Scotland County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Scotland County: 27 seats on 7 elected bodies. 11 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 8 local governments in Scotland 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)
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 (1 in Scotland 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 Scotland County
33,590people
38.7median ageU.S.: 38.9
$45,730 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
25.8%below the U.S.: 12.5%
16.6%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$114,900median home valueU.S.: $332,700
10.9%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
3.5%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
9.9%U.S.: 8.4%
51.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
32.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4% · White 40.1% · Black 37% · Asian 1.3% · Other or more than one race 17.6% (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 Scotland County
4.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.9%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
549people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
12,777people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
13,326in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
4.1%
549
12,777
13,326
August 2026
4.7%
615
12,548
13,163
July 2026
4.9%
623
12,086
12,709
June 2026
4.6%
609
12,544
13,153
May 2026
4.6%
602
12,597
13,199
April 2026
4.6%
616
12,705
13,321
March 2026
4.7%
639
12,817
13,456
February 2026
5.3%
712
12,703
13,415
January 2026
5.4%
712
12,572
13,284
December 2025
4.6%
608
12,682
13,290
November 2025
4.8%
645
12,657
13,302
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.9%
653
12,611
13,264
August 2025
5.6%
730
12,405
13,135
July 2025
5.9%
783
12,471
13,254
June 2025
5.5%
726
12,493
13,219
May 2025
5.2%
679
12,497
13,176
April 2025
4.7%
624
12,619
13,243
March 2025
5.2%
690
12,577
13,267
February 2025
5.7%
750
12,369
13,119
January 2025
5.8%
747
12,220
12,967
December 2024
4.9%
623
12,170
12,793
November 2024
4.9%
637
12,241
12,878
October 2024
4.7%
612
12,353
12,965
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
5.3%
694
12,509
13,203
2024
5.2%
681
12,349
13,030
2023
5.4%
696
12,286
12,982
2022
5.4%
699
12,302
13,001
2021
7.9%
1,009
11,701
12,710
2020
10.3%
1,298
11,344
12,642
2019
5.5%
722
12,512
13,234
2018
6.3%
820
12,285
13,105
2017
6.5%
852
12,285
13,137
2016
7.7%
1,027
12,225
13,252
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 Scotland County
623.7 per 100,0002019. North Carolina: 378.7.
3,095.9 per 100,0002019. North Carolina: 2,391.4.
4murders2019, 218 violent crimes in all.
2019 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
2019
218
623.7
1,082
3,095.9
2018
266
753.9
1,209
3,426.4
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Scotland County Sheriff's Office
2025
114
288
18,039
Laurinburg Police Department
2025
191
657
15,138
Wagram Police Department
2019
1
9
770
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
1.89 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 33,792 people.
64sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
32civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Scotland County Sheriff's Office
31
30
18,039
Laurinburg Police Department
32
2
15,138
Wagram Police Department
1
0
615
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
64
1.89
32
3
2024
67
1.95
28
3
2023
66
1.94
25
3
2022
73
2.13
30
3
2021
74
2.19
29
3
2020
76
2.20
28
3
2019
83
2.41
26
3
2018
78
2.24
29
3
2017
83
2.37
26
3
2016
75
2.13
29
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 Scotland County Clerk of Superior Court?
W. Philip McRae (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Scotland County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Scotland County Register of Deeds?
L. Page Pratt III (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Scotland County, North Carolina.
Who is the Scotland County Sheriff?
Ralph Kersey (Republican) is the Sheriff of Scotland County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Scotland County commissioners?
Ed O'Neal (At-Large); Tanya Edge (Laurel Hill Twp); Bo Frizzell (Spring Hill Twp); Tim Ivey (Stewartsville Twp); Darwin (Duke) Williams (Stewartsville Twp); Clarence McPhatter (Stewartsville Twp); Jeff Shelley (Williamson Twp).
Who is on the Scotland County School Board?
Summer Woodside (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Vicki C. Jackson (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Carolyn M. Banks (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Herman L. Tyson (Board of Education Member, Stewartsville Twp); Jason Clark (Board of Education Member, Stewartsville Twp); Rick Singletary (Board of Education Member, Stewartsville Twp); Tony Spaulding (Board of Education Member, Stewartsville Twp); Amy Peele Sloop (Board of Education Member, Stewartsville Twp).
What is the population of Scotland County?
About 33,590 people, with a median age of 38.7; the median household income is $45,730 and 25.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Scotland County?
4.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 549 people unemployed in a labor force of 13,326, against 4.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Scotland County?
8 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal and 3 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Scotland County?
1: Laurinburg. 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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