[4] Hjelmeland is known for its fruit (apples, pears, plums, cherries and strawberries) and fish production.

On 1 July 1884, the western islands and the western coast of the mainland (population: 832) were split off from Hjelmeland og Fister to form the new municipality of Fister and the rest of the municipality was renamed simply "Hjelmeland" which now had 2,249 residents.

The official blazon is "Gules, a triple saltire fretty Or" (Norwegian: På raud grunn ein gull Andreaskross, laga med trilling strengar).

This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a set of three interwoven St. Andrew's crosses.

The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used.

They are based on the local tradition of making chairs and other furniture with seats of woven twigs (jærstoler).

Furthermore, there are three sets of crosses to represent the fact that Hjelmeland is made up of three previous municipalities (Hjemeland, Fister, and Årdal) that were merged in 1965.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Hjelmeland is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms.

The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Hjelmeland (incomplete list): The municipality stretches from the mountains bordering the Setesdal valley to the shores of the fjords that connect to the main Boknafjorden.