Mercer 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 Mercer County: 9 seats on 6 elected bodies. 1 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

County Commission

Mercer County Commission

Every member is elected countywide.

OfficeWho holds it nowNext term
County CommissionerGreg Puckett Republican sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County CommissionerWilliam(Bill) Archer Republican source
County CommissionerBrian Blankenship Republican source

County officers

OfficeWho holds it now
AssessorTommy Bailey Republican source
Circuit ClerkJulie Ball Republican source
County ClerkVerlin Moye Republican source
SheriffAlan Christian Republican source

School Board

Mercer County Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

OfficeWho holds it now
Board of Education MemberJim Bailey source
Board of Education MemberPaul Hodges source

How many local governments Mercer County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 16 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 townships60
School districts (school boards)11
Special districts (elected boards)80

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 Mercer County

58,563people
43.5median ageU.S.: 38.9
$53,210 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
16.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
22.9%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$121,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700
2.7%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
0.6%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
7.4%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
4.9%U.S.: 8.4%
51%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
16.6%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 1.3% · White 88.6% · Black 4.1% · Asian 0.2% · Other or more than one race 5.8% (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

3.7%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.3%. West Virginia: 3.5%.
844people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
22,026people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
22,870in the September 2026, preliminary.
Unemployment rate, yearly average, Mercer County 0.0%2.2%4.4%6.6%8.8% 20162018202020222024

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years
MonthRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
September 2026 (preliminary)3.7%84422,02622,870
August 20264.3%96621,66822,634
July 20264.3%98221,60222,584
June 20264.8%1,09021,71422,804
May 20263.9%87721,64522,522
April 20264.2%96121,78422,745
March 20264.3%96121,48822,449
February 20265.5%1,25621,61422,870
January 20264.9%1,10221,47722,579
December 20254.6%1,05521,64822,703
November 20254.6%1,04421,79722,841
October 2025not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 20254.3%99222,09223,084
August 20254.8%1,09121,80322,894
July 20254.4%1,00021,82622,826
June 20254.6%1,08022,34223,422
May 20253.9%90122,14223,043
April 20253.7%86422,44423,308
March 20254.4%1,02522,08823,113
February 20254.5%1,04121,94122,982
January 20254.3%98321,92322,906
December 20243.4%79022,25223,042
November 20243.5%81122,35523,166
October 20243.4%79522,67023,465
Yearly averages
YearRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
2025 (11 months)4.4%1,00722,00423,011
20244.1%95522,30023,255
20233.9%89822,22423,122
20224.0%91321,74122,654
20215.5%1,23921,27022,509
20208.4%1,91920,91222,831
20195.2%1,20322,06823,271
20185.6%1,31122,28723,598
20175.3%1,25822,59223,850
20165.9%1,46023,15424,614

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.

Police in Mercer County

Police staffing

1.26 per 1,000 residents2025, 4 agencies serving 57,069 people.
72sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
16civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (4), 2025
AgencyOfficersCiviliansPeople served
Mercer County Sheriff's Office30842,323
Bluefield Police Department2569,048
Princeton Police Department1725,531
Matoaka Police Department00167
Earlier years
YearOfficersPer 1,000CiviliansAgencies
2025721.26164
2024721.25264
2022761.29146
2021781.34216
2020811.39146
2019811.39206
2016801.32216

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 Assessor?
Tommy Bailey (Republican) is the Assessor of Mercer County, West Virginia.
Who is the Mercer County Circuit Clerk?
Julie Ball (Republican) is the Circuit Clerk of Mercer County, West Virginia.
Who is the Mercer County County Clerk?
Verlin Moye (Republican) is the County Clerk of Mercer County, West Virginia.
Who is the Mercer County Sheriff?
Alan Christian (Republican) is the Sheriff of Mercer County, West Virginia.
Who are the Mercer County commissioners?
Greg Puckett (County Commissioner); William(Bill) Archer (County Commissioner); Brian Blankenship (County Commissioner).
Who is on the Mercer County School Board?
Jim Bailey (Board of Education Member); Paul Hodges (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of Mercer County?
About 58,563 people, with a median age of 43.5; the median household income is $53,210 and 16.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Mercer County?
3.7% in September 2026 (preliminary): 844 people unemployed in a labor force of 22,870, against 4.3% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Mercer County?
16 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal, 1 school district and 8 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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