Who is the Nelson County Clerk of the Circuit Court?

Lisa Dugan Bryant is the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Nelson County, Virginia.

Who is the Nelson County Commissioner of the Revenue?

Kimberly Taylor Goff is the Commissioner of the Revenue of Nelson County, Virginia.

Who is the Nelson County Commonwealth's Attorney?

Daniel Lee Rutherford is the Commonwealth's Attorney of Nelson County, Virginia.

Who is the Nelson County Sheriff?

Mark E. Embrey is the Sheriff of Nelson County, Virginia.

Who is the Nelson County Treasurer?

Neely T. Hull is the Treasurer of Nelson County, Virginia.

Who are the Nelson County commissioners?

Jessica L. Ligon (Supervisor, South); J. David Parr (Supervisor, West); Ernie Q. Reed (Supervisor, Central); Jesse N. Rutherford (Supervisor, East); A. Cameron Lenahan (Supervisor, North).

Who is on the Nelson County School Board?

Stacia J. "Stacy" Rush (Central); Joseph D. "Joe" Kennedy (East); Ceaser N. Perkins (South); Shannon Rothgeb Powell (West); Joe M. Richardson (North).

What is the population of Nelson County?

About 14,732 people, with a median age of 51.3; the median household income is $72,589 and 12.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Nelson County?

3.4% in September 2026 (preliminary): 243 people unemployed in a labor force of 7,165, against 3.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Nelson County?

1 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county government.

Nelson 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 Nelson County: 15 seats on 7 elected bodies.

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

Nelson County Board of Supervisors

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now
Supervisor, South	Jessica L. Ligon source
Supervisor, West	J. David Parr source
Supervisor, Central	Ernie Q. Reed source
Supervisor, East	Jesse N. Rutherford source
Supervisor, North	A. Cameron Lenahan source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now
Clerk of the Circuit Court	Lisa Dugan Bryant source
Commissioner of the Revenue	Kimberly Taylor Goff source
Commonwealth's Attorney	Daniel Lee Rutherford source
Sheriff	Mark E. Embrey source
Treasurer	Neely T. Hull source

School Board

Nelson County School Board

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now
School Board Member, Central	Stacia J. "Stacy" Rush source
School Board Member, East	Joseph D. "Joe" Kennedy source
School Board Member, South	Ceaser N. Perkins source
School Board Member, West	Shannon Rothgeb Powell source
School Board Member, North	Joe M. Richardson source

Official website

How many local governments Nelson County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 1 local government in Nelson 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	0	0
School districts (school boards)	0	1
Special districts (elected boards)	0	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 Nelson 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 Nelson County

14,732people

51.3median ageU.S.: 38.9

$72,589 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

12.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%

36.3%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$321,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700

3.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

4.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

9.1%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

7.1%U.S.: 8.4%

40.1%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

32.2%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4.8% · White 79.8% · Black 11% · Asian 0.9% · Other or more than one race 3.5% (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 Nelson County

3.4%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.0%. Virginia: 3.6%.

243people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

6,922people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

7,165in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	3.4%	243	6,922	7,165
August 2026	3.2%	223	6,841	7,064
July 2026	3.3%	236	6,815	7,051
June 2026	3.4%	248	6,943	7,191
May 2026	3.1%	221	6,999	7,220
April 2026	3.1%	222	6,942	7,164
March 2026	3.5%	245	6,851	7,096
February 2026	3.7%	259	6,770	7,029
January 2026	3.7%	256	6,728	6,984
December 2025	3.4%	232	6,685	6,917
November 2025	3.9%	271	6,727	6,998
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.0%	208	6,722	6,930
August 2025	3.2%	220	6,760	6,980
July 2025	3.0%	211	6,720	6,931
June 2025	3.3%	233	6,869	7,102
May 2025	3.1%	215	6,832	7,047
April 2025	2.8%	199	6,919	7,118
March 2025	2.9%	209	6,923	7,132
February 2025	3.2%	223	6,787	7,010
January 2025	3.4%	237	6,789	7,026
December 2024	2.7%	188	6,791	6,979
November 2024	3.0%	211	6,838	7,049
October 2024	2.8%	197	6,927	7,124

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.2%	223	6,794	7,017
2024	2.7%	193	6,898	7,091
2023	2.6%	185	6,810	6,995
2022	2.7%	189	6,706	6,895
2021	3.7%	250	6,555	6,805
2020	6.2%	420	6,367	6,787
2019	2.9%	204	6,920	7,124
2018	3.3%	227	6,743	6,970
2017	3.6%	249	6,652	6,901
2016	3.8%	257	6,594	6,851

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 Nelson County

128.3 per 100,0002025. Virginia: 205.9.

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

1murders2025, 19 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	19	128.3	117	789.9
2024	22	148.6	159	1,073.7
2023	38	259.9	132	902.7
2022	25	167.8	189	1,268.5
2021	36	244.6	219	1,488.3
2020	36	241.4	218	1,461.8
2019	26	176.5	166	1,126.6
2018	30	201.3	213	1,429.4
2017	25	168.6	159	1,072.1
2016	24	163.7	158	1,077.6

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Nelson County Sheriff's Office	2025	18	108	14,306
Wintergreen Police Department	2025	1	9	506

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

2.43 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 14,812 people.

36sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

7civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Nelson County Sheriff's Office	25	2	14,306
Wintergreen Police Department	11	5	506

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	36	2.43	7	2
2024	39	2.63	11	2
2023	31	2.12	10	2
2022	30	2.01	8	2
2021	31	2.11	9	2
2020	33	2.21	8	2
2019	23	1.56	5	1
2018	17	1.14	6	1
2017	18	1.21	6	1
2016	18	1.23	4	1

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 Nelson County Clerk of the Circuit Court?: Lisa Dugan Bryant is the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Nelson County, Virginia.
Who is the Nelson County Commissioner of the Revenue?: Kimberly Taylor Goff is the Commissioner of the Revenue of Nelson County, Virginia.
Who is the Nelson County Commonwealth's Attorney?: Daniel Lee Rutherford is the Commonwealth's Attorney of Nelson County, Virginia.
Who is the Nelson County Sheriff?: Mark E. Embrey is the Sheriff of Nelson County, Virginia.
Who is the Nelson County Treasurer?: Neely T. Hull is the Treasurer of Nelson County, Virginia.
Who are the Nelson County commissioners?: Jessica L. Ligon (Supervisor, South); J. David Parr (Supervisor, West); Ernie Q. Reed (Supervisor, Central); Jesse N. Rutherford (Supervisor, East); A. Cameron Lenahan (Supervisor, North).
Who is on the Nelson County School Board?: Stacia J. "Stacy" Rush (Central); Joseph D. "Joe" Kennedy (East); Ceaser N. Perkins (South); Shannon Rothgeb Powell (West); Joe M. Richardson (North).
What is the population of Nelson County?: About 14,732 people, with a median age of 51.3; the median household income is $72,589 and 12.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Nelson County?: 3.4% in September 2026 (preliminary): 243 people unemployed in a labor force of 7,165, against 3.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Nelson County?: 1 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county government.

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.

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

See your members of Congress and every race and measure on your ballot in Nelson County, from your address. Your address stays in your browser.Look up my races

See something wrong on this page? Report a problem · Corrections