Who is the Rice County County Attorney?

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

Who is the Rice County Sheriff?

Jesse Thomas is the Sheriff of Rice County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Rice County commissioners?

Jim Purfeerst (District 1); Galen Malecha (District 2); Gerald Hoisington (District 3); Steve Underdahl (District 4); Charles Peters (District 5).

What is the population of Rice County?

About 67,917 people, with a median age of 37.1; the median household income is $83,181 and 10.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Rice County?

4.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,554 people unemployed in a labor force of 36,273, against 3.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Rice County?

28 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal, 14 township, 2 school district and 5 special district governments.

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

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

Rice 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	Jim Purfeerst source
County Commissioner, District 2	Galen Malecha source
County Commissioner, District 3	Gerald Hoisington source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 4	Steve Underdahl source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 5	Charles Peters source

Official website

County officers

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

How many local governments Rice County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 28 local governments in Rice 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, 14 township)	20	0
School districts (school boards)	2	0
Special districts (elected boards)	5	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 Rice County

67,917people

37.1median ageU.S.: 38.9

$83,181 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

10.2%below the U.S.: 12.5%

30.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$320,200median home valueU.S.: $332,700

4.6%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

8.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

5.8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

5.5%U.S.: 8.4%

44.6%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

29.4%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 10.5% · White 77.2% · Black 6.7% · Asian 2.3% · Other or more than one race 3.4% (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 Rice County

4.3%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.2%. Minnesota: 4.4%.

1,554people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

34,719people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

36,273in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	4.3%	1,554	34,719	36,273
August 2026	4.9%	1,765	34,429	36,194
July 2026	4.5%	1,628	34,473	36,101
June 2026	4.6%	1,687	34,641	36,328
May 2026	3.9%	1,435	34,905	36,340
April 2026	3.9%	1,437	34,989	36,426
March 2026	4.8%	1,739	34,467	36,206
February 2026	5.3%	1,931	34,446	36,377
January 2026	5.4%	1,965	34,381	36,346
December 2025	4.4%	1,617	34,806	36,423
November 2025	3.9%	1,428	35,027	36,455
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.2%	1,158	35,375	36,533
August 2025	4.0%	1,455	35,151	36,606
July 2025	4.1%	1,478	34,915	36,393
June 2025	4.1%	1,512	35,034	36,546
May 2025	3.3%	1,212	35,154	36,366
April 2025	3.6%	1,307	35,110	36,417
March 2025	4.2%	1,541	34,779	36,320
February 2025	4.2%	1,504	34,679	36,183
January 2025	4.0%	1,440	34,669	36,109
December 2024	3.1%	1,101	34,910	36,011
November 2024	2.6%	923	34,954	35,877
October 2024	2.3%	821	35,207	36,028

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.9%	1,423	34,973	36,396
2024	3.1%	1,122	34,750	35,872
2023	2.8%	979	34,056	35,035
2022	2.6%	881	33,543	34,424
2021	3.7%	1,279	32,981	34,260
2020	5.8%	2,032	32,880	34,912
2019	3.4%	1,187	33,492	34,679
2018	3.1%	1,060	33,215	34,275
2017	3.4%	1,166	32,865	34,031
2016	3.8%	1,277	32,412	33,689

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 Rice County

148.4 per 100,0002025. Minnesota: 223.5.

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

0murders2025, 75 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	75	148.4	285	564.0
2024	95	190.3	338	677.0
2023	93	188.1	440	889.9
2022	84	171.3	643	1,311.0
2021	93	190.2	541	1,106.7
2020	90	185.9	680	1,404.3
2019	79	164.0	640	1,328.4
2018	94	196.6	661	1,382.2
2016	86	185.7	712	1,537.5

By police agency (4)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Faribault Police Department	2025	63	240	25,117
Rice County Sheriff's Office	2023	21	55	17,101
Lonsdale Police Department	2025	2	7	5,159
Dundas Police Department	2025	0	26	1,831

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

1.54 per 1,000 residents2025, 4 agencies serving 49,508 people.

76sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

47civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (4), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Rice County Sheriff's Office	33	38	17,401
Faribault Police Department	33	8	25,117
Lonsdale Police Department	6	1	5,159
Dundas Police Department	4	0	1,831

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	76	1.54	47	4
2024	75	1.53	48	4
2023	75	1.55	40	4
2022	75	1.56	44	4
2021	78	1.63	38	4
2020	77	1.62	36	4
2019	73	1.55	35	4
2018	74	1.58	37	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 Rice County County Attorney?: Brian Mortenson is the County Attorney of Rice County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Rice County Sheriff?: Jesse Thomas is the Sheriff of Rice County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Rice County commissioners?: Jim Purfeerst (District 1); Galen Malecha (District 2); Gerald Hoisington (District 3); Steve Underdahl (District 4); Charles Peters (District 5).
What is the population of Rice County?: About 67,917 people, with a median age of 37.1; the median household income is $83,181 and 10.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Rice County?: 4.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,554 people unemployed in a labor force of 36,273, against 3.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Rice County?: 28 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal, 14 township, 2 school district and 5 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.

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

See your members of Congress and every race and measure on your ballot in Rice County, from your address. Your address stays in your browser.Look up my races

See something wrong on this page? Report a problem · Corrections