Mercer County, NJ elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Mercer County: 16 seats on 14 elected bodies. 1 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Mercer County Board of County Commissioners

Every member is elected countywide.

OfficeWho holds it now
County CommissionerKristin L. McLaughlin Democratic source
County CommissionerSamuel Frisby Democratic source
County CommissionerTerrance Stokes Democratic source

County officers

OfficeWho holds it now
County ClerkPaula Sollami-Covello source

Cities and towns

How many local governments Mercer County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 28 local governments in Mercer County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of governmentCensus count (2022)Listed on this page
County government11
Cities, towns, villages and townships (5 municipal, 7 township)1212
School districts (school boards)80
Special districts (elected boards)70

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 (4 in Mercer 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 Mercer County

385,864people
39.5median ageU.S.: 38.9
$100,645 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
10.3%below the U.S.: 12.5%
45.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$377,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700
6.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
27%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
3.4%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
7.9%U.S.: 8.4%
50.1%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
28.2%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 23.1% · White 42.7% · Black 17.9% · Asian 12.3% · Other or more than one race 3.9% (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 Mercer County

4.2%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 5.9%. New Jersey: 4.1%.
8,313people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
189,148people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
197,461in the September 2026, preliminary.
Unemployment rate, yearly average, Mercer County 0.0%2.1%4.2%6.3%8.4% 20162018202020222024

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years
MonthRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
September 2026 (preliminary)4.2%8,313189,148197,461
August 20264.9%9,829189,507199,336
July 20264.8%9,648190,063199,711
June 20264.6%9,090189,369198,459
May 20264.3%8,470188,932197,402
April 20264.1%8,051189,166197,217
March 20264.6%9,167188,377197,544
February 20265.1%10,123186,764196,887
January 20264.8%9,440186,859196,299
December 20254.5%8,807188,689197,496
November 20254.7%9,320189,475198,795
October 2025not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 20255.9%11,601185,583197,184
August 20256.0%11,994186,465198,459
July 20256.2%12,338187,311199,649
June 20255.6%11,110188,306199,416
May 20255.0%9,922186,964196,886
April 20254.8%9,549188,984198,533
March 20255.2%10,181187,270197,451
February 20255.2%10,277187,366197,643
January 20255.0%9,923186,835196,758
December 20244.4%8,584188,438197,022
November 20244.4%8,753188,217196,970
October 20244.4%8,683188,300196,983
Yearly averages
YearRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
2025 (11 months)5.3%10,457187,568198,025
20244.6%9,064189,022198,086
20234.2%8,382189,749198,131
20223.7%7,219187,786195,005
20216.1%11,756181,026192,782
20208.0%15,309176,707192,016
20193.4%6,547184,919191,466
20183.8%7,236180,758187,994
20174.4%8,124178,235186,359
20164.7%8,786178,144186,930

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. New Jersey's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.2% 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 Mercer County

331.1 per 100,0002024. New Jersey: 219.7.
1,789.1 per 100,0002024. New Jersey: 1,435.6.
20murders2024, 1,286 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
YearViolentRatePropertyRate
20241,286331.16,9491,789.1
20231,316347.06,6241,746.8
20221,311340.35,9821,552.6
20201,267345.24,7611,297.3
20191,215329.85,2291,419.4
20181,239334.56,3201,706.1
20171,369367.06,5591,758.1
20161,468396.56,1591,663.6
By police agency (12)
AgencyYearViolentPropertyPeople served
Hamilton Township Police Department, Mercer County20251511,86594,259
Trenton Police Department20257372,19591,236
Ewing Township Police Department20256170035,484
West Windsor Township Police Department20251743432,916
Lawrence Township Police Department, Mercer County20251143032,186
Princeton Police Department20251317731,613
East Windsor Township Police Department20252017730,520
Hopewell Township Police Department20251110818,013
Robbinsville Township Police Department2025118816,032
Hightstown Police Department20253325,994
Pennington Police Department20242152,917
Hopewell Police Department2024181,933

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 New Jersey · the U.S.

Police staffing

2.10 per 1,000 residents2025, 12 agencies serving 393,131 people.
824sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
200civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (12), 2025
AgencyOfficersCiviliansPeople served
Trenton Police Department2396591,236
Hamilton Township Police Department, Mercer County1733294,259
Ewing Township Police Department822435,484
Lawrence Township Police Department, Mercer County611532,186
Princeton Police Department541531,613
West Windsor Township Police Department531332,916
East Windsor Township Police Department45630,520
Hopewell Police Department36141,945
Hopewell Township Police Department32918,013
Robbinsville Township Police Department30616,032
Hightstown Police Department1315,994
Pennington Police Department602,933
Earlier years
YearOfficersPer 1,000CiviliansAgencies
20258242.1020012
20248242.1220112
20238562.2620712
20217942.0716012
20207802.1316812
20198162.2217012
20188182.2117712

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 Mercer County County Clerk?
Paula Sollami-Covello is the County Clerk of Mercer County, New Jersey.
Who are the Mercer County commissioners?
Kristin L. McLaughlin (County Commissioner); Samuel Frisby (County Commissioner); Terrance Stokes (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Mercer County?
About 385,864 people, with a median age of 39.5; the median household income is $100,645 and 10.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Mercer County?
4.2% in September 2026 (preliminary): 8,313 people unemployed in a labor force of 197,461, against 5.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Mercer County?
28 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 5 municipal, 7 township, 8 school district and 7 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Mercer County?
12: East Windsor, Ewing, Hamilton, Hightstown, Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township, Lawrence, Pennington, Princeton, Robbinsville, Trenton, West Windsor. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the NJ Department of Community Affairs' Mayors Directory, the Division of Elections' list of county clerks, and each county's own website; where a county site blocks automated reading, from the county clerk's certified election results (officials appointed since an election 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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