Who is the Blue Earth County County Attorney?

Patrick McDermott is the County Attorney of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Blue Earth County Sheriff?

Jeff Wersal is the Sheriff of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Blue Earth County commissioners?

Patty O’Connor (District 1); Vance Stuehrenberg (District 2); Mark Piepho (District 3); Kevin Paap (District 4); Kip Bruender (District 5).

What is the population of Blue Earth County?

About 69,871 people, with a median age of 31.6; the median household income is $74,477 and 15.7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Blue Earth County?

4.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,619 people unemployed in a labor force of 40,641, against 2.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Blue Earth County?

49 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 11 municipal, 23 township, 4 school district and 10 special district governments.

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

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

County Board of Commissioners

Blue Earth 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	Patty O’Connor source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 2	Vance Stuehrenberg source
County Commissioner, District 3	Mark Piepho source
County Commissioner, District 4	Kevin Paap source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 5	Kip Bruender source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Attorney	Patrick McDermott source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Jeff Wersal source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Blue Earth County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 49 local governments in Blue Earth 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, 23 township)	34	0
School districts (school boards)	4	0
Special districts (elected boards)	10	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 Blue Earth County

69,871people

31.6median ageU.S.: 38.9

$74,477 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

15.7%below the U.S.: 12.5%

34.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$266,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700

4.9%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

5.4%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

4.5%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

4.3%U.S.: 8.4%

48.1%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

23.3%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4.8% · White 84.4% · Black 4.8% · Asian 2.3% · Other or more than one race 3.7% (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 Blue Earth County

4.0%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.9%. Minnesota: 4.4%.

1,619people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

39,022people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

40,641in 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%	1,619	39,022	40,641
August 2026	4.1%	1,681	38,951	40,632
July 2026	4.0%	1,629	39,095	40,724
June 2026	4.6%	1,884	38,852	40,736
May 2026	4.0%	1,613	39,081	40,694
April 2026	3.5%	1,437	39,592	41,029
March 2026	4.2%	1,732	39,159	40,891
February 2026	4.5%	1,866	39,274	41,140
January 2026	4.6%	1,904	39,169	41,073
December 2025	3.6%	1,483	39,887	41,370
November 2025	3.2%	1,326	40,064	41,390
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	2.9%	1,218	40,387	41,605
August 2025	3.6%	1,453	38,952	40,405
July 2025	3.7%	1,481	38,528	40,009
June 2025	3.9%	1,588	39,141	40,729
May 2025	3.1%	1,278	39,624	40,902
April 2025	2.9%	1,188	40,362	41,550
March 2025	3.4%	1,413	40,100	41,513
February 2025	3.4%	1,422	40,156	41,578
January 2025	3.3%	1,363	39,859	41,222
December 2024	2.5%	1,015	40,314	41,329
November 2024	2.2%	928	40,490	41,418
October 2024	2.1%	857	40,868	41,725

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.4%	1,383	39,733	41,116
2024	2.7%	1,100	39,681	40,781
2023	2.3%	940	39,348	40,288
2022	2.1%	819	38,541	39,360
2021	3.4%	1,306	37,459	38,765
2020	5.5%	2,211	37,645	39,856
2019	2.9%	1,153	38,723	39,876
2018	2.7%	1,048	38,326	39,374
2017	3.0%	1,167	38,061	39,228
2016	3.3%	1,276	37,474	38,750

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 Blue Earth County

200.6 per 100,0002025. Minnesota: 223.5.

1,470.6 per 100,0002025. Minnesota: 1,411.5.

2murders2025, 151 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	151	200.6	1,107	1,470.6
2024	148	198.1	1,320	1,766.5
2023	174	235.2	1,432	1,935.9
2022	144	205.3	1,290	1,839.4
2021	205	295.1	1,294	1,862.9
2020	163	238.1	1,188	1,735.6
2019	146	213.6	1,643	2,403.3
2017	129	190.4	1,496	2,208.6
2016	134	200.9	1,516	2,272.5

By police agency (6)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Mankato Police Department	2025	136	1,012	46,927
Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office	2025	8	57	18,412
Lake Crystal Police Department	2025	1	19	2,471
Mapleton Police Department	2025	4	13	2,133
Madison Lake Police Department	2025	0	6	1,330
Minnesota Lake Police Department	2025	2	0	660

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

1.32 per 1,000 residents2025, 6 agencies serving 71,933 people.

95sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

67civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (6), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office	38	58	18,412
Mankato Police Department	49	9	46,927
Mapleton Police Department	3	0	2,133
Lake Crystal Police Department	2	0	2,471
Madison Lake Police Department	2	0	1,330
Minnesota Lake Police Department	1	0	660

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	95	1.32	67	6
2024	100	1.40	68	6
2023	103	1.46	80	6
2022	102	1.45	47	7
2021	97	1.40	50	7
2020	102	1.49	51	7
2019	99	1.45	63	7
2018	111	1.63	45	8
2017	106	1.56	50	8
2016	101	1.51	47	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 Blue Earth County County Attorney?: Patrick McDermott is the County Attorney of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Blue Earth County Sheriff?: Jeff Wersal is the Sheriff of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Blue Earth County commissioners?: Patty O’Connor (District 1); Vance Stuehrenberg (District 2); Mark Piepho (District 3); Kevin Paap (District 4); Kip Bruender (District 5).
What is the population of Blue Earth County?: About 69,871 people, with a median age of 31.6; the median household income is $74,477 and 15.7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Blue Earth County?: 4.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,619 people unemployed in a labor force of 40,641, against 2.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Blue Earth County?: 49 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 11 municipal, 23 township, 4 school district and 10 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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