Who is the Van Buren County County Clerk?

Suzie Roehm (Republican) is the County Clerk of Van Buren County, Michigan.

Who is the Van Buren County Drain Commissioner?

Joe Parman (Republican) is the Drain Commissioner of Van Buren County, Michigan.

Who is the Van Buren County Prosecuting Attorney?

Susan Zuiderveen (Republican) is the Prosecuting Attorney of Van Buren County, Michigan.

Who is the Van Buren County Register of Deeds?

Paul W. DeYoung (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Van Buren County, Michigan.

Who is the Van Buren County Sheriff?

Daniel E. Abbott (Republican) is the Sheriff of Van Buren County, Michigan.

Who is the Van Buren County County Surveyor?

Charles D. Lossie (Republican) is the County Surveyor of Van Buren County, Michigan.

Who is the Van Buren County County Treasurer?

Trisha Nesbitt (Republican) is the County Treasurer of Van Buren County, Michigan.

Who are the Van Buren County commissioners?

Gail Lee Patterson-Gladney (District 1); Mike Chappell (District 2); Kurt Doroh (District 3); David J. DiStefano (District 4); Randall Peat (District 5); Tina Leary (District 6); Paul Schincariol (District 7).

What is the population of Van Buren County?

About 75,795 people, with a median age of 41.2; the median household income is $68,114 and 14.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Van Buren County?

4.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,404 people unemployed in a labor force of 34,072, against 4.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Van Buren County?

51 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 11 municipal, 18 township, 12 school district and 9 special district governments.

Van Buren County, MI elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Van Buren County: 14 seats on 8 elected bodies.

Board of Commissioners

Van Buren County Board of Commissioners

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now
County Commissioner, District 1	Gail Lee Patterson-Gladney Democratic source
County Commissioner, District 2	Mike Chappell Republican source
County Commissioner, District 3	Kurt Doroh Republican source
County Commissioner, District 4	David J. DiStefano Republican source
County Commissioner, District 5	Randall Peat Republican source
County Commissioner, District 6	Tina Leary Republican source
County Commissioner, District 7	Paul Schincariol Republican source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now
County Clerk	Suzie Roehm Republican source
Drain Commissioner	Joe Parman Republican source
Prosecuting Attorney	Susan Zuiderveen Republican source
Register of Deeds	Paul W. DeYoung Republican source
Sheriff	Daniel E. Abbott Republican source
County Surveyor	Charles D. Lossie Republican source
County Treasurer	Trisha Nesbitt Republican source

How many local governments Van Buren County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 51 local governments in Van Buren 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 (11 municipal, 18 township)	29	0
School districts (school boards)	12	0
Special districts (elected boards)	9	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 Van Buren County

75,795people

41.2median ageU.S.: 38.9

$68,114 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

14.3%below the U.S.: 12.5%

23%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$206,500median home valueU.S.: $332,700

4.2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

4.6%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

6.1%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

7%U.S.: 8.4%

48.2%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

27.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 12.5% · White 78.2% · Black 3.5% · Asian 0.5% · Other or more than one race 5.2% (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 Van Buren County

4.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.4%. Michigan: 4.8%.

1,404people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

32,668people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

34,072in 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%	1,404	32,668	34,072
August 2026	4.7%	1,631	33,442	35,073
July 2026	4.8%	1,676	33,553	35,229
June 2026	4.8%	1,662	33,192	34,854
May 2026	5.0%	1,758	33,088	34,846
April 2026	4.6%	1,601	33,013	34,614
March 2026	5.6%	1,956	33,264	35,220
February 2026	5.8%	2,049	33,247	35,296
January 2026	6.3%	2,245	33,392	35,637
December 2025	5.4%	1,902	33,564	35,466
November 2025	4.7%	1,685	34,388	36,073
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	4.4%	1,622	35,513	37,135
August 2025	5.0%	1,896	35,935	37,831
July 2025	5.6%	2,144	36,017	38,161
June 2025	5.6%	2,129	35,582	37,711
May 2025	5.4%	2,038	35,383	37,421
April 2025	5.5%	2,022	34,767	36,789
March 2025	6.5%	2,388	34,167	36,555
February 2025	7.0%	2,548	33,895	36,443
January 2025	6.7%	2,426	34,054	36,480
December 2024	5.9%	2,158	34,200	36,358
November 2024	4.9%	1,811	35,181	36,992
October 2024	4.7%	1,739	35,256	36,995

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	5.6%	2,073	34,842	36,915
2024	5.1%	1,911	35,299	37,210
2023	4.5%	1,662	35,124	36,786
2022	4.6%	1,698	35,199	36,897
2021	5.4%	1,965	34,111	36,076
2020	8.3%	3,033	33,690	36,723
2019	4.3%	1,623	36,452	38,075
2018	4.6%	1,722	35,909	37,631
2017	5.2%	1,969	35,893	37,862
2016	5.4%	2,000	35,089	37,089

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. Michigan's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 5.0% 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 Van Buren County

257.9 per 100,0002021. Michigan: 491.1.

913.4 per 100,0002021. Michigan: 1,366.9.

3murders2021, 194 violent crimes in all.

2021 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
2021	194	257.9	687	913.4
2020	185	244.8	717	948.6
2019	182	241.4	777	1,030.6
2017	163	216.0	751	995.1
2016	184	245.1	850	1,132.1

By police agency (9)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Van Buren County Sheriff's Office	2021	102	323	54,638
Paw Paw Police Department	2025	14	138	3,419
Mattawan Police Department	2024	16	23	2,827
Covert Township Police Department	2025	3	34	2,511
Hartford Police Department	2024	4	33	2,467
Bangor Police Department	2025	15	25	1,967
Lawton Police Department	2025	3	16	1,873
Decatur Police Department	2025	10	36	1,652
Lawrence Police Department	2025	3	9	1,009

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 Michigan · the U.S.

Police staffing

1.50 per 1,000 residents2025, 9 agencies serving 72,017 people.

108sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

46civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (9), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Van Buren County Sheriff's Office	65	44	54,178
Paw Paw Police Department	9	1	3,419
Covert Township Police Department	9	1	2,511
Bangor Police Department	6	0	1,967
Mattawan Police Department	6	0	2,954
Decatur Police Department	5	0	1,652
Lawton Police Department	4	0	1,873
Hartford Police Department	3	0	2,454
Lawrence Police Department	1	0	1,009

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	108	1.50	46	9
2024	109	1.50	41	9
2023	106	1.47	41	9
2020	97	1.37	51	8
2019	107	1.51	46	8
2018	111	1.56	46	8
2016	95	1.35	48	8

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 Van Buren County County Clerk?: Suzie Roehm (Republican) is the County Clerk of Van Buren County, Michigan.
Who is the Van Buren County Drain Commissioner?: Joe Parman (Republican) is the Drain Commissioner of Van Buren County, Michigan.
Who is the Van Buren County Prosecuting Attorney?: Susan Zuiderveen (Republican) is the Prosecuting Attorney of Van Buren County, Michigan.
Who is the Van Buren County Register of Deeds?: Paul W. DeYoung (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Van Buren County, Michigan.
Who is the Van Buren County Sheriff?: Daniel E. Abbott (Republican) is the Sheriff of Van Buren County, Michigan.
Who is the Van Buren County County Surveyor?: Charles D. Lossie (Republican) is the County Surveyor of Van Buren County, Michigan.
Who is the Van Buren County County Treasurer?: Trisha Nesbitt (Republican) is the County Treasurer of Van Buren County, Michigan.
Who are the Van Buren County commissioners?: Gail Lee Patterson-Gladney (District 1); Mike Chappell (District 2); Kurt Doroh (District 3); David J. DiStefano (District 4); Randall Peat (District 5); Tina Leary (District 6); Paul Schincariol (District 7).
What is the population of Van Buren County?: About 75,795 people, with a median age of 41.2; the median household income is $68,114 and 14.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Van Buren County?: 4.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,404 people unemployed in a labor force of 34,072, against 4.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Van Buren County?: 51 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 11 municipal, 18 township, 12 school district and 9 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from each county clerk's official results of the November 5, 2024 general election (certified by the county board of canvassers); 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.

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