Hendry County, FL elected officials: commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Hendry County: 48 seats on 15 elected bodies. 6 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 23 local governments in Hendry 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)
1
1
Special districts (elected boards)
19
5
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 Hendry County
42,382people
35.8median ageU.S.: 38.9
$56,393 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
22.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
12.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$219,200median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
30%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
3.7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
21.7%U.S.: 8.4%
60.4%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
30.9%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 57.6% · White 28.3% · Black 10.5% · Asian 1.2% · Other or more than one race 2.5% (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 Hendry County
5.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 5.1%. Florida: 4.2%.
21,712people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
22,876in 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%
1,164
21,712
22,876
August 2026
5.7%
1,277
21,320
22,597
July 2026
6.0%
1,335
20,830
22,165
June 2026
5.6%
1,250
21,200
22,450
May 2026
5.1%
1,137
21,377
22,514
April 2026
5.0%
1,139
21,497
22,636
March 2026
4.9%
1,099
21,410
22,509
February 2026
5.1%
1,143
21,279
22,422
January 2026
5.3%
1,187
21,019
22,206
December 2025
5.1%
1,111
20,721
21,832
November 2025
5.6%
1,220
20,755
21,975
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
5.1%
1,133
20,868
22,001
August 2025
5.3%
1,186
21,267
22,453
July 2025
5.2%
1,119
20,459
21,578
June 2025
4.9%
1,060
20,633
21,693
May 2025
3.9%
842
20,912
21,754
April 2025
3.5%
764
21,249
22,013
March 2025
3.6%
790
21,112
21,902
February 2025
3.6%
788
20,829
21,617
January 2025
3.8%
828
20,831
21,659
December 2024
3.6%
761
20,280
21,041
November 2024
4.1%
864
20,212
21,076
October 2024
4.2%
898
20,449
21,347
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.5%
986
20,876
21,862
2024
4.0%
844
20,313
21,157
2023
3.7%
761
20,050
20,811
2022
3.8%
744
18,889
19,633
2021
5.0%
963
18,245
19,208
2020
6.9%
1,305
17,719
19,024
2019
4.8%
914
18,305
19,219
2018
5.0%
957
18,274
19,231
2017
6.1%
1,174
18,202
19,376
2016
7.1%
1,331
17,401
18,732
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 Hendry County
180.6 per 100,0002024. Florida: 275.2.
304.0 per 100,0002024. Florida: 1,401.8.
0murders2024, 82 violent crimes in all.
2024 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
2024
82
180.6
138
304.0
2023
81
191.9
325
769.9
2022
100
241.6
385
930.3
2021
79
185.1
289
677.0
2020
151
357.4
715
1,692.3
2019
152
365.5
841
2,022.1
2018
190
468.9
848
2,092.8
2017
169
428.4
1,001
2,537.5
2016
154
392.7
915
2,333.1
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Hendry County Sheriff's Office
2024
70
112
38,181
Clewiston Police Department
2020
34
165
8,125
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
2.46 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 47,119 people.
116sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
74civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Hendry County Sheriff's Office
101
67
39,577
Clewiston Police Department
15
7
7,542
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
116
2.46
74
2
2024
112
2.47
81
2
2023
102
2.42
82
2
2022
96
2.32
74
2
2021
91
2.13
66
2
2020
100
2.37
76
2
2019
102
2.45
82
2
2018
89
2.20
73
2
2017
89
2.26
43
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 Hendry County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller?
Kimberley Barrineau (Republican) is the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of Hendry County, Florida.
Who is the Hendry County Property Appraiser?
Dena Pittman (Republican) is the Property Appraiser of Hendry County, Florida.
Who is the Hendry County Sheriff?
Steve Whidden (Republican) is the Sheriff of Hendry County, Florida.
Who is the Hendry County Superintendent of Schools?
Michael Swindle (Republican) is the Superintendent of Schools of Hendry County, Florida.
Who is the Hendry County Supervisor of Elections?
Sherry Taylor (Republican) is the Supervisor of Elections of Hendry County, Florida.
Who is the Hendry County Tax Collector?
Amy Collins (Republican) is the Tax Collector of Hendry County, Florida.
Who are the Hendry County commissioners?
Emma Byrd (District 1); Emory "Rowdy" Howard (District 2); Mitchell Wills (District 3); Ramon Iglesias (District 4); Michael Atkinson (District 5).
Who is on the Hendry County School Board?
Dwayne E. Brown (District 1); Paul Samerdyke (District 2); Amanda Nelson (District 3); Stephanie Busin (District 4); Jon Basquin (District 5).
What is the population of Hendry County?
About 42,382 people, with a median age of 35.8; the median household income is $56,393 and 22.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Hendry County?
5.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,164 people unemployed in a labor force of 22,876, against 5.1% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Hendry County?
23 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal, 1 school district and 19 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Hendry County?
2: Clewiston, LaBelle. 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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