Who is the Olmsted County County Attorney?

Mark Ostrem is the County Attorney of Olmsted County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Olmsted County Sheriff?

Kevin Torgerson is the Sheriff of Olmsted County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Olmsted County commissioners?

Laurel Podulke-Smith (District 1); David Senjem (District 2); Gregg Wright (District 3); Brian Mueller (District 4); Michelle Rossman (District 5).

What is the population of Olmsted County?

About 164,498 people, with a median age of 37.8; the median household income is $95,406 and 7.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Olmsted County?

3.7% in September 2026 (preliminary): 3,395 people unemployed in a labor force of 91,173, against 2.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Olmsted County?

38 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal, 18 township, 5 school district and 8 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Olmsted 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

Olmsted 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	Laurel Podulke-Smith source
County Commissioner, District 2	David Senjem source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 3	Gregg Wright source
County Commissioner, District 4	Brian Mueller source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 5	Michelle Rossman source

Official website

County officers

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

How many local governments Olmsted County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 38 local governments in Olmsted 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 (6 municipal, 18 township)	24	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 Olmsted County

164,498people

37.8median ageU.S.: 38.9

$95,406 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

7.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%

49.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$331,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700

3.6%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

11%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

5.9%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

3.6%U.S.: 8.4%

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

18.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 6% · White 75.3% · Black 7.5% · Asian 6.4% · Other or more than one race 4.9% (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 Olmsted County

3.7%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.9%. Minnesota: 4.4%.

3,395people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

87,778people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

91,173in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	3.7%	3,395	87,778	91,173
August 2026	3.8%	3,474	88,482	91,956
July 2026	3.6%	3,349	89,001	92,350
June 2026	3.8%	3,512	88,590	92,102
May 2026	3.4%	3,085	88,141	91,226
April 2026	3.1%	2,785	88,041	90,826
March 2026	3.8%	3,428	87,421	90,849
February 2026	4.1%	3,771	87,596	91,367
January 2026	4.0%	3,665	88,178	91,843
December 2025	3.2%	2,974	89,560	92,534
November 2025	3.2%	2,941	89,228	92,169
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	2.9%	2,750	90,927	93,677
August 2025	3.1%	2,974	91,548	94,522
July 2025	3.1%	2,948	91,655	94,603
June 2025	3.2%	3,039	91,236	94,275
May 2025	3.0%	2,782	90,129	92,911
April 2025	2.8%	2,599	90,262	92,861
March 2025	3.3%	3,008	89,269	92,277
February 2025	3.4%	3,087	88,773	91,860
January 2025	3.1%	2,819	88,917	91,736
December 2024	2.3%	2,117	89,866	91,983
November 2024	2.3%	2,078	89,161	91,239
October 2024	2.2%	1,992	89,402	91,394

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.1%	2,902	90,137	93,039
2024	2.4%	2,246	89,471	91,717
2023	2.2%	1,967	88,393	90,360
2022	2.0%	1,812	87,466	89,278
2021	3.1%	2,767	86,506	89,273
2020	5.5%	5,013	85,979	90,992
2019	2.7%	2,356	86,153	88,509
2018	2.4%	2,098	84,468	86,566
2017	2.7%	2,353	83,248	85,601
2016	3.0%	2,561	81,683	84,244

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 Olmsted County

143.5 per 100,0002025. Minnesota: 223.5.

1,124.2 per 100,0002025. Minnesota: 1,411.5.

1murders2025, 249 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	249	143.5	1,951	1,124.2
2024	222	128.7	1,840	1,066.6
2023	233	136.5	2,146	1,257.3
2022	305	179.6	2,534	1,492.4
2021	341	205.3	2,750	1,655.5
2020	316	192.5	2,676	1,629.8
2019	282	172.3	2,466	1,506.8
2018	268	164.9	2,759	1,698.0
2017	274	169.9	2,450	1,519.2
2016	265	166.9	2,759	1,738.1

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Rochester Police Department	2025	228	1,773	124,142
Olmsted County Sheriff's Office	2025	21	178	42,432

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

1.48 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 166,574 people.

247sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

165civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Rochester Police Department	165	53	124,142
Olmsted County Sheriff's Office	82	112	42,432

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	247	1.48	165	2
2024	236	1.43	193	2
2023	227	1.39	183	2
2022	224	1.37	177	2
2021	224	1.40	175	2
2020	309	1.95	81	2
2019	210	1.33	172	2
2018	208	1.33	164	2
2017	207	1.33	170	2
2016	208	1.36	161	2

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 Olmsted County County Attorney?: Mark Ostrem is the County Attorney of Olmsted County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Olmsted County Sheriff?: Kevin Torgerson is the Sheriff of Olmsted County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Olmsted County commissioners?: Laurel Podulke-Smith (District 1); David Senjem (District 2); Gregg Wright (District 3); Brian Mueller (District 4); Michelle Rossman (District 5).
What is the population of Olmsted County?: About 164,498 people, with a median age of 37.8; the median household income is $95,406 and 7.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Olmsted County?: 3.7% in September 2026 (preliminary): 3,395 people unemployed in a labor force of 91,173, against 2.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Olmsted County?: 38 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal, 18 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.

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