Houston County, AL elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Houston County: 16 seats on 7 elected bodies. 8 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 Houston County has
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 27 local governments in Houston 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
12
0
School districts (school boards)
2
1
Special districts (elected boards)
12
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 Houston County
108,140people
40.3median ageU.S.: 38.9
$58,626 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
17.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
23%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$183,300median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.5%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
3.1%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
9.8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
11.2%U.S.: 8.4%
46%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
23.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4.6% · White 63.4% · Black 27.1% · Asian 1.1% · Other or more than one race 3.9% (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 Houston County
3.7%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.9%. Alabama: 3.7%.
47,092people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
48,879in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.7%
1,787
47,092
48,879
August 2026
3.6%
1,744
47,168
48,912
July 2026
3.7%
1,800
47,156
48,956
June 2026
3.9%
1,917
47,224
49,141
May 2026
3.3%
1,640
47,396
49,036
April 2026
2.6%
1,275
47,699
48,974
March 2026
3.0%
1,477
47,763
49,240
February 2026
3.4%
1,648
47,405
49,053
January 2026
3.0%
1,486
47,509
48,995
December 2025
2.3%
1,141
48,519
49,660
November 2025
2.5%
1,256
48,555
49,811
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
2.9%
1,453
48,072
49,525
August 2025
2.9%
1,444
47,865
49,309
July 2025
2.9%
1,414
48,029
49,443
June 2025
3.0%
1,473
48,019
49,492
May 2025
2.4%
1,208
48,142
49,350
April 2025
2.3%
1,158
48,421
49,579
March 2025
3.0%
1,477
47,363
48,840
February 2025
3.2%
1,575
46,977
48,552
January 2025
3.4%
1,659
47,051
48,710
December 2024
3.0%
1,467
47,728
49,195
November 2024
3.0%
1,492
47,816
49,308
October 2024
3.1%
1,522
47,617
49,139
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
2.8%
1,387
47,910
49,297
2024
3.0%
1,480
47,284
48,764
2023
2.5%
1,222
46,834
48,056
2022
2.5%
1,193
46,327
47,520
2021
3.3%
1,560
45,447
47,007
2020
5.9%
2,762
44,330
47,092
2019
3.2%
1,488
45,459
46,947
2018
4.0%
1,839
44,247
46,086
2017
4.4%
2,013
43,399
45,412
2016
5.7%
2,565
42,618
45,183
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 Houston County
135.3 per 100,0002021. Alabama: 348.3.
551.2 per 100,0002021. Alabama: 1,470.8.
3murders2021, 54 violent crimes in all.
2021 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
2021
54
135.3
220
551.2
2018
129
353.7
712
1,952.1
By police agency (7)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Houston County Sheriff's Office
2025
119
384
29,255
Ashford Police Department
2024
2
11
2,357
Kinsey Police Department
2025
1
3
2,280
Webb Police Department
2021
0
0
1,485
Cottonwood Police Department
2024
2
13
1,097
Columbia Police Department
2024
0
5
703
Gordon Police Department
2025
0
3
303
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
2.82 per 1,000 residents2024, 7 agencies serving 37,279 people.
105sworn officers2024, full-time, as of October 31.
97civilian staff2024, full-time.
2024 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.
Agencies counted (7), 2024
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Houston County Sheriff's Office
87
96
29,218
Ashford Police Department
4
1
2,357
Webb Police Department
4
0
1,325
Cottonwood Police Department
3
0
1,097
Kinsey Police Department
3
0
2,281
Gordon Police Department
2
0
298
Columbia Police Department
2
0
703
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2024
105
2.82
97
7
2023
105
2.86
99
7
2022
102
2.82
35
7
2021
96
2.50
93
6
2020
87
2.42
94
6
2018
80
2.28
96
6
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 Houston County Circuit Clerk?
Carla H. Woodall is the Circuit Clerk of Houston County, Alabama.
Who is the Houston County Coroner?
Robert Byrd is the Coroner of Houston County, Alabama. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Houston County Judge of Probate?
Patrick Davenport is the Judge of Probate of Houston County, Alabama.
Who is the Houston County Sheriff?
Donald Valenza is the Sheriff of Houston County, Alabama. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Houston County commissioners?
Brandon Shoupe (Commission Chairman); James Curtis Harvey, Jr. (District 1); Tracy Adams (District 2); Ricky Herring (District 3); James Ivey (District 4).
Who is on the Houston County School Board?
David Hollinger (Board of Education Member, District 1); Scott Long (Board of Education Member, District 2); Tara McCord Singley (Board of Education Member, District 3); Marty Collins (Board of Education Member, District 4); Mark Kelley (Board of Education Member, District 6); Vince Wade (Board of Education Member, District 7); Brandy White (Superintendent of Education).
What is the population of Houston County?
About 108,140 people, with a median age of 40.3; the median household income is $58,626 and 17.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Houston County?
3.7% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,787 people unemployed in a labor force of 48,879, against 2.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Houston County?
27 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 12 municipal, 2 school district and 12 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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