Who is the Clay County County Attorney?

Brian Melton is the County Attorney of Clay County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Clay County Sheriff?

Mark Empting is the Sheriff of Clay County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Clay County commissioners?

Paul Krabbenhoft (District 1); Ezra Baer (District 2); Jenny Mongeau (District 3); Kevin Campbell (District 4); David Ebinger (District 5).

What is the population of Clay County?

About 66,059 people, with a median age of 33.7; the median household income is $81,172 and 13.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Clay County?

3.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,407 people unemployed in a labor force of 35,951, against 2.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Clay County?

54 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 11 municipal, 29 township, 5 school district and 8 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Clay County: 7 seats on 3 elected bodies. 4 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

County Board of Commissioners

Clay 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	Paul Krabbenhoft source
County Commissioner, District 2	Ezra Baer source
County Commissioner, District 3	Jenny Mongeau source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 4	Kevin Campbell source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 5	David Ebinger source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Attorney	Brian Melton source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Mark Empting source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Clay County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 54 local governments in Clay 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, 29 township)	40	0
School districts (school boards)	5	0
Special districts (elected boards)	8	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 Clay County

66,059people

33.7median ageU.S.: 38.9

$81,172 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

13.3%below the U.S.: 12.5%

39.3%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$265,500median home valueU.S.: $332,700

4.1%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

4.2%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

5.5%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

4%U.S.: 8.4%

52.6%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

20.2%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5% · White 83.5% · Black 4.6% · Asian 1.6% · Other or more than one race 5.4% (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 Clay County

3.9%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.8%. Minnesota: 4.4%.

1,407people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

34,544people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

35,951in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	3.9%	1,407	34,544	35,951
August 2026	4.3%	1,511	33,925	35,436
July 2026	4.4%	1,548	33,901	35,449
June 2026	4.5%	1,603	33,686	35,289
May 2026	3.9%	1,379	33,903	35,282
April 2026	3.8%	1,359	34,134	35,493
March 2026	4.5%	1,593	34,040	35,633
February 2026	4.9%	1,752	33,893	35,645
January 2026	4.9%	1,752	33,787	35,539
December 2025	3.8%	1,368	34,329	35,697
November 2025	3.3%	1,196	34,584	35,780
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	2.8%	1,035	35,359	36,394
August 2025	3.5%	1,244	34,727	35,971
July 2025	3.6%	1,287	34,598	35,885
June 2025	3.6%	1,310	34,605	35,915
May 2025	3.1%	1,106	34,884	35,990
April 2025	3.1%	1,113	35,015	36,128
March 2025	3.5%	1,281	34,968	36,249
February 2025	3.7%	1,353	34,755	36,108
January 2025	3.4%	1,224	34,672	35,896
December 2024	2.5%	884	35,072	35,956
November 2024	2.1%	745	35,257	36,002
October 2024	2.0%	713	35,307	36,020

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.4%	1,229	34,772	36,001
2024	2.6%	931	34,876	35,807
2023	2.2%	780	34,662	35,442
2022	2.1%	731	34,480	35,211
2021	3.0%	1,064	33,992	35,056
2020	4.5%	1,589	33,988	35,577
2019	3.2%	1,119	34,224	35,343
2018	3.0%	1,054	33,878	34,932
2017	3.3%	1,144	33,900	35,044
2016	3.5%	1,224	33,881	35,105

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 Clay County

241.8 per 100,0002025. Minnesota: 223.5.

1,431.6 per 100,0002025. Minnesota: 1,411.5.

2murders2025, 163 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	163	241.8	965	1,431.6
2024	186	277.2	1,142	1,702.2
2023	254	382.4	1,212	1,824.8
2022	200	303.5	1,335	2,025.8
2021	268	409.6	1,716	2,622.8
2020	213	329.8	1,680	2,601.6
2019	78	121.0	948	1,470.7
2018	78	121.6	1,291	2,011.9
2017	104	163.1	1,134	1,778.7
2016	84	133.5	1,195	1,899.7

By police agency (6)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Moorhead Police Department	2025	147	702	46,027
Clay County Sheriff's Office	2025	6	46	10,083
Dilworth Police Department	2025	7	209	4,864
Barnesville Police Department	2022	0	4	2,799
Hawley Police Department	2024	2	11	2,299
Glyndon Police Department	2025	0	3	1,384

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

1.68 per 1,000 residents2025, 6 agencies serving 67,408 people.

113sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

75civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (6), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Clay County Sheriff's Office	37	54	10,083
Moorhead Police Department	55	19	46,027
Dilworth Police Department	8	1	4,864
Barnesville Police Department	4	1	2,766
Glyndon Police Department	5	0	1,384
Hawley Police Department	4	0	2,284

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	113	1.68	75	6
2024	109	1.62	76	6
2023	111	1.67	70	6
2022	116	1.76	70	6
2021	113	1.73	61	6
2020	108	1.67	72	6
2019	107	1.66	77	5
2018	102	1.59	68	5
2017	108	1.69	54	5
2016	105	1.67	54	5

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 Clay County County Attorney?: Brian Melton is the County Attorney of Clay County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Clay County Sheriff?: Mark Empting is the Sheriff of Clay County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Clay County commissioners?: Paul Krabbenhoft (District 1); Ezra Baer (District 2); Jenny Mongeau (District 3); Kevin Campbell (District 4); David Ebinger (District 5).
What is the population of Clay County?: About 66,059 people, with a median age of 33.7; the median household income is $81,172 and 13.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Clay County?: 3.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,407 people unemployed in a labor force of 35,951, against 2.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Clay County?: 54 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 11 municipal, 29 township, 5 school district and 8 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.

Clay County's 2026 ballot and results · Every Minnesota county · Minnesota's members of Congress

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