Columbia County, FL elected officials: commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Columbia County: 26 seats on 10 elected bodies. 4 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 9 local governments in Columbia 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
2
School districts (school boards)
2
1
Special districts (elected boards)
4
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 Columbia County
71,789people
40.7median ageU.S.: 38.9
$59,205 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
16.7%below the U.S.: 12.5%
16.8%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$194,900median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
4.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
11.1%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
12.6%U.S.: 8.4%
47.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
25.5%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 7.9% · White 70.3% · Black 16.1% · Asian 1% · Other or more than one race 4.8% (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 Columbia County
5.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.8%. Florida: 4.2%.
26,519people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
27,954in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
5.1%
1,435
26,519
27,954
August 2026
5.5%
1,528
26,192
27,720
July 2026
5.9%
1,574
25,185
26,759
June 2026
5.7%
1,532
25,329
26,861
May 2026
5.3%
1,466
26,176
27,642
April 2026
5.4%
1,517
26,434
27,951
March 2026
5.3%
1,493
26,509
28,002
February 2026
5.6%
1,582
26,442
28,024
January 2026
5.9%
1,649
26,163
27,812
December 2025
5.4%
1,500
26,373
27,873
November 2025
5.8%
1,627
26,327
27,954
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.8%
1,347
26,624
27,971
August 2025
5.0%
1,373
26,326
27,699
July 2025
5.0%
1,346
25,533
26,879
June 2025
4.8%
1,288
25,559
26,847
May 2025
4.3%
1,178
26,443
27,621
April 2025
4.0%
1,100
26,729
27,829
March 2025
4.1%
1,144
26,711
27,855
February 2025
4.1%
1,146
26,480
27,626
January 2025
4.3%
1,188
26,618
27,806
December 2024
4.0%
1,102
26,557
27,659
November 2024
4.3%
1,201
26,411
27,612
October 2024
4.1%
1,155
26,767
27,922
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.7%
1,294
26,338
27,632
2024
4.0%
1,105
26,547
27,652
2023
3.5%
981
26,770
27,751
2022
3.5%
952
26,211
27,163
2021
5.0%
1,348
25,706
27,054
2020
6.6%
1,801
25,343
27,144
2019
3.5%
965
26,368
27,333
2018
4.1%
1,113
25,918
27,031
2017
4.7%
1,277
25,699
26,976
2016
5.3%
1,445
26,053
27,498
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. Florida's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.4% 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 Columbia County
312.6 per 100,0002025. Florida: 260.9.
921.6 per 100,0002025. Florida: 1,176.1.
2murders2025, 233 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
233
312.6
687
921.6
2024
205
269.1
565
741.8
2020
363
500.3
1,471
2,027.5
2019
319
449.4
1,675
2,359.8
2018
282
400.2
1,716
2,435.4
2017
376
534.4
1,936
2,751.4
2016
372
537.5
1,872
2,704.9
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Columbia County Sheriff's Office
2025
181
396
60,966
Lake City Police Department
2025
52
291
12,895
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 Florida · the U.S.
Police staffing
2.07 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 73,861 people.
153sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
91civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Columbia County Sheriff's Office
106
80
60,966
Lake City Police Department
47
11
12,895
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
153
2.07
91
2
2024
147
1.95
89
2
2023
148
2.02
98
2
2021
183
2.53
48
2
2020
197
2.74
51
2
2019
191
2.71
64
2
2018
138
1.98
102
2
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 Columbia County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller?
James S. Swisher, Jr. (Republican) is the Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller of Columbia County, Florida.
Who is the Columbia County Property Appraiser?
Jeff Hampton (Republican) is the Property Appraiser of Columbia County, Florida.
Who is the Columbia County Sheriff?
Wallace F. Kitchings (Republican) is the Sheriff of Columbia County, Florida.
Who is the Columbia County Supervisor of Elections?
Tomi S. Brown (Republican) is the Supervisor of Elections of Columbia County, Florida.
Who is the Columbia County Tax Collector?
Kyle Keen (Republican) is the Tax Collector of Columbia County, Florida.
Who are the Columbia County commissioners?
Kevin Parnell (District 1); Rocky Ford (District 2); Robby Hollingsworth (District 3); Everett Phillips (District 4); Tim Murphy (District 5).
Who is on the Columbia County School Board?
Narragansett Smith (District 1); Dana Brady-Giddens (District 2); Cherie Hill (District 3); Keith Hudson (District 4); Hunter Peeler (District 5); Keith Couey (Superintendent of Schools).
What is the population of Columbia County?
About 71,789 people, with a median age of 40.7; the median household income is $59,205 and 16.7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Columbia County?
5.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,435 people unemployed in a labor force of 27,954, against 4.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Columbia County?
9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal, 2 school district and 4 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Columbia County?
2: Fort White, Lake City. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from each county Supervisor of Elections' official lists and candidate filings and the bodies' own websites; 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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