Lewis County, WV elected officials: the county commission, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Lewis County: 6 seats on 5 elected bodies.

County officers

OfficeWho holds it now
AssessorJohn L. Breen Republican source
Circuit ClerkBeth Burkhart Republican source
Prosecuting AttorneyChristina C. Flanigan Republican source
SheriffMickey E. Metz Republican source

School Board

Lewis County Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

OfficeWho holds it now
Board of Education MemberJames Fealy source
Board of Education MemberJohn White source

How many local governments Lewis County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 7 local governments in Lewis County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of governmentCensus count (2022)Listed on this page
County government10
Cities, towns, villages and townships20
School districts (school boards)11
Special districts (elected boards)30

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, 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 Lewis County

16,740people
43median ageU.S.: 38.9
$56,477 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
16.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%
18.9%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$151,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700
8.6%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
0.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
8.5%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
6.5%U.S.: 8.4%
41.6%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
15.5%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 1.1% · Asian 0.1% · Other or more than one race 7.4% (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 Lewis County

4.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.6%. West Virginia: 3.5%.
271people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
6,321people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
6,592in the September 2026, preliminary.
Unemployment rate, yearly average, Lewis County 0.0%2.8%5.6%8.3%11.1% 20162018202020222024

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years
MonthRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
September 2026 (preliminary)4.1%2716,3216,592
August 20264.7%3106,3016,611
July 20264.1%2736,3306,603
June 20264.4%2956,3486,643
May 20263.7%2466,3446,590
April 20264.5%2976,2636,560
March 20264.7%3016,1206,421
February 20266.2%4036,1266,529
January 20265.4%3496,0696,418
December 20255.1%3266,0516,377
November 20255.2%3376,1136,450
October 2025not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 20254.6%2976,2186,515
August 20255.1%3296,1836,512
July 20254.5%2936,2396,532
June 20254.4%2846,2406,524
May 20253.9%2516,1186,369
April 20254.2%2626,0486,310
March 20254.9%3085,9436,251
February 20255.6%3525,9626,314
January 20255.7%3575,9086,265
December 20244.1%2555,9746,229
November 20244.0%2516,0676,318
October 20243.8%2456,1636,408
Yearly averages
YearRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
2025 (11 months)4.8%3096,0936,402
20244.8%3136,2066,519
20234.6%2996,1876,486
20224.8%3106,1166,426
20216.9%4355,8676,302
202010.6%6795,7266,405
20196.2%4356,5857,020
20185.4%3796,5986,977
20176.5%4436,3476,790
20168.2%5886,5757,163

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. West Virginia's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.0% 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 Lewis County

152.5 per 100,0002024. West Virginia: 253.2.
329.4 per 100,0002024. West Virginia: 1,135.8.
4murders2024, 25 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
202425152.554329.4
202329174.072431.9
20221059.644262.5
202116101.435221.7
2019744.024150.9
201817105.255340.5
2017743.273450.9
2016318.365397.4
By police agency (2)
AgencyYearViolentPropertyPeople served
Lewis County Sheriff's Office2024162312,669
Weston Police Department20252183,713

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 West Virginia · the U.S.

Police staffing

1.04 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 16,353 people.
17sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
3civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
AgencyOfficersCiviliansPeople served
Lewis County Sheriff's Office13312,640
Weston Police Department403,713
Earlier years
YearOfficersPer 1,000CiviliansAgencies
2025171.0432
2024171.0432
2023191.1462
2022181.0722
2021181.1472
2020181.1442
2019191.1932
2018191.1872
2017221.3632
2016201.2282

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 Lewis County Assessor?
John L. Breen (Republican) is the Assessor of Lewis County, West Virginia.
Who is the Lewis County Circuit Clerk?
Beth Burkhart (Republican) is the Circuit Clerk of Lewis County, West Virginia.
Who is the Lewis County Prosecuting Attorney?
Christina C. Flanigan (Republican) is the Prosecuting Attorney of Lewis County, West Virginia.
Who is the Lewis County Sheriff?
Mickey E. Metz (Republican) is the Sheriff of Lewis County, West Virginia.
Who is on the Lewis County School Board?
James Fealy (Board of Education Member); John White (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of Lewis County?
About 16,740 people, with a median age of 43; the median household income is $56,477 and 16.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Lewis County?
4.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 271 people unemployed in a labor force of 6,592, against 4.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Lewis County?
7 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal, 1 school district and 3 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the West Virginia Secretary of State's County Elected Official Directory (2025) and the official results of the 2020, 2022 and 2024 elections (for terms and party); officials appointed or changed since the directory was updated 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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