Who is the Washington County County Attorney?

Kevin Magnuson is the County Attorney of Washington County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Washington County Sheriff?

Dan Starry is the Sheriff of Washington County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Washington County commissioners?

Fran Miron (District 1); Stan Karwoski (District 2); Bethany Cox (District 3); Karla Bigham (District 4); Michelle Clasen (District 5).

What is the population of Washington County?

About 276,238 people, with a median age of 39.8; the median household income is $115,345 and 5.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Washington County?

4.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 6,593 people unemployed in a labor force of 152,258, against 3.3% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Washington County?

45 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 25 municipal, 6 township, 4 school district and 9 special district governments.

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

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

Washington 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	Fran Miron source
County Commissioner, District 2	Stan Karwoski source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 3	Bethany Cox source
County Commissioner, District 4	Karla Bigham source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 5	Michelle Clasen source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

Official website

County officers

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

How many local governments Washington County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 45 local governments in Washington 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 (25 municipal, 6 township)	31	0
School districts (school boards)	4	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 Washington County

276,238people

39.8median ageU.S.: 38.9

$115,345 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

5.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%

49.1%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$422,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700

3.4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

8.5%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

5.4%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

3.5%U.S.: 8.4%

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

22.3%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.3% · White 77.2% · Black