Who is the Halifax County Clerk of the Circuit Court?

Cathy M. Cosby is the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Halifax County, Virginia.

Who is the Halifax County Commissioner of the Revenue?

Brenda P. Powell is the Commissioner of the Revenue of Halifax County, Virginia.

Who is the Halifax County Commonwealth's Attorney?

Tracy Quackenbush Martin is the Commonwealth's Attorney of Halifax County, Virginia.

Who is the Halifax County Sheriff?

Fred S. Clark is the Sheriff of Halifax County, Virginia.

Who is the Halifax County Treasurer?

Ruth S. Oakes is the Treasurer of Halifax County, Virginia. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Halifax County commissioners?

Wayne K. Smith (Supervisor, At Large); Maurice A. "Pete" Riddle (Supervisor, District 1); Dennis G. Witt (Supervisor, District 4); Robert L. Smart Jr. (Supervisor, District 5); Keith A. McDowell (Supervisor, District 7); William Bryant Claiborne (Supervisor, District 8); Larry D. Roller (Supervisor, District 2); D. Jeffrey Oakes (Supervisor, District 3); Monte B. Thompson (Supervisor, District 6).

Who is on the Halifax County School Board?

Stacy J. Runion (District 1); Derek C. Mason (District 4); Jimmy D. Clay (District 5); Holly A. Comer (District 7); Walter C. Potts, Jr. (District 8); Roy Keith Lloyd (District 2); Melissa E. Hicks (District 3); Mark A. Gosney (District 6).

What is the population of Halifax County?

About 33,639 people, with a median age of 46.5; the median household income is $52,013 and 17.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Halifax County?

4.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 700 people unemployed in a labor force of 14,517, against 4.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Halifax County?

6 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal and 1 special district governments.

Halifax County, VA elected officials: supervisors or council members, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Halifax County: 22 seats on 7 elected bodies. 1 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of Supervisors (counties) or City Council (cities)

Halifax County Board of Supervisors

Office	Who holds it now
Supervisor, At Large	Wayne K. Smith source
Supervisor, District 1	Maurice A. "Pete" Riddle source
Supervisor, District 4	Dennis G. Witt source
Supervisor, District 5	Robert L. Smart Jr. source
Supervisor, District 7	Keith A. McDowell source
Supervisor, District 8	William Bryant Claiborne source
Supervisor, District 2	Larry D. Roller source
Supervisor, District 3	D. Jeffrey Oakes source
Supervisor, District 6	Monte B. Thompson source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Clerk of the Circuit Court	Cathy M. Cosby source
Commissioner of the Revenue	Brenda P. Powell source
Commonwealth's Attorney	Tracy Quackenbush Martin source
Sheriff	Fred S. Clark source
Treasurer	Ruth S. Oakes source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

School Board

Halifax County School Board

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now
School Board Member, District 1	Stacy J. Runion source
School Board Member, District 4	Derek C. Mason source
School Board Member, District 5	Jimmy D. Clay source
School Board Member, District 7	Holly A. Comer source
School Board Member, District 8	Walter C. Potts, Jr. source
School Board Member, District 2	Roy Keith Lloyd source
School Board Member, District 3	Melissa E. Hicks source
School Board Member, District 6	Mark A. Gosney source

Official website

How many local governments Halifax County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 6 local governments in Halifax 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	4	0
School districts (school boards)	0	1
Special districts (elected boards)	1	0

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 Halifax 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 Halifax County

33,639people

46.5median ageU.S.: 38.9

$52,013 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

17.3%below the U.S.: 12.5%

19.7%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$155,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700

4.2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

1.6%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

8.2%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

6.8%U.S.: 8.4%

50.4%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

35.3%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 2.6% · White 59.4% · Black 34.3% · Asian 0.6% · Other or more than one race 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 Halifax County

4.8%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.8%. Virginia: 3.6%.

