residents2025, 5 agencies serving 65,868 people.

155sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

39civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (5), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Rutherford County Sheriff's Office	86	35	49,147
Forest City Police Department	33	2	7,405
Rutherfordton Police Department	16	1	3,732
Spindale Police Department	12	0	4,188
Lake Lure Police Department	8	1	1,396

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	155	2.35	39	5
2024	148	2.23	41	5
2023	149	2.28	38	5
2022	142	2.18	38	5
2020	141	2.11	58	5
2019	137	2.05	60	5
2018	142	2.14	59	5
2017	141	2.13	57	5
2016	144	2.18	61	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 Rutherford County Clerk of Superior Court?: Steve H. Owens (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Rutherford County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Rutherford County Register of Deeds?: Rachel Thomas (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Rutherford County, North Carolina.
Who is the Rutherford County Sheriff?: Aaron Ellenburg (Republican) is the Sheriff of Rutherford County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Rutherford County commissioners?: Bryan A. King (District 1); Donnie Haulk (District 2); Hunter Haynes (District 3); Michael J. Benfield (District 4); Alan Toney (District 5).
Who is on the Rutherford County School Board?: Phillip Morrow (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Brandi Edney Nanney (Board of Education Member, District 1); Angel King (Board of Education Member, District 1); Paul Scott (Board of Education Member, District 2); Tracy Short (Board of Education Member, District 2); April Mayse (Board of Education Member, District 3); Thomas Crawford (Board of Education Member, District 3).
What is the population of Rutherford County?: About 64,930 people, with a median age of 45.3; the median household income is $51,410 and 16.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Rutherford County?: 3.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 949 people unemployed in a labor force of 26,062, against 4.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Rutherford County?: 12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 8 municipal and 3 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Rutherford County?: 1: Rutherfordton. 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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