Who is the Wise County Clerk of the Circuit Court (shared by Norton City and Wise County)?

Dezarah Jessee Hall is the Clerk of the Circuit Court (shared by Norton City and Wise County) of Wise County, Virginia.

Who is the Wise County Commissioner of the Revenue?

Douglas Mullins, Jr. is the Commissioner of the Revenue of Wise County, Virginia.

Who is the Wise County Commonwealth's Attorney (shared by Norton City and Wise County)?

M. Brett Hall is the Commonwealth's Attorney (shared by Norton City and Wise County) of Wise County, Virginia.

Who is the Wise County Sheriff (shared by Norton City and Wise County)?

E. Grant Kilgore is the Sheriff (shared by Norton City and Wise County) of Wise County, Virginia.

Who is the Wise County Treasurer?

Delores W. Smith is the Treasurer of Wise County, Virginia.

Who are the Wise County commissioners?

Randy D. Carter (Supervisor, District 1); Robert R. "Bob" Adkins (Supervisor, District 2); John T. Schoolcraft (Supervisor, District 3); J. Tim Boardwine (Supervisor, District 4).

Who is on the Wise County School Board?

Justin L. Bevins (District 1); Mary Dora Smith (District 2); Stephanie M. Kern (District 3); Angela D. Owens (District 4).

What is the population of Wise County?

About 35,448 people, with a median age of 41.8; the median household income is $52,943 and 17.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Wise County?

4.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 641 people unemployed in a labor force of 13,214, against 4.1% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Wise County?

12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal and 5 special district governments.

Wise 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 Wise County: 13 seats on 7 elected bodies.

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

Wise County Board of Supervisors

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now
Supervisor, District 1	Randy D. Carter source
Supervisor, District 2	Robert R. "Bob" Adkins source
Supervisor, District 3	John T. Schoolcraft source
Supervisor, District 4	J. Tim Boardwine source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now
Clerk of the Circuit Court (shared by Norton City and Wise County)	Dezarah Jessee Hall source
Commissioner of the Revenue	Douglas Mullins, Jr. source
Commonwealth's Attorney (shared by Norton City and Wise County)	M. Brett Hall source
Sheriff (shared by Norton City and Wise County)	E. Grant Kilgore source
Treasurer	Delores W. Smith source

School Board

Wise County School Board

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now
School Board Member, District 1	Justin L. Bevins source
School Board Member, District 2	Mary Dora Smith source
School Board Member, District 3	Stephanie M. Kern source
School Board Member, District 4	Angela D. Owens source

Official website

How many local governments Wise County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 12 local governments in Wise 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	6	0
School districts (school boards)	0	1
Special districts (elected boards)	5	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 Wise 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 Wise County

35,448people

41.8median ageU.S.: 38.9

$52,943 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

17.2%below the U.S.: 12.5%

15.8%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$118,600median home valueU.S.: $332,700

8.2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

1.5%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

6.5%U.S.: 8.4%

35.3%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

28.9%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 1.4% · White 90% · Black 4.7% · Asian 0.3% · 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 Wise County

4.9%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.1%. Virginia: 3.6%.

641people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

12,573people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

13,214in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	4.9%	641	12,573	13,214
August 2026	4.9%	634	12,176	12,810
July 2026	5.1%	642	11,934	12,576
June 2026	5.0%	654	12,433	13,087
May 2026	4.5%	597	12,568	13,165
April 2026	4.3%	566	12,706	13,272
March 2026	4.7%	634	12,739	13,373
February 2026	4.9%	651	12,709	13,360
January 2026	4.8%	628	12,401	13,029
December 2025	4.3%	570	12,663	13,233
November 2025	4.8%	645	12,668	13,313
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	4.1%	544	12,633	13,177
August 2025	4.6%	594	12,192	12,786
July 2025	4.8%	603	11,847	12,450
June 2025	4.5%	586	12,494	13,080
May 2025	4.2%	551	12,505	13,056
April 2025	3.9%	511	12,603	13,114
March 2025	4.4%	578	12,595	13,173
February 2025	4.6%	597	12,474	13,071
January 2025	4.7%	592	12,086	12,678
December 2024	3.6%	480	12,674	13,154
November 2024	4.1%	547	12,703	13,250
October 2024	4.0%	533	12,779	13,312

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.4%	579	12,433	13,012
2024	3.9%	512	12,574	13,086
2023	3.6%	476	12,756	13,232
2022	3.6%	471	12,751	13,222
2021	5.0%	643	12,331	12,974
2020	7.6%	1,008	12,244	13,252
2019	4.4%	594	12,939	13,533
2018	4.8%	643	12,717	13,360
2017	6.1%	831	12,801	13,632
2016	7.9%	1,095	12,774	13,869

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 Wise County

160.6 per 100,0002025. Virginia: 205.9.

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

1murders2025, 57 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	57	160.6	239	673.5
2024	53	147.8	366	1,020.8
2023	79	220.4	402	1,121.6
2021	54	140.2	513	1,332.3
2020	79	209.2	453	1,199.5
2018	64	171.2	420	1,123.2
2017	67	175.9	553	1,451.9
2016	75	195.2	534	1,390.1

By police agency (5)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Wise County Sheriff's Office	2024	43	173	24,164
Big Stone Gap Police Department	2025	7	63	5,049
Wise Police Department	2025	5	44	2,844
Coeburn Police Department	2025	6	29	1,544
Pound Police Department	2025	0	2	833

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

2.93 per 1,000 residents2025, 5 agencies serving 34,126 people.

100sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

19civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (5), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Wise County Sheriff's Office	65	16	23,856
Big Stone Gap Police Department	13	1	5,049
Wise Police Department	13	1	2,844
Coeburn Police Department	6	0	1,544
Pound Police Department	3	1	833

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	100	2.93	19	5
2024	96	2.78	21	5
2021	85	2.35	19	4
2020	90	2.48	19	5
2019	90	2.45	19	6
2018	89	2.38	21	6
2017	91	2.39	18	6
2016	92	2.39	18	6

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 Wise County Clerk of the Circuit Court (shared by Norton City and Wise County)?: Dezarah Jessee Hall is the Clerk of the Circuit Court (shared by Norton City and Wise County) of Wise County, Virginia.
Who is the Wise County Commissioner of the Revenue?: Douglas Mullins, Jr. is the Commissioner of the Revenue of Wise County, Virginia.
Who is the Wise County Commonwealth's Attorney (shared by Norton City and Wise County)?: M. Brett Hall is the Commonwealth's Attorney (shared by Norton City and Wise County) of Wise County, Virginia.
Who is the Wise County Sheriff (shared by Norton City and Wise County)?: E. Grant Kilgore is the Sheriff (shared by Norton City and Wise County) of Wise County, Virginia.
Who is the Wise County Treasurer?: Delores W. Smith is the Treasurer of Wise County, Virginia.
Who are the Wise County commissioners?: Randy D. Carter (Supervisor, District 1); Robert R. "Bob" Adkins (Supervisor, District 2); John T. Schoolcraft (Supervisor, District 3); J. Tim Boardwine (Supervisor, District 4).
Who is on the Wise County School Board?: Justin L. Bevins (District 1); Mary Dora Smith (District 2); Stephanie M. Kern (District 3); Angela D. Owens (District 4).
What is the population of Wise County?: About 35,448 people, with a median age of 41.8; the median household income is $52,943 and 17.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Wise County?: 4.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 641 people unemployed in a labor force of 13,214, against 4.1% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Wise County?: 12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal and 5 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.

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

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