Who is the Wood County Assessor?

John Kelly (Republican) is the Assessor of Wood County, West Virginia.

Who is the Wood County Circuit Clerk?

Celeste Ridgway (Republican) is the Circuit Clerk of Wood County, West Virginia.

Who is the Wood County County Clerk?

Joe Gonzales (Republican) is the County Clerk of Wood County, West Virginia.

Who is the Wood County Prosecuting Attorney?

Pat Lefebure (Republican) is the Prosecuting Attorney of Wood County, West Virginia.

Who is the Wood County Sheriff?

Rick Woodyard (Republican) is the Sheriff of Wood County, West Virginia.

Who is the Wood County County Surveyor?

Charles Hughes Jr. (Republican) is the County Surveyor of Wood County, West Virginia.

Who are the Wood County commissioners?

Robert Tebay (C District); James Colombo (County Commissioner); David Blair Couch (County Commissioner).

Who is on the Wood County School Board?

Judy Johnson (Board of Education Member); Ron Tice (Board of Education Member).

What is the population of Wood County?

About 83,407 people, with a median age of 43.9; the median household income is $57,810 and 14.7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Wood County?

3.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,283 people unemployed in a labor force of 35,584, against 4.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Wood County?

17 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal, 1 school district and 11 special district governments.

Wood 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 Wood County: 11 seats on 8 elected bodies. 1 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

County Commission

Wood County Commission

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner, C District	Robert Tebay Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	James Colombo Republican source
County Commissioner	David Blair Couch Republican source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now
Assessor	John Kelly Republican source
Circuit Clerk	Celeste Ridgway Republican source
County Clerk	Joe Gonzales Republican source
Prosecuting Attorney	Pat Lefebure Republican source
Sheriff	Rick Woodyard Republican source
County Surveyor	Charles Hughes Jr. Republican source

School Board

Wood County Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member	Judy Johnson source
Board of Education Member	Ron Tice source

How many local governments Wood County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 17 local governments in Wood 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)	1	1
Special districts (elected boards)	11	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, 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 Wood County

83,407people

43.9median ageU.S.: 38.9

$57,810 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

14.7%below the U.S.: 12.5%

24.1%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$158,500median home valueU.S.: $332,700

5.4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

1%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

8.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

6.2%U.S.: 8.4%

48.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

19%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 1.5% · White 93.6% · Black 1.1% · Asian 0.4% · Other or more than one race 3.3% (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 Wood County

3.6%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.0%. West Virginia: 3.5%.

1,283people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

34,301people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

35,584in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	3.6%	1,283	34,301	35,584
August 2026	4.1%	1,472	34,304	35,776
July 2026	3.9%	1,405	34,596	36,001
June 2026	4.3%	1,529	34,445	35,974
May 2026	3.9%	1,402	34,192	35,594
April 2026	4.6%	1,658	34,044	35,702
March 2026	4.5%	1,566	33,523	35,089
February 2026	5.7%	2,030	33,696	35,726
January 2026	5.8%	2,051	33,548	35,599
December 2025	4.4%	1,580	34,120	35,700
November 2025	4.3%	1,542	34,332	35,874
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	4.0%	1,444	35,045	36,489
August 2025	4.5%	1,627	34,905	36,532
July 2025	4.1%	1,496	35,111	36,607
June 2025	4.2%	1,550	35,378	36,928
May 2025	3.7%	1,353	34,797	36,150
April 2025	3.7%	1,357	35,024	36,381
March 2025	4.5%	1,615	34,308	35,923
February 2025	4.9%	1,766	34,250	36,016
January 2025	4.9%	1,753	34,162	35,915
December 2024	3.5%	1,258	34,932	36,190
November 2024	3.5%	1,256	34,962	36,218
October 2024	3.3%	1,203	35,581	36,784

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.3%	1,553	34,676	36,229
2024	4.1%	1,543	35,644	37,187
2023	4.0%	1,489	35,992	37,481
2022	4.0%	1,490	35,565	37,055
2021	5.2%	1,919	34,825	36,744
2020	8.5%	3,146	33,709	36,855
2019	5.0%	1,882	35,876	37,758
2018	5.2%	1,946	35,509	37,455
2017	5.3%	1,996	35,362	37,358
2016	5.7%	2,121	35,348	37,469

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 Wood County

161.3 per 100,0002025. West Virginia: 241.7.

1,536.5 per 100,0002025. West Virginia: 1,053.3.

4murders2025, 133 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	133	161.3	1,267	1,536.5
2024	144	173.5	1,494	1,800.0
2023	117	140.9	1,562	1,880.4
2022	192	230.8	1,594	1,915.9
2021	192	232.0	1,827	2,208.0
2020	224	269.6	1,944	2,339.6
2019	227	271.9	2,292	2,745.6
2017	376	443.1	2,153	2,537.0
2016	339	395.1	2,135	2,488.1

By police agency (4)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Wood County Sheriff's Office	2025	38	188	40,543
Parkersburg Police Department	2025	77	672	28,628
Vienna Police Department	2025	18	404	10,349
Williamstown Police Department	2023	1	10	2,952

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

1.53 per 1,000 residents2024, 4 agencies serving 83,001 people.

127sworn officers2024, full-time, as of October 31.

41civilian staff2024, full-time.

2024 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.

Agencies counted (4), 2024

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Parkersburg Police Department	63	13	28,815
Wood County Sheriff's Office	35	22	40,846
Vienna Police Department	21	5	10,397
Williamstown Police Department	8	1	2,943

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2024	127	1.53	41	4
2023	128	1.54	40	4
2022	127	1.53	41	4
2021	130	1.57	38	4
2020	140	1.68	35	4
2019	130	1.56	42	4
2018	135	1.60	34	4
2017	134	1.58	48	4
2016	169	1.97	28	4

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 Wood County Assessor?: John Kelly (Republican) is the Assessor of Wood County, West Virginia.
Who is the Wood County Circuit Clerk?: Celeste Ridgway (Republican) is the Circuit Clerk of Wood County, West Virginia.
Who is the Wood County County Clerk?: Joe Gonzales (Republican) is the County Clerk of Wood County, West Virginia.
Who is the Wood County Prosecuting Attorney?: Pat Lefebure (Republican) is the Prosecuting Attorney of Wood County, West Virginia.
Who is the Wood County Sheriff?: Rick Woodyard (Republican) is the Sheriff of Wood County, West Virginia.
Who is the Wood County County Surveyor?: Charles Hughes Jr. (Republican) is the County Surveyor of Wood County, West Virginia.
Who are the Wood County commissioners?: Robert Tebay (C District); James Colombo (County Commissioner); David Blair Couch (County Commissioner).
Who is on the Wood County School Board?: Judy Johnson (Board of Education Member); Ron Tice (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of Wood County?: About 83,407 people, with a median age of 43.9; the median household income is $57,810 and 14.7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Wood County?: 3.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,283 people unemployed in a labor force of 35,584, against 4.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Wood County?: 17 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal, 1 school district and 11 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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