700people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

13,817people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

14,517in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	4.8%	700	13,817	14,517
August 2026	4.8%	691	13,615	14,306
July 2026	5.4%	780	13,664	14,444
June 2026	5.1%	738	13,747	14,485
May 2026	4.6%	665	13,846	14,511
April 2026	4.6%	673	13,900	14,573
March 2026	5.1%	743	13,840	14,583
February 2026	5.2%	753	13,756	14,509
January 2026	5.5%	798	13,646	14,444
December 2025	4.8%	683	13,572	14,255
November 2025	5.3%	757	13,587	14,344
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	4.8%	687	13,776	14,463
August 2025	5.3%	765	13,702	14,467
July 2025	5.3%	763	13,644	14,407
June 2025	4.7%	688	13,806	14,494
May 2025	4.5%	655	13,816	14,471
April 2025	4.0%	588	14,032	14,620
March 2025	4.3%	632	13,983	14,615
February 2025	4.4%	624	13,654	14,278
January 2025	4.4%	633	13,705	14,338
December 2024	3.8%	548	13,779	14,327
November 2024	4.2%	606	13,763	14,369
October 2024	4.1%	601	14,093	14,694

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.7%	680	13,752	14,432
2024	4.3%	625	14,001	14,626
2023	3.8%	574	14,408	14,982
2022	3.8%	556	14,113	14,669
2021	4.9%	704	13,572	14,276
2020	7.6%	1,099	13,295	14,394
2019	4.1%	605	14,265	14,870
2018	4.3%	623	13,876	14,499
2017	5.0%	749	14,138	14,887
2016	5.7%	859	14,282	15,141

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. Virginia's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.6% 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 Halifax County

179.5 per 100,0002025. Virginia: 205.9.

712.2 per 100,0002025. Virginia: 1,353.5.

0murders2025, 60 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	60	179.5	238	712.2
2023	59	175.9	354	1,055.6
2022	64	190.0	348	1,032.9
2021	67	200.9	339	1,016.6
2020	50	148.6	470	1,397.3
2019	75	222.7	573	1,701.5
2018	78	227.7	548	1,599.9
2017	75	215.8	593	1,706.0
2016	74	213.1	621	1,788.1

By police agency (3)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Halifax County Sheriff's Office	2025	23	99	24,574
South Boston Police Department	2025	36	130	7,758
Halifax Police Department	2025	1	9	1,085

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 Virginia · the U.S.

Police staffing

2.30 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 33,417 people.

77sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

7civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (3), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Halifax County Sheriff's Office	46	3	24,574
South Boston Police Department	25	4	7,758
Halifax Police Department	6	0	1,085

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	77	2.30	7	3
2023	63	1.88	5	3
2022	67	1.99	5	3
2021	73	2.19	5	3
2020	74	2.20	5	3
2019	70	2.08	6	3
2018	64	1.87	10	3
2017	62	1.78	10	3
2016	64	1.84	10	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 Halifax County Clerk of the Circuit Court?: Cathy M. Cosby is the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Halifax County, Virginia.
Who is the Halifax County Commissioner of the Revenue?: Brenda P. Powell is the Commissioner of the Revenue of Halifax County, Virginia.
Who is the Halifax County Commonwealth's Attorney?: Tracy Quackenbush Martin is the Commonwealth's Attorney of Halifax County, Virginia.
Who is the Halifax County Sheriff?: Fred S. Clark is the Sheriff of Halifax County, Virginia.
Who is the Halifax County Treasurer?: Ruth S. Oakes is the Treasurer of Halifax County, Virginia. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Halifax County commissioners?: Wayne K. Smith (Supervisor, At Large); Maurice A. "Pete" Riddle (Supervisor, District 1); Dennis G. Witt (Supervisor, District 4); Robert L. Smart Jr. (Supervisor, District 5); Keith A. McDowell (Supervisor, District 7); William Bryant Claiborne (Supervisor, District 8); Larry D. Roller (Supervisor, District 2); D. Jeffrey Oakes (Supervisor, District 3); Monte B. Thompson (Supervisor, District 6).
Who is on the Halifax County School Board?: Stacy J. Runion (District 1); Derek C. Mason (District 4); Jimmy D. Clay (District 5); Holly A. Comer (District 7); Walter C. Potts, Jr. (District 8); Roy Keith Lloyd (District 2); Melissa E. Hicks (District 3); Mark A. Gosney (District 6).
What is the population of Halifax County?: About 33,639 people, with a median age of 46.5; the median household income is $52,013 and 17.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Halifax County?: 4.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 700 people unemployed in a labor force of 14,517, against 4.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Halifax County?: 6 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal and 1 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Virginia Department of Elections' certified results (its Historical Elections Database) of each seat's last election; officials appointed or resigned 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.

Halifax County's 2026 ballot and results · Every Virginia county + independent city · Virginia's members of Congress

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