Who is the Cherokee County County Attorney?

Kurt Benecke is the County Attorney of Cherokee County, Kansas.

Who is the Cherokee County County Clerk?

Taylor Brown (Republican) is the County Clerk of Cherokee County, Kansas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Cherokee County Register of Deeds?

Karen Johnston is the Register of Deeds of Cherokee County, Kansas.

Who is the Cherokee County County Treasurer?

Heather Sapp is the County Treasurer of Cherokee County, Kansas.

Who are the Cherokee County commissioners?

Myra Carlisle Frazier (District 1); Jack Garner (District 2); Cory Moates (District 3).

What is the population of Cherokee County?

About 19,151 people, with a median age of 42.2; the median household income is $57,668 and 14.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Cherokee County?

3.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 350 people unemployed in a labor force of 9,283, against 3.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Cherokee County?

39 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal, 14 township, 4 school district and 13 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Cherokee County: 7 seats on 5 elected bodies. 2 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Cherokee County Board of Commissioners

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner, District 1	Myra Carlisle Frazier source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 2	Jack Garner source
County Commissioner, District 3	Cory Moates source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Attorney	Kurt Benecke source
County Clerk	Taylor Brown Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Register of Deeds	Karen Johnston source
County Treasurer	Heather Sapp source

How many local governments Cherokee County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 39 local governments in Cherokee 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 municipal, 14 township)	21	0
School districts (school boards)	4	0
Special districts (elected boards)	13	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 Cherokee County

19,151people

42.2median ageU.S.: 38.9

$57,668 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

14.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%

19.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$100,100median home valueU.S.: $332,700

3.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

1.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

6.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

11.4%U.S.: 8.4%

47.6%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

27%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 3% · White 85.3% · Black 0.8% · Asian 0.5% · Other or more than one race 10.4% (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 Cherokee County

3.8%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.6%. Kansas: 3.8%.

350people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

8,933people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

9,283in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	3.8%	350	8,933	9,283
August 2026	4.5%	424	8,930	9,354
July 2026	4.5%	426	9,096	9,522
June 2026	4.4%	417	9,027	9,444
May 2026	4.0%	369	8,940	9,309
April 2026	3.4%	315	9,013	9,328
March 2026	3.9%	366	9,038	9,404
February 2026	4.3%	408	9,118	9,526
January 2026	4.1%	389	9,029	9,418
December 2025	3.3%	318	9,223	9,541
November 2025	3.5%	333	9,188	9,521
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.6%	341	9,055	9,396
August 2025	4.6%	439	9,024	9,463
July 2025	4.3%	410	9,128	9,538
June 2025	4.4%	418	9,094	9,512
May 2025	4.1%	386	8,965	9,351
April 2025	3.8%	356	8,990	9,346
March 2025	4.1%	389	8,986	9,375
February 2025	4.3%	403	9,015	9,418
January 2025	3.6%	337	9,036	9,373
December 2024	2.9%	268	8,997	9,265
November 2024	3.2%	295	8,976	9,271
October 2024	3.9%	361	8,997	9,358

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.0%	375	9,064	9,439
2024	3.5%	329	8,959	9,288
2023	3.1%	284	8,985	9,269
2022	2.9%	263	8,962	9,225
2021	3.3%	305	8,952	9,257
2020	5.6%	517	8,674	9,191
2019	3.7%	347	9,100	9,447
2018	3.9%	368	9,105	9,473
2017	4.1%	394	9,146	9,540
2016	4.7%	458	9,277	9,735

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.

Crime reported in Cherokee County

342.2 per 100,0002025. Kansas: 457.2.

887.8 per 100,0002025. Kansas: 1,796.5.

0murders2025, 69 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	69	342.2	179	887.8
2024	60	296.6	233	1,151.7
2023	64	318.7	320	1,593.3
2022	67	333.5	317	1,578.0
2021	74	355.2	401	1,924.6
2020	68	324.3	450	2,146.2
2019	50	237.6	377	1,791.7
2018	61	289.0	454	2,151.3
2017	59	277.5	405	1,904.5

By police agency (4)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Cherokee County Sheriff's Office	2025	35	113	9,605
Baxter Springs Police Department	2024	9	66	3,813
Columbus Police Department	2025	4	33	2,869
Galena Police Department	2025	18	11	2,770

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 Kansas · the U.S.

Police staffing

2.55 per 1,000 residents2021, 4 agencies serving 19,601 people.

50sworn officers2021, full-time, as of October 31.

31civilian staff2021, full-time.

2021 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.

Agencies counted (4), 2021

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Cherokee County Sheriff's Office	25	27	9,966
Baxter Springs Police Department	9	2	3,859
Columbus Police Department	9	0	2,978
Galena Police Department	7	2	2,798

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2021	50	2.55	31	4
2020	49	2.48	24	4
2019	54	2.73	33	4
2018	53	2.67	17	4
2017	47	2.35	32	4

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 Cherokee County County Attorney?: Kurt Benecke is the County Attorney of Cherokee County, Kansas.
Who is the Cherokee County County Clerk?: Taylor Brown (Republican) is the County Clerk of Cherokee County, Kansas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Cherokee County Register of Deeds?: Karen Johnston is the Register of Deeds of Cherokee County, Kansas.
Who is the Cherokee County County Treasurer?: Heather Sapp is the County Treasurer of Cherokee County, Kansas.
Who are the Cherokee County commissioners?: Myra Carlisle Frazier (District 1); Jack Garner (District 2); Cory Moates (District 3).
What is the population of Cherokee County?: About 19,151 people, with a median age of 42.2; the median household income is $57,668 and 14.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Cherokee County?: 3.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 350 people unemployed in a labor force of 9,283, against 3.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Cherokee County?: 39 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal, 14 township, 4 school district and 13 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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