Who is the Polk County County Attorney?

Gregory A. Widseth is the County Attorney of Polk County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Polk County Sheriff?

Jim Tadman is the Sheriff of Polk County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Polk County commissioners?

Paul Reese (District 1); Warren Strandell (District 2); Gary C. Willhite (District 3); Joan Lee (District 4); Mark Holy (District 5).

What is the population of Polk County?

About 30,705 people, with a median age of 39.8; the median household income is $73,107 and 11.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Polk County?

4.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 647 people unemployed in a labor force of 15,983, against 3.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Polk County?

90 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 15 municipal, 58 township, 7 school district and 9 special district governments.

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

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

Polk 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 Reese source
County Commissioner, District 2	Warren Strandell source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 3	Gary C. Willhite source
County Commissioner, District 4	Joan Lee source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 5	Mark Holy source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Attorney	Gregory A. Widseth source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Jim Tadman source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Polk County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 90 local governments in Polk 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 (15 municipal, 58 township)	73	0
School districts (school boards)	7	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 Polk County

30,705people

39.8median ageU.S.: 38.9

$73,107 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

11.9%below the U.S.: 12.5%

28%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$222,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700

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

2.1%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

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

5.8%U.S.: 8.4%

55.1%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

21.7%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 6.9% · White 84% · Black 2% · Asian 0.8% · Other or more than one race 6.3% (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 Polk County

4.0%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.2%. Minnesota: 4.4%.

647people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

15,336people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

15,983in 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%	647	15,336	15,983
August 2026	5.0%	806	15,249	16,055
July 2026	5.1%	823	15,426	16,249
June 2026	5.3%	851	15,108	15,959
May 2026	3.8%	617	15,433	16,050
April 2026	4.1%	672	15,615	16,287
March 2026	5.0%	804	15,428	16,232
February 2026	5.3%	867	15,452	16,319
January 2026	5.5%	884	15,248	16,132
December 2025	4.4%	715	15,472	16,187
November 2025	3.8%	625	15,792	16,417
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.2%	526	16,103	16,629
August 2025	4.2%	688	15,648	16,336
July 2025	4.7%	761	15,571	16,332
June 2025	4.9%	784	15,217	16,001
May 2025	3.6%	574	15,431	16,005
April 2025	3.8%	614	15,606	16,220
March 2025	4.4%	728	15,691	16,419
February 2025	4.5%	733	15,661	16,394
January 2025	4.2%	684	15,504	16,188
December 2024	3.1%	505	15,740	16,245
November 2024	2.6%	425	16,028	16,453
October 2024	2.1%	343	16,134	16,477

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.2%	676	15,609	16,285
2024	3.3%	526	15,602	16,128
2023	2.9%	462	15,207	15,669
2022	2.7%	426	15,224	15,650
2021	4.1%	645	15,017	15,662
2020	5.8%	936	15,260	16,196
2019	4.1%	673	15,929	16,602
2018	3.8%	631	16,022	16,653
2017	4.2%	711	16,394	17,105
2016	4.3%	744	16,628	17,372

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 Polk County

217.6 per 100,0002025. Minnesota: 223.5.

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

0murders2025, 66 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	66	217.6	111	366.0
2024	63	207.0	167	548.8
2023	52	169.7	170	554.8
2022	67	219.6	252	825.9
2021	51	165.0	222	718.4
2020	51	163.4	269	861.7
2019	69	219.4	454	1,443.4
2018	46	145.6	373	1,180.9
2017	43	135.3	404	1,271.2
2016	56	177.9	475	1,509.1

By police agency (3)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Polk County Sheriff's Office	2025	32	27	12,890
East Grand Forks Police Department	2025	8	20	8,858
Crookston Police Department	2025	17	38	7,216

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

2.37 per 1,000 residents2025, 4 agencies serving 30,330 people.

72sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

18civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (4), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Polk County Sheriff's Office	28	15	12,890
East Grand Forks Police Department	22	1	8,858
Crookston Police Department	18	2	7,216
Fosston Police Department	4	0	1,366

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	72	2.37	18	4
2024	70	2.30	18	4
2023	71	2.32	20	4
2021	69	2.23	19	3
2020	70	2.24	23	3
2019	71	2.26	24	3
2018	72	2.28	24	3
2017	70	2.20	16	3
2016	70	2.22	16	3

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 Polk County County Attorney?: Gregory A. Widseth is the County Attorney of Polk County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Polk County Sheriff?: Jim Tadman is the Sheriff of Polk County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Polk County commissioners?: Paul Reese (District 1); Warren Strandell (District 2); Gary C. Willhite (District 3); Joan Lee (District 4); Mark Holy (District 5).
What is the population of Polk County?: About 30,705 people, with a median age of 39.8; the median household income is $73,107 and 11.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Polk County?: 4.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 647 people unemployed in a labor force of 15,983, against 3.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Polk County?: 90 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 15 municipal, 58 township, 7 school district and 9 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.

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

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