Wilkes County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Wilkes County: 20 seats on 7 elected bodies. 5 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 6 local governments in Wilkes 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
3
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 (2 in Wilkes 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 Wilkes County
65,935people
45.7median ageU.S.: 38.9
$51,721 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
16.7%below the U.S.: 12.5%
16.9%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$168,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
3.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.1%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
10.5%U.S.: 8.4%
42.9%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
23.6%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 7.5% · White 85.7% · Black 3.6% · Asian 0.6% · Other or more than one race 2.6% (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 Wilkes County
3.2%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.9%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
819people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
24,622people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
25,441in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.2%
819
24,622
25,441
August 2026
3.7%
918
24,012
24,930
July 2026
4.1%
981
23,078
24,059
June 2026
3.7%
917
23,999
24,916
May 2026
3.6%
915
24,391
25,306
April 2026
3.5%
887
24,496
25,383
March 2026
3.5%
908
24,774
25,682
February 2026
3.8%
957
24,461
25,418
January 2026
4.0%
1,013
24,224
25,237
December 2025
3.4%
885
25,024
25,909
November 2025
4.1%
1,059
24,699
25,758
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.9%
991
24,717
25,708
August 2025
4.4%
1,123
24,300
25,423
July 2025
4.4%
1,076
23,633
24,709
June 2025
4.3%
1,076
24,083
25,159
May 2025
3.9%
1,012
24,700
25,712
April 2025
3.6%
920
24,926
25,846
March 2025
3.9%
1,003
24,848
25,851
February 2025
3.9%
994
24,493
25,487
January 2025
4.1%
1,059
24,610
25,669
December 2024
3.4%
884
24,990
25,874
November 2024
3.9%
1,000
24,966
25,966
October 2024
3.5%
920
25,195
26,115
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.0%
1,018
24,548
25,566
2024
3.7%
968
25,337
26,305
2023
3.6%
956
25,462
26,418
2022
3.8%
1,023
25,943
26,966
2021
4.8%
1,275
25,556
26,831
2020
6.8%
1,846
25,396
27,242
2019
3.9%
1,139
27,767
28,906
2018
3.8%
1,117
28,423
29,540
2017
4.2%
1,283
29,023
30,306
2016
4.8%
1,408
28,209
29,617
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 Wilkes County
183.2 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 330.3.
914.4 per 100,0002025. North Carolina: 1,779.9.
1murders2025, 122 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
122
183.2
609
914.4
2024
144
215.3
711
1,063.0
2023
140
211.7
697
1,053.8
2022
159
239.4
877
1,320.3
2021
128
190.4
1,093
1,626.2
2020
167
243.2
1,111
1,618.2
2019
155
225.4
989
1,438.4
2018
186
270.3
1,074
1,560.5
2017
157
227.1
1,182
1,709.5
2016
145
211.1
1,151
1,675.5
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Wilkes County Sheriff's Office
2025
102
357
58,151
North Wilkesboro Police Department
2025
6
89
4,403
Wilkesboro Police Department
2025
14
163
3,607
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
1.83 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 66,161 people.
121sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
75civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Wilkes County Sheriff's Office
76
70
58,151
Wilkesboro Police Department
24
2
3,607
North Wilkesboro Police Department
21
3
4,403
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
121
1.83
75
3
2024
119
1.79
73
3
2023
115
1.75
74
3
2022
122
1.85
65
3
2021
116
1.74
64
3
2020
126
1.85
61
3
2019
123
1.80
63
3
2018
120
1.75
61
3
2017
117
1.70
60
3
2016
116
1.70
59
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 Wilkes County Clerk of Superior Court?
Regina Combs Billings (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Wilkes County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Wilkes County Register of Deeds?
Misty M. Smithey (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Wilkes County, North Carolina.
Who is the Wilkes County Sheriff?
Chris Shew (Republican) is the Sheriff of Wilkes County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Wilkes County commissioners?
Casey Joe Johnson (County Commissioner); Shirley B. Randleman (County Commissioner); Hardin C. Kennedy III (County Commissioner); Evan Handy (County Commissioner).
Who is on the Wilkes County School Board?
Randall (Rudy) Holbrook (Board of Education Member); Jammie Y. Jolly (Board of Education Member); Donna M. Cotton (Board of Education Member); T. Kirk Walker (Board of Education Member); Joan Sheets Caudill (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of Wilkes County?
About 65,935 people, with a median age of 45.7; the median household income is $51,721 and 16.7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Wilkes County?
3.2% in September 2026 (preliminary): 819 people unemployed in a labor force of 25,441, against 3.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Wilkes County?
6 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal and 2 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Wilkes County?
1: Wilkesboro. 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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