Who is the Rio Blanco County Assessor?

Renae T. Neilson (Republican) is the Assessor of Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Rio Blanco County Clerk and Recorder?

Shawn Luce (Republican) is the Clerk and Recorder of Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Rio Blanco County Coroner?

Laura Smith (Republican) is the Coroner of Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Rio Blanco County Sheriff?

Anthony Mazzola (Republican) is the Sheriff of Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Rio Blanco County Surveyor?

J. Leif Joy (Republican) is the Surveyor of Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Rio Blanco County Treasurer?

Rhonna Waldref (Republican) is the Treasurer of Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Rio Blanco County commissioners?

Doug Overton (District 1); Jennifer O'Hearon (District 2); Callie Strichfield (District 3).

What is the population of Rio Blanco County?

About 6,544 people, with a median age of 37.8; the median household income is $65,473 and 8.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Rio Blanco County?

4.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 131 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,885, against 3.3% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Rio Blanco County?

23 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal, 2 school district and 18 special district governments.

Rio Blanco County, CO elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Rio Blanco County: 9 seats on 7 elected bodies. 7 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Rio Blanco County Board of Commissioners

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner, District 1	Doug Overton Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 2	Jennifer O'Hearon Republican source
County Commissioner, District 3	Callie Strichfield Republican source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Assessor	Renae T. Neilson Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Clerk and Recorder	Shawn Luce Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Coroner	Laura Smith Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Anthony Mazzola Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Surveyor	J. Leif Joy Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Treasurer	Rhonna Waldref Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Rio Blanco County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 23 local governments in Rio Blanco 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	2	0
School districts (school boards)	2	0
Special districts (elected boards)	18	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 Rio Blanco County

6,544people

37.8median ageU.S.: 38.9

$65,473 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

8.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%

24.7%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$274,400median home valueU.S.: $332,700

2.4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

4.8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

9.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

9.5%U.S.: 8.4%

28.6%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

34.7%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 10.8% · White 82% · Black 0% · Asian 0.7% · Other or more than one race 6.5% (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 Rio Blanco County

4.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.3%. Colorado: 4.4%.

131people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

2,754people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

2,885in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	4.5%	131	2,754	2,885
August 2026	4.6%	128	2,653	2,781
July 2026	4.0%	110	2,662	2,772
June 2026	3.9%	109	2,684	2,793
May 2026	3.4%	97	2,766	2,863
April 2026	3.0%	85	2,737	2,822
March 2026	3.5%	101	2,753	2,854
February 2026	4.0%	115	2,726	2,841
January 2026	4.0%	109	2,629	2,738
December 2025	3.0%	85	2,795	2,880
November 2025	3.2%	92	2,828	2,920
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.3%	98	2,836	2,934
August 2025	3.3%	94	2,726	2,820
July 2025	3.7%	106	2,726	2,832
June 2025	3.7%	108	2,781	2,889
May 2025	3.8%	112	2,820	2,932
April 2025	3.6%	104	2,801	2,905
March 2025	4.3%	125	2,807	2,932
February 2025	4.7%	138	2,786	2,924
January 2025	4.5%	126	2,676	2,802
December 2024	3.6%	106	2,819	2,925
November 2024	4.4%	131	2,832	2,963
October 2024	3.9%	117	2,874	2,991

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.7%	108	2,780	2,888
2024	4.2%	123	2,803	2,926
2023	3.3%	97	2,813	2,910
2022	3.7%	110	2,828	2,938
2021	5.7%	168	2,762	2,930
2020	4.9%	149	2,921	3,070
2019	3.4%	106	3,032	3,138
2018	3.7%	113	2,955	3,068
2017	3.4%	98	2,810	2,908
2016	4.5%	130	2,747	2,877

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. Colorado's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.1% 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 Rio Blanco County

165.6 per 100,0002025. Colorado: 421.7.

918.5 per 100,0002025. Colorado: 2,143.6.

0murders2025, 11 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	11	165.6	61	918.5
2024	11	165.7	37	557.3
2023	4	60.6	50	757.3
2022	5	77.7	27	419.7
2021	20	321.0	47	754.4
2020	7	112.0	29	463.9
2019	8	127.6	31	494.6
2018	5	78.3	29	453.9
2017	6	92.3	56	861.4
2016	6	91.6	51	778.7

By police agency (3)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Meeker Police Department	2025	4	10	2,393
Rangely Police Department	2024	7	23	2,281
Rio Blanco County Sheriff's Office	2025	3	16	1,962

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 Colorado · the U.S.

Police staffing

3.01 per 1,000 residents2024, 3 agencies serving 6,639 people.

20sworn officers2024, full-time, as of October 31.

19civilian staff2024, full-time.

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

Agencies counted (3), 2024

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Rio Blanco County Sheriff's Office	9	9	1,991
Rangely Police Department	5	8	2,281
Meeker Police Department	6	2	2,367

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2024	20	3.01	19	3
2023	19	2.88	17	3
2021	22	3.53	18	3
2020	22	3.52	24	3
2019	21	3.35	19	3
2018	22	3.44	17	3
2017	21	3.23	23	3
2016	22	3.36	21	3

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 Rio Blanco County Assessor?: Renae T. Neilson (Republican) is the Assessor of Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Rio Blanco County Clerk and Recorder?: Shawn Luce (Republican) is the Clerk and Recorder of Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Rio Blanco County Coroner?: Laura Smith (Republican) is the Coroner of Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Rio Blanco County Sheriff?: Anthony Mazzola (Republican) is the Sheriff of Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Rio Blanco County Surveyor?: J. Leif Joy (Republican) is the Surveyor of Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Rio Blanco County Treasurer?: Rhonna Waldref (Republican) is the Treasurer of Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Rio Blanco County commissioners?: Doug Overton (District 1); Jennifer O'Hearon (District 2); Callie Strichfield (District 3).
What is the population of Rio Blanco County?: About 6,544 people, with a median age of 37.8; the median household income is $65,473 and 8.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Rio Blanco County?: 4.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 131 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,885, against 3.3% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Rio Blanco County?: 23 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal, 2 school district and 18 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Colorado Secretary of State's 2023-2024 Biennial Abstract directory of county officers, with districts and parties from the Secretary of State's certified 2022 and 2024 general election results; officials appointed since it was published 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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