Transylvania County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Transylvania County: 21 seats on 7 elected bodies. 7 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
How many local governments Transylvania County has
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 5 local governments in Transylvania 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
2
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 Transylvania 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 Transylvania County
33,691people
51.6median ageU.S.: 38.9
$66,184 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
13.2%below the U.S.: 12.5%
40%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$373,600median home valueU.S.: $332,700
2.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
4.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
9.8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
11.3%U.S.: 8.4%
47.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
30.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.2% · White 87.6% · Black 3.6% · Asian 0.7% · Other or more than one race 2.9% (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 Transylvania County
2.9%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.5%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
406people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
13,787people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
14,193in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
2.9%
406
13,787
14,193
August 2026
3.2%
462
13,836
14,298
July 2026
3.4%
490
13,875
14,365
June 2026
3.3%
467
13,868
14,335
May 2026
3.3%
469
13,689
14,158
April 2026
3.3%
469
13,644
14,113
March 2026
3.3%
470
13,598
14,068
February 2026
3.6%
498
13,409
13,907
January 2026
3.7%
513
13,240
13,753
December 2025
3.2%
448
13,509
13,957
November 2025
3.8%
532
13,573
14,105
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.5%
503
13,807
14,310
August 2025
3.8%
554
13,985
14,539
July 2025
3.5%
517
14,124
14,641
June 2025
3.6%
528
13,995
14,523
May 2025
3.7%
528
13,724
14,252
April 2025
3.5%
492
13,601
14,093
March 2025
3.8%
532
13,480
14,012
February 2025
3.9%
540
13,363
13,903
January 2025
4.1%
573
13,236
13,809
December 2024
3.5%
488
13,345
13,833
November 2024
4.1%
572
13,402
13,974
October 2024
4.2%
600
13,586
14,186
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.7%
522
13,672
14,194
2024
3.5%
505
13,912
14,417
2023
3.3%
473
13,998
14,471
2022
3.5%
501
13,773
14,274
2021
4.3%
581
13,083
13,664
2020
6.2%
828
12,431
13,259
2019
3.7%
518
13,507
14,025
2018
3.9%
525
13,045
13,570
2017
4.4%
589
12,918
13,507
2016
4.9%
654
12,624
13,278
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 Transylvania County
116.6 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 330.3.
553.9 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 1,779.9.
0murders2025, 40 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
40
116.6
190
553.9
2024
37
109.0
224
659.6
2023
54
161.0
320
954.2
2022
39
116.5
298
890.0
2021
44
129.0
275
806.1
2020
49
141.9
343
993.2
2019
55
160.2
440
1,281.3
2018
48
140.8
387
1,135.3
2017
54
160.6
491
1,460.4
2016
40
120.3
515
1,549.1
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Transylvania County Sheriff's Office
2025
33
143
26,290
Brevard Police Department
2024
11
83
7,873
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
2.16 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 34,302 people.
74sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
35civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Transylvania County Sheriff's Office
60
26
26,290
Brevard Police Department
14
9
8,012
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
74
2.16
35
2
2024
82
2.41
29
2
2023
77
2.30
34
2
2022
83
2.48
27
2
2021
85
2.49
22
2
2020
79
2.29
32
2
2019
83
2.42
33
2
2018
85
2.49
30
2
2017
85
2.53
27
2
2016
84
2.53
29
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 Transylvania County Clerk of Superior Court?
Kristi B. Brown (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Transylvania County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Transylvania County Register of Deeds?
Beth Clary Landreth (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Transylvania County, North Carolina.
Who is the Transylvania County Sheriff?
Chuck Owenby (Republican) is the Sheriff of Transylvania County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Transylvania County commissioners?
Chase R. McKelvey (County Commissioner); Teresa K. McCall (County Commissioner); Larry L. Chapman (County Commissioner); Jason Robert Chappell (County Commissioner).
Who is on the Transylvania County School Board?
Tanya Dalton (Board of Education Member); Chris Wiener (Board of Education Member); Ricky R. Lambert (Board of Education Member); Ruth Harris (Board of Education Member); Greg Cochran (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of Transylvania County?
About 33,691 people, with a median age of 51.6; the median household income is $66,184 and 13.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Transylvania County?
2.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 406 people unemployed in a labor force of 14,193, against 3.5% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Transylvania County?
5 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal and 2 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Transylvania County?
1: Brevard. 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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