Hardin County, IL elected officials: county board members, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Hardin County: 3 seats on 3 elected bodies. 2 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
How many local governments Hardin County has
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 8 local governments in Hardin County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
0
Cities, towns, villages and townships
3
0
School districts (school boards)
1
0
Special districts (elected boards)
3
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 Hardin County
3,605people
53.6median ageU.S.: 38.9
$54,271 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
11%below the U.S.: 12.5%
13.3%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$103,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700
2.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
0.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
8.6%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
3.7%U.S.: 8.4%
8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
19.9%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 0.9% · White 95.7% · Black 1.4% · Asian 0% · Other or more than one race 2% (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 Hardin County
4.0%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 5.2%. Illinois: 4.2%.
62people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
1,495people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
1,557in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
4.0%
62
1,495
1,557
August 2026
4.2%
63
1,454
1,517
July 2026
4.3%
65
1,454
1,519
June 2026
4.7%
71
1,443
1,514
May 2026
4.2%
62
1,415
1,477
April 2026
4.1%
61
1,417
1,478
March 2026
5.2%
78
1,425
1,503
February 2026
5.7%
85
1,419
1,504
January 2026
5.4%
81
1,426
1,507
December 2025
5.2%
83
1,513
1,596
November 2025
5.9%
93
1,482
1,575
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
5.2%
80
1,472
1,552
August 2025
6.2%
95
1,445
1,540
July 2025
6.2%
96
1,441
1,537
June 2025
5.6%
87
1,479
1,566
May 2025
4.6%
71
1,463
1,534
April 2025
4.8%
74
1,467
1,541
March 2025
4.7%
71
1,448
1,519
February 2025
4.8%
74
1,452
1,526
January 2025
4.9%
75
1,443
1,518
December 2024
3.7%
61
1,609
1,670
November 2024
4.2%
68
1,564
1,632
October 2024
4.2%
65
1,487
1,552
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
5.3%
82
1,464
1,546
2024
5.0%
77
1,448
1,525
2023
5.0%
76
1,430
1,506
2022
4.9%
73
1,428
1,501
2021
6.6%
93
1,309
1,402
2020
9.3%
123
1,201
1,324
2019
6.1%
82
1,257
1,339
2018
7.3%
99
1,259
1,358
2017
7.2%
99
1,274
1,373
2016
9.0%
127
1,291
1,418
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. Illinois's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.6% 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 Hardin County
59.8 per 100,0002017. Illinois: 436.2.
618.1 per 100,0002017. Illinois: 1,995.2.
1murders2017, 3 violent crimes in all.
2017 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
2017
3
59.8
31
618.1
2016
0
0.0
36
699.0
By police agency (1)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Hardin County Sheriff's Office
2017
3
31
3,981
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 Illinois · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.33 per 1,000 residents2020, 1 agency serving 3,749 people.
5sworn officers2020, full-time, as of October 31.
9civilian staff2020, full-time.
2020 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.
Agencies counted (1), 2020
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Hardin County Sheriff's Office
5
9
3,749
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2020
5
1.33
9
1
2018
4
1.00
7
1
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 Hardin County Circuit Clerk?
Nancy Pennell is the Circuit Clerk of Hardin County, Illinois.
Who is the Hardin County County Clerk?
Jill Cowsert is the County Clerk of Hardin County, Illinois. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is on the Hardin County School Board?
Elizabeth A Rister (Regional Superintendent of Schools).
What is the population of Hardin County?
About 3,605 people, with a median age of 53.6; the median household income is $54,271 and 11% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Hardin County?
4.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 62 people unemployed in a labor force of 1,557, against 5.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Hardin County?
8 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 1 school district and 3 special district governments.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the State Board of Elections' list of election authorities (county clerks), the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts' directory of circuit clerks, the State Board of Education's directory of regional offices of education, the Cook County Clerk's 2025 Directory of Elected Officials, and the large counties' own websites; officials appointed since those lists were updated 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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