Who is the Union County County Attorney?

Shane Patrick O'Toole (Republican) is the County Attorney of Union County, Iowa. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Union County County Auditor?

Sandy Hysell (Republican) is the County Auditor of Union County, Iowa.

Who is the Union County County Recorder?

Katie Carlton (Republican) is the County Recorder of Union County, Iowa. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Union County Sheriff?

Brian Bolton (Republican) is the Sheriff of Union County, Iowa.

Who is the Union County County Treasurer?

Kelly Busch (Republican) is the County Treasurer of Union County, Iowa. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Union County commissioners?

Dennis Brown (County Supervisor, At-Large); Dennis Hopkins (County Supervisor, At-Large); Rick Friday (County Supervisor, At-Large).

What is the population of Union County?

About 11,993 people, with a median age of 40.5; the median household income is $57,772 and 12.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Union County?

3.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 175 people unemployed in a labor force of 5,780, against 3.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Union County?

16 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal, 3 school district and 5 special district governments.

Union County, IA elected officials: county supervisors, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Union County: 8 seats on 6 elected bodies. 4 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of Supervisors

Union County Board of Supervisors

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Supervisor, At-Large	Dennis Brown Republican source
County Supervisor, At-Large	Dennis Hopkins Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Supervisor, At-Large	Rick Friday Republican source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Attorney	Shane Patrick O'Toole Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Auditor	Sandy Hysell Republican source
County Recorder	Katie Carlton Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Brian Bolton Republican source
County Treasurer	Kelly Busch Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Union County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 16 local governments in Union 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	7	0
School districts (school boards)	3	0
Special districts (elected boards)	5	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 Union County

11,993people

40.5median ageU.S.: 38.9

$57,772 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

12.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%

23.3%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$122,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700

4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

1.8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

7.6%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

8.3%U.S.: 8.4%

34.7%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 3.8% · White 91.9% · Black 0.8% · Asian 0.9% · Other or more than one race 2.6% (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 Union County

3.0%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.0%. Iowa: 3.2%.

175people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

5,605people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

5,780in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	3.0%	175	5,605	5,780
August 2026	3.5%	201	5,550	5,751
July 2026	3.4%	202	5,665	5,867
June 2026	3.0%	180	5,775	5,955
May 2026	2.7%	157	5,757	5,914
April 2026	2.4%	144	5,769	5,913
March 2026	3.4%	201	5,783	5,984
February 2026	3.8%	225	5,717	5,942
January 2026	4.1%	246	5,685	5,931
December 2025	3.9%	233	5,776	6,009
November 2025	3.4%	202	5,766	5,968
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.0%	179	5,755	5,934
August 2025	3.5%	202	5,568	5,770
July 2025	3.7%	223	5,746	5,969
June 2025	3.6%	216	5,803	6,019
May 2025	3.2%	191	5,777	5,968
April 2025	2.8%	171	5,848	6,019
March 2025	3.4%	206	5,833	6,039
February 2025	3.9%	234	5,752	5,986
January 2025	4.2%	253	5,827	6,080
December 2024	3.0%	172	5,651	5,823
November 2024	3.1%	180	5,637	5,817
October 2024	3.0%	175	5,601	5,776

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.5%	210	5,768	5,978
2024	3.1%	182	5,750	5,932
2023	3.0%	176	5,608	5,784
2022	2.9%	173	5,720	5,893
2021	4.2%	245	5,646	5,891
2020	5.8%	347	5,649	5,996
2019	3.2%	196	6,017	6,213
2018	3.6%	228	6,046	6,274
2017	3.1%	197	6,115	6,312
2016	3.8%	245	6,153	6,398

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. Iowa's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.2% 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 Union County

295.3 per 100,0002025. Iowa: 233.9.

632.8 per 100,0002025. Iowa: 1,171.7.

0murders2025, 35 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	35	295.3	75	632.8
2024	26	217.8	83	695.3
2023	33	280.4	110	934.6
2022	33	276.2	121	1,012.6
2021	46	377.5	158	1,296.7
2020	33	270.6	227	1,861.7
2019	31	252.5	219	1,783.7
2018	32	257.6	206	1,658.1
2017	19	153.4	209	1,687.3
2016	33	265.3	206	1,656.1

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Creston Police Department	2025	33	61	7,394
Union County Sheriff's Office	2023	10	23	4,460

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 Iowa · the U.S.

Police staffing

1.60 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 11,852 people.

19sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

12civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Creston Police Department	12	5	7,394
Union County Sheriff's Office	7	7	4,458

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	19	1.60	12	2
2024	18	1.51	13	2
2023	19	1.61	9	2
2021	18	1.48	11	2
2020	18	1.48	11	2
2019	18	1.47	11	2
2018	16	1.29	11	2
2017	17	1.37	11	2
2016	17	1.37	10	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 Union County County Attorney?: Shane Patrick O'Toole (Republican) is the County Attorney of Union County, Iowa. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Union County County Auditor?: Sandy Hysell (Republican) is the County Auditor of Union County, Iowa.
Who is the Union County County Recorder?: Katie Carlton (Republican) is the County Recorder of Union County, Iowa. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Union County Sheriff?: Brian Bolton (Republican) is the Sheriff of Union County, Iowa.
Who is the Union County County Treasurer?: Kelly Busch (Republican) is the County Treasurer of Union County, Iowa. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Union County commissioners?: Dennis Brown (County Supervisor, At-Large); Dennis Hopkins (County Supervisor, At-Large); Rick Friday (County Supervisor, At-Large).
What is the population of Union County?: About 11,993 people, with a median age of 40.5; the median household income is $57,772 and 12.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Union County?: 3.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 175 people unemployed in a labor force of 5,780, against 3.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Union County?: 16 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal, 3 school district and 5 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from county election offices' elected-officials pages where they publish one, and elsewhere from the Iowa Secretary of State's certified 2022 and 2024 general election results (each seat's last election); officials appointed since then 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.

Union County's 2026 ballot and results · Every Iowa county · Iowa's members of Congress

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