Okaloosa County, FL elected officials: commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Okaloosa County: 73 seats on 17 elected bodies. 10 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 34 local governments in Okaloosa 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
9
9
School districts (school boards)
2
1
Special districts (elected boards)
22
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 Okaloosa County
216,599people
37.4median ageU.S.: 38.9
$81,998 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
9.3%below the U.S.: 12.5%
34.8%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$351,200median home valueU.S.: $332,700
3.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
9.2%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
20.4%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
11.8%U.S.: 8.4%
55%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
31.6%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 11.3% · White 69.3% · Black 9.1% · Asian 3.2% · Other or more than one race 7% (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 Okaloosa County
4.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.1%. Florida: 4.2%.
96,599people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
100,773in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
4.1%
4,174
96,599
100,773
August 2026
4.4%
4,436
97,220
101,656
July 2026
4.5%
4,580
97,221
101,801
June 2026
4.4%
4,509
97,547
102,056
May 2026
4.3%
4,320
96,806
101,126
April 2026
4.4%
4,468
96,168
100,636
March 2026
4.3%
4,314
95,875
100,189
February 2026
4.9%
4,811
94,296
99,107
January 2026
5.0%
4,920
93,272
98,192
December 2025
4.5%
4,402
94,152
98,554
November 2025
4.9%
4,893
94,358
99,251
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.1%
4,125
96,722
100,847
August 2025
4.0%
4,110
97,960
102,070
July 2025
3.9%
3,988
99,337
103,325
June 2025
3.7%
3,761
98,672
102,433
May 2025
3.3%
3,371
97,587
100,958
April 2025
3.2%
3,187
96,890
100,077
March 2025
3.3%
3,292
96,524
99,816
February 2025
3.5%
3,388
94,299
97,687
January 2025
3.6%
3,535
94,350
97,885
December 2024
3.1%
3,029
94,600
97,629
November 2024
3.4%
3,392
94,930
98,322
October 2024
3.3%
3,288
97,655
100,943
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.8%
3,823
96,441
100,264
2024
3.1%
3,143
97,152
100,295
2023
2.7%
2,698
98,177
100,875
2022
2.6%
2,575
97,073
99,648
2021
3.5%
3,435
93,913
97,348
2020
5.8%
5,430
88,695
94,125
2019
2.8%
2,651
92,596
95,247
2018
3.1%
2,897
91,386
94,283
2017
3.5%
3,308
90,146
93,454
2016
4.1%
3,779
89,027
92,806
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 Okaloosa County
300.0 per 100,0002020. Florida: 383.6.
1,394.7 per 100,0002020. Florida: 1,769.4.
9murders2020, 658 violent crimes in all.
2020 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.
By police agency (6)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
2020
471
1,902
142,433
Crestview Police Department
2025
47
174
31,585
Fort Walton Beach Police Department
2023
97
345
21,031
Niceville Police Department
2025
6
32
18,481
Valparaiso Police Department
2025
3
4
4,874
Shalimar Police Department
2020
6
15
850
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
2.10 per 1,000 residents2025, 6 agencies serving 219,035 people.
459sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
209civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (6), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
319
149
142,081
Crestview Police Department
46
28
31,585
Fort Walton Beach Police Department
50
19
21,253
Niceville Police Department
27
9
18,481
Valparaiso Police Department
13
4
4,874
Shalimar Police Department
4
0
761
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
459
2.10
209
6
2024
456
2.03
191
6
2023
458
2.09
183
6
2022
444
2.05
179
6
2021
440
2.06
169
6
2020
451
2.11
162
6
2018
432
2.09
171
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 Okaloosa County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller?
Brad Embry (Republican) is the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of Okaloosa County, Florida.
Who is the Okaloosa County Property Appraiser?
Mack Busbee (Republican) is the Property Appraiser of Okaloosa County, Florida.
Who is the Okaloosa County Sheriff?
Eric Aden (Republican) is the Sheriff of Okaloosa County, Florida.
Who is the Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections?
Paul Lux (Republican) is the Supervisor of Elections of Okaloosa County, Florida.
Who is the Okaloosa County Tax Collector?
Ben Anderson (Republican) is the Tax Collector of Okaloosa County, Florida.
Lamar White (District 1); Parker Destin (District 2); Linda Evanchyk (District 3); Tim Bryant (District 4); Brett Hinely (District 5); Marcus Chambers (Superintendent of Schools).
What is the population of Okaloosa County?
About 216,599 people, with a median age of 37.4; the median household income is $81,998 and 9.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Okaloosa County?
4.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 4,174 people unemployed in a labor force of 100,773, against 4.1% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Okaloosa County?
34 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 9 municipal, 2 school district and 22 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Okaloosa County?
9: Cinco Bayou, Crestview, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Laurel Hill, Mary Esther, Niceville, Shalimar, Valparaiso. 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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