Chautauqua County, KS elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Chautauqua County: 4 seats on 2 elected bodies.

Board of County Commissioners

Chautauqua County Board of Commissioners

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

OfficeWho holds it now
County Commissioner, District 1Parker Massey source
County Commissioner, District 2Rodney Shaw source
County Commissioner, District 3John Blount Jr. source

Official website

County officers

OfficeWho holds it now
County ClerkNiki Collier source

How many local governments Chautauqua County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 37 local governments in Chautauqua County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of governmentCensus count (2022)Listed on this page
County government11
Cities, towns, villages and townships (6 municipal, 4 township)100
School districts (school boards)20
Special districts (elected boards)240

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 Chautauqua County

3,370people
45.2median ageU.S.: 38.9
$56,438 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
14.9%below the U.S.: 12.5%
18.6%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$65,500median home valueU.S.: $332,700
3.6%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
0.8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
5.1%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
11.4%U.S.: 8.4%
30.2%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
28.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5% · White 80.1% · Black 0.8% · Asian 0.1% · Other or more than one race 14% (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 Chautauqua County

5.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 5.1%. Kansas: 3.8%.
72people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
1,226people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
1,298in the September 2026, preliminary.
Unemployment rate, yearly average, Chautauqua County 0.0%1.7%3.5%5.2%6.9% 20162018202020222024

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years
MonthRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
September 2026 (preliminary)5.5%721,2261,298
August 20265.8%741,2111,285
July 20265.2%661,2081,274
June 20265.0%691,3121,381
May 20264.7%631,2671,330
April 20264.3%571,2541,311
March 20264.9%651,2701,335
February 20265.0%671,2651,332
January 20265.2%681,2421,310
December 20255.0%671,2711,338
November 20254.6%611,2541,315
October 2025not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 20255.1%661,2301,296
August 20254.8%641,2641,328
July 20254.6%621,2951,357
June 20253.9%561,3891,445
May 20253.9%531,2951,348
April 20254.0%531,2881,341
March 20254.5%601,2671,327
February 20254.7%651,3311,396
January 20254.2%591,3551,414
December 20243.9%541,3251,379
November 20244.0%551,3311,386
October 20244.6%621,2941,356
Yearly averages
YearRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
2025 (11 months)4.5%611,2941,355
20244.1%561,2951,351
20233.4%441,2641,308
20223.3%451,3121,357
20214.6%641,3261,390
20206.6%931,3211,414
20194.0%551,3071,362
20184.3%571,2811,338
20175.0%691,2981,367
20165.6%811,3771,458

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. Kansas's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.8% 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.

Police in Chautauqua County

Police staffing

2.71 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 3,327 people.
9sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
7civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
AgencyOfficersCiviliansPeople served
Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office671,872
Sedan Police Department20982
Cedar Vale Police Department10473
Earlier years
YearOfficersPer 1,000CiviliansAgencies
202592.7173
202392.62103
201982.4593
201882.4293
201792.7093

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 Chautauqua County County Clerk?
Niki Collier is the County Clerk of Chautauqua County, Kansas.
Who are the Chautauqua County commissioners?
Parker Massey (District 1); Rodney Shaw (District 2); John Blount Jr. (District 3).
What is the population of Chautauqua County?
About 3,370 people, with a median age of 45.2; the median household income is $56,438 and 14.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Chautauqua County?
5.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 72 people unemployed in a labor force of 1,298, against 5.1% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Chautauqua County?
37 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal, 4 township, 2 school district and 24 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from each county's own website, the Secretary of State's list of county election officers (the county clerks) and its 2024 official vote totals (district attorneys); officials appointed since a page was 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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