Wake County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Wake County: 72 seats on 14 elected bodies. 20 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
Board of County Commissioners
Wake County Board of Commissioners
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 22 local governments in Wake 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
12
8
School districts (school boards)
0
1
Special districts (elected boards)
9
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 Wake 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 Wake County
1,178,653people
37.3median ageU.S.: 38.9
$105,768 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
8.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%
57.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$461,300median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.1%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
15.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
5.6%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
7.5%U.S.: 8.4%
48.3%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
20.4%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 11.6% · White 56.2% · Black 18.5% · Asian 8.5% · 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 Wake County
2.8%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.1%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
679,134people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
698,382in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
2.8%
19,248
679,134
698,382
August 2026
3.1%
21,832
671,752
693,584
July 2026
3.2%
22,327
673,161
695,488
June 2026
3.1%
21,159
671,155
692,314
May 2026
3.0%
21,024
671,445
692,469
April 2026
3.0%
20,696
672,724
693,420
March 2026
3.0%
21,138
674,265
695,403
February 2026
3.3%
23,060
671,739
694,799
January 2026
3.5%
24,160
667,148
691,308
December 2025
2.9%
20,295
673,335
693,630
November 2025
3.3%
22,765
672,600
695,365
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.1%
21,892
673,224
695,116
August 2025
3.5%
24,549
667,344
691,893
July 2025
3.4%
24,256
680,950
705,206
June 2025
3.4%
23,418
668,362
691,780
May 2025
3.2%
21,902
668,021
689,923
April 2025
2.9%
20,070
668,001
688,071
March 2025
3.2%
21,926
664,711
686,637
February 2025
3.2%
22,116
661,498
683,614
January 2025
3.2%
22,252
663,655
685,907
December 2024
2.9%
19,626
659,724
679,350
November 2024
3.1%
21,432
660,816
682,248
October 2024
2.9%
19,555
664,918
684,473
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.2%
22,313
669,246
691,559
2024
3.2%
21,619
661,004
682,623
2023
3.0%
20,305
651,562
671,867
2022
3.1%
19,975
632,554
652,529
2021
4.0%
24,284
587,934
612,218
2020
6.3%
36,654
549,767
586,421
2019
3.3%
19,982
581,711
601,693
2018
3.4%
20,092
569,507
589,599
2017
3.9%
22,265
555,182
577,447
2016
4.2%
23,663
536,295
559,958
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 Wake County
148.1 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 379.2.
1,119.5 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 1,978.3.
5murders2024, 583 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
583
148.1
4,408
1,119.5
2023
619
162.7
4,542
1,193.6
2022
560
147.4
4,164
1,095.7
2021
536
159.5
3,899
1,160.2
2020
508
147.2
3,704
1,073.1
2019
439
128.9
3,830
1,124.7
2018
364
109.1
3,582
1,073.9
2017
367
112.6
4,116
1,262.7
2016
383
121.3
4,303
1,362.7
By police agency (8)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Wake County Sheriff's Office
2025
254
987
193,737
Fuquay-Varina Police Department
2025
37
228
49,846
Holly Springs Police Department
2024
41
352
47,959
Garner Police Department
2025
173
1,290
41,639
Knightdale Police Department
2025
46
511
22,474
Wendell Police Department
2025
18
192
19,206
Rolesville Police Department
2025
10
40
12,459
Zebulon Police Department
2025
44
253
11,612
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
1.75 per 1,000 residents2025, 8 agencies serving 401,610 people.
702sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
520civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (8), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Wake County Sheriff's Office
354
465
193,737
Holly Springs Police Department
82
20
50,637
Garner Police Department
74
11
41,639
Fuquay-Varina Police Department
70
10
49,846
Knightdale Police Department
45
4
22,474
Wendell Police Department
27
3
19,206
Zebulon Police Department
25
5
11,612
Rolesville Police Department
25
2
12,459
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
702
1.75
520
8
2024
705
1.79
517
8
2023
674
1.77
523
8
2022
631
1.66
504
8
2021
609
1.81
547
8
2020
643
1.86
591
8
2019
629
1.85
593
8
2018
623
1.87
652
8
2017
609
1.87
610
8
2016
607
1.92
619
8
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 Wake County Clerk of Superior Court?
Blair Williams (Democratic) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Wake County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Wake County Register of Deeds?
Tammy L. Brunner (Democratic) is the Register of Deeds of Wake County, North Carolina.
Who is the Wake County Sheriff?
Willie Rowe (Democratic) is the Sheriff of Wake County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Wake County commissioners?
Donald Mial (District 1); Matt Calabria (District 2); Cheryl F. Stallings (District 3); Susan P. Evans (District 4); Tara Waters (District 5); Shinica Thomas (District 6); Vickie Adamson (District 7).
Who is on the Wake County School Board?
Cheryl Caulfield (Board of Education Member, District 1); Monika Johnson-Hostler (Board of Education Member, District 2); Wing Ng (Board of Education Member, District 3); Toshiba Rice (Board of Education Member, District 4); Lynn Edmonds (Board of Education Member, District 5); Sam Hershey (Board of Education Member, District 6); Chris Heagarty (Board of Education Member, District 7); Lindsay Mahaffey (Board of Education Member, District 8); Tyler Swanson (Board of Education Member, District 9).
What is the population of Wake County?
About 1,178,653 people, with a median age of 37.3; the median household income is $105,768 and 8.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Wake County?
2.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 19,248 people unemployed in a labor force of 698,382, against 3.1% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Wake County?
22 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 12 municipal and 9 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Wake County?
8: Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Holly Springs, Morrisville, Raleigh, Wake Forest. 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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