DeKalb County, AL elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in DeKalb County: 12 seats on 6 elected bodies. 5 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates for each school district's area, matched to its board by name. They're estimates with a , larger for small districts.
How many local governments DeKalb County has
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 35 local governments in DeKalb 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
16
0
School districts (school boards)
2
1
Special districts (elected boards)
16
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 DeKalb County
72,269people
39.5median ageU.S.: 38.9
$51,204 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
22.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%
14.1%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$152,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.1%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
7.8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
5.7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
15.5%U.S.: 8.4%
44.4%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
25.4%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 17.1% · White 77% · Black 1.3% · Asian 0.2% · Other or more than one race 4.4% (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 DeKalb County
3.4%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.6%. Alabama: 3.7%.
31,199people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
32,300in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.4%
1,101
31,199
32,300
August 2026
3.2%
1,020
31,087
32,107
July 2026
3.3%
1,060
31,457
32,517
June 2026
3.6%
1,172
31,552
32,724
May 2026
3.0%
996
32,065
33,061
April 2026
2.2%
725
32,362
33,087
March 2026
2.6%
865
32,097
32,962
February 2026
3.1%
1,014
32,163
33,177
January 2026
2.9%
949
32,159
33,108
December 2025
2.0%
671
33,176
33,847
November 2025
2.3%
790
32,951
33,741
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
2.6%
860
32,426
33,286
August 2025
2.4%
804
32,054
32,858
July 2025
2.6%
872
32,836
33,708
June 2025
2.6%
867
32,390
33,257
May 2025
2.2%
712
32,064
32,776
April 2025
2.1%
692
32,323
33,015
March 2025
2.7%
897
31,915
32,812
February 2025
3.0%
970
31,691
32,661
January 2025
3.0%
977
31,862
32,839
December 2024
2.5%
828
32,273
33,101
November 2024
2.6%
857
32,012
32,869
October 2024
2.6%
866
32,149
33,015
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
2.5%
828
32,335
33,163
2024
2.6%
852
31,711
32,563
2023
2.2%
686
30,962
31,648
2022
2.2%
695
30,747
31,442
2021
2.5%
774
30,603
31,377
2020
4.8%
1,526
30,056
31,582
2019
2.9%
919
31,042
31,961
2018
3.7%
1,141
29,871
31,012
2017
4.5%
1,353
29,048
30,401
2016
5.8%
1,755
28,272
30,027
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. Alabama's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.5% 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 DeKalb County
112.4 per 100,0002023. Alabama: 417.2.
688.5 per 100,0002023. Alabama: 1,866.9.
0murders2023, 79 violent crimes in all.
2023 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
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2023
79
112.4
484
688.5
2022
54
76.9
499
710.4
2021
91
127.7
455
638.3
By police agency (12)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
2024
30
172
39,439
Fort Payne Police Department
2025
26
213
15,054
Rainsville Police Department
2024
1
26
5,849
Henagar Police Department
2024
5
20
2,307
Sylvania Police Department
2025
2
14
1,830
Crossville Police Department
2023
1
5
1,826
Fyffe Police Department
2025
2
8
977
Geraldine Police Department
2025
2
8
911
Powell Police Department
2022
2
4
885
Ider Police Department
2023
3
15
733
Valley Head Police Department
2024
0
6
593
Mentone Police Department
2024
0
2
326
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 Alabama · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.88 per 1,000 residents2022, 13 agencies serving 70,245 people.
132sworn officers2022, full-time, as of October 31.
85civilian staff2022, full-time.
2022 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.
Agencies counted (13), 2022
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
44
53
38,969
Fort Payne Police Department
38
20
14,845
Rainsville Police Department
14
4
5,685
Henagar Police Department
7
4
2,293
Ider Police Department
3
4
743
Geraldine Police Department
5
0
910
Crossville Police Department
5
0
1,810
Fyffe Police Department
5
0
963
Powell Police Department
4
0
885
Sylvania Police Department
3
0
1,805
Mentone Police Department
2
0
322
Valley Head Police Department
2
0
585
HAMMONDVILLE
0
0
430
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2022
132
1.88
85
13
2021
116
1.63
70
13
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 DeKalb County Circuit Clerk?
Todd Greeson is the Circuit Clerk of DeKalb County, Alabama.
Who is the DeKalb County Judge of Probate?
Ronnie Osborn is the Judge of Probate of DeKalb County, Alabama.
Who is the DeKalb County Sheriff?
Nicholas Welden is the Sheriff of DeKalb County, Alabama. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the DeKalb County commissioners?
Ricky Harcrow (Commission Chairman); Shane Wootten (District 1); Brent Rhodes (District 2); Ron Saferite (District 3); Lester Black (District 4).
Who is on the DeKalb County School Board?
Randy Peppers (Board of Education Member, District 1); Carol Hiett (Board of Education Member, District 3); Monty Darwin (Board of Education Member, District 4); Wayne Lyles (Superintendent of Education).
What is the population of DeKalb County?
About 72,269 people, with a median age of 39.5; the median household income is $51,204 and 22.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in DeKalb County?
3.4% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,101 people unemployed in a labor force of 32,300, against 2.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in DeKalb County?
35 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 16 municipal, 2 school district and 16 special district governments.
Officeholders as of November 7, 2026, from the Alabama Secretary of State's County Official Lookup, and for the county commission, other county officers and the county board of education, the county's or the county school system's own website (matched to the seat each person won in the SOS's results of its last general election); 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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