Swain County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Swain County: 21 seats on 7 elected bodies. 10 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
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 4 local governments in Swain 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
1
1
School districts (school boards)
0
1
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 (1 in Swain 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 Swain County
14,013people
42.6median ageU.S.: 38.9
$52,349 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
19.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%
21.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$207,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700
7.6%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
2.8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
7.2%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
23.8%U.S.: 8.4%
38.2%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
19.3%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.5% · White 59.2% · Black 2.6% · Asian 0.5% · Other or more than one race 32.3% (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 Swain County
2.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.3%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
164people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
6,330people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
6,494in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
2.5%
164
6,330
6,494
August 2026
2.9%
192
6,344
6,536
July 2026
3.1%
204
6,277
6,481
June 2026
2.9%
189
6,298
6,487
May 2026
3.0%
194
6,244
6,438
April 2026
3.0%
190
6,101
6,291
March 2026
3.4%
215
6,031
6,246
February 2026
4.1%
249
5,837
6,086
January 2026
4.4%
261
5,738
5,999
December 2025
3.1%
191
6,025
6,216
November 2025
3.4%
215
6,021
6,236
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.3%
208
6,124
6,332
August 2025
3.6%
236
6,390
6,626
July 2025
3.5%
234
6,385
6,619
June 2025
3.4%
221
6,318
6,539
May 2025
3.6%
230
6,191
6,421
April 2025
3.5%
216
6,036
6,252
March 2025
4.2%
262
5,903
6,165
February 2025
4.6%
277
5,721
5,998
January 2025
4.7%
283
5,762
6,045
December 2024
3.3%
205
5,970
6,175
November 2024
3.8%
234
5,976
6,210
October 2024
3.4%
215
6,185
6,400
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.7%
234
6,080
6,314
2024
3.5%
225
6,272
6,497
2023
3.3%
209
6,052
6,261
2022
3.7%
235
6,051
6,286
2021
5.1%
312
5,752
6,064
2020
9.5%
567
5,411
5,978
2019
4.5%
275
5,896
6,171
2018
4.9%
299
5,744
6,043
2017
5.7%
345
5,686
6,031
2016
7.0%
428
5,692
6,120
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 Swain County
236.5 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 379.2.
910.1 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 1,978.3.
0murders2024, 33 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
33
236.5
127
910.1
2022
47
329.6
170
1,192.3
2021
34
243.2
315
2,253.2
2020
47
328.6
333
2,328.3
2019
38
266.3
280
1,962.6
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Swain County Sheriff's Office
2024
24
103
12,459
Bryson City Police Department
2025
6
19
1,513
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
2.73 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 13,900 people.
38sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
19civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Swain County Sheriff's Office
31
18
12,387
Bryson City Police Department
7
1
1,513
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
38
2.73
19
2
2024
33
2.36
13
2
2023
35
2.52
13
2
2022
37
2.60
12
2
2021
37
2.65
17
2
2020
36
2.52
23
2
2019
33
2.31
21
2
2018
36
2.51
21
2
2017
35
2.42
20
2
2016
35
2.41
21
2
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 Swain County Clerk of Superior Court?
Misti Watson Jones (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Swain County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Swain County Register of Deeds?
Diana Williamson Kirkland (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Swain County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Swain County Sheriff?
Curtis A. Cochran (Republican) is the Sheriff of Swain County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Swain County commissioners?
Kevin Seagle (Chair, Board of Commissioners); Phillip Carson (Members); David Loftis (Members); Tanner Lawson (Members); Bobby Jenkins (Members).
Who is on the Swain County School Board?
R.L Taylor (Board of Education Member); Lisa Stoltzfus Loftis (Board of Education Member); Cody White (Board of Education Member); Mitchell Carson (Board of Education Member); Casey Davis (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of Swain County?
About 14,013 people, with a median age of 42.6; the median household income is $52,349 and 19.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Swain County?
2.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 164 people unemployed in a labor force of 6,494, against 3.3% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Swain County?
4 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 municipal and 2 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Swain County?
1: Bryson City. 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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