Who is the Benton County County Attorney?

Kathleen Reuter is the County Attorney of Benton County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Benton County County Auditor?

Christine Scherbing is the County Auditor of Benton County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Benton County Sheriff?

Troy Heck is the Sheriff of Benton County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Benton County commissioners?

Scott Johnson (District 1); Edward Popp (District 2); Steven Heinen (District 3); Jared J. Gapinski (District 4); Pam Benoit (District 5).

What is the population of Benton County?

About 41,593 people, with a median age of 36.2; the median household income is $74,410 and 9.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Benton County?

4.4% in September 2026 (preliminary): 990 people unemployed in a labor force of 22,399, against 3.5% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Benton County?

23 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal, 12 township, 2 school district and 4 special district governments.

Benton County, MN elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Benton County: 8 seats on 4 elected bodies. 5 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

County Board of Commissioners

Benton 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	Scott Johnson source
County Commissioner, District 2	Edward Popp source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 3	Steven Heinen source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 4	Jared J. Gapinski source
County Commissioner, District 5	Pam Benoit source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Attorney	Kathleen Reuter source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Auditor	Christine Scherbing source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Troy Heck source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Benton County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 23 local governments in Benton 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 (4 municipal, 12 township)	16	0
School districts (school boards)	2	0
Special districts (elected boards)	4	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 Benton County

41,593people

36.2median ageU.S.: 38.9

$74,410 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

9.9%below the U.S.: 12.5%

26.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$271,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700

3.9%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

3.5%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

6%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

3.4%U.S.: 8.4%

40%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

23.9%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 3.5% · White 86% · Black 5.5% · Asian 1% · Other or more than one race 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 Benton County

4.4%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.5%. Minnesota: 4.4%.

990people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

21,409people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

22,399in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	4.4%	990	21,409	22,399
August 2026	5.3%	1,169	21,085	22,254
July 2026	5.2%	1,178	21,323	22,501
June 2026	5.3%	1,190	21,238	22,428
May 2026	4.2%	932	21,487	22,419
April 2026	4.9%	1,123	21,589	22,712
March 2026	6.6%	1,500	21,273	22,773
February 2026	6.9%	1,592	21,340	22,932
January 2026	7.1%	1,633	21,367	23,000
December 2025	5.9%	1,371	21,677	23,048
November 2025	4.7%	1,085	21,866	22,951
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.5%	804	22,318	23,122
August 2025	4.6%	1,063	22,028	23,091
July 2025	4.4%	1,021	22,051	23,072
June 2025	4.5%	1,022	21,776	22,798
May 2025	3.6%	825	22,057	22,882
April 2025	4.2%	969	22,088	23,057
March 2025	5.4%	1,240	21,912	23,152
February 2025	5.6%	1,301	21,805	23,106
January 2025	5.6%	1,282	21,659	22,941
December 2024	4.1%	946	21,912	22,858
November 2024	3.4%	765	22,042	22,807
October 2024	2.7%	627	22,200	22,827

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.7%	1,089	21,931	23,020
2024	3.8%	869	21,968	22,837
2023	3.5%	781	21,814	22,595
2022	3.0%	672	21,742	22,414
2021	4.4%	987	21,488	22,475
2020	6.4%	1,487	21,658	23,145
2019	3.8%	873	22,134	23,007
2018	3.4%	782	21,909	22,691
2017	3.9%	881	21,893	22,774
2016	4.3%	960	21,460	22,420

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. Minnesota's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.5% 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 Benton County

233.9 per 100,0002025. Minnesota: 223.5.

1,783.0 per 100,0002025. Minnesota: 1,411.5.

5murders2025, 297 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	297	233.9	2,264	1,783.0
2024	347	276.8	2,655	2,117.6
2023	295	238.8	3,237	2,620.7
2022	379	310.1	3,871	3,166.9
2021	454	373.6	3,411	2,806.7
2019	338	281.9	3,289	2,743.4
2018	300	255.4	3,386	2,882.8
2017	305	261.6	3,554	3,048.8
2016	326	283.1	3,538	3,072.0

By police agency (7)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
St. Cloud Police Department	2025	257	1,812	72,794
Sartell Police Department	2025	13	195	20,133
Benton County Sheriff's Office	2025	3	61	13,959
Sauk Rapids Police Department	2025	22	140	13,816
Foley Police Department	2025	1	47	2,726
Rice Police Department	2024	0	6	2,250
Royalton Police Department	2024	3	34	1,279

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 Minnesota · the U.S.

Police staffing

1.51 per 1,000 residents2025, 7 agencies serving 126,975 people.

192sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

82civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (7), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
St. Cloud Police Department	115	28	72,794
Benton County Sheriff's Office	24	48	13,959
Sartell Police Department	26	4	20,133
Sauk Rapids Police Department	19	2	13,816
Foley Police Department	4	0	2,726
Rice Police Department	2	0	2,268
Royalton Police Department	2	0	1,279

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	192	1.51	82	7
2024	192	1.53	82	7
2023	186	1.51	80	7
2022	182	1.49	79	7
2019	181	1.51	76	7
2018	175	1.49	77	6
2017	173	1.48	76	6
2016	163	1.42	77	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 Benton County County Attorney?: Kathleen Reuter is the County Attorney of Benton County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Benton County County Auditor?: Christine Scherbing is the County Auditor of Benton County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Benton County Sheriff?: Troy Heck is the Sheriff of Benton County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Benton County commissioners?: Scott Johnson (District 1); Edward Popp (District 2); Steven Heinen (District 3); Jared J. Gapinski (District 4); Pam Benoit (District 5).
What is the population of Benton County?: About 41,593 people, with a median age of 36.2; the median household income is $74,410 and 9.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Benton County?: 4.4% in September 2026 (preliminary): 990 people unemployed in a labor force of 22,399, against 3.5% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Benton County?: 23 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal, 12 township, 2 school district and 4 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 21, 2025, from the Minnesota Legislative Manual (Blue Book) published by the Secretary of State; 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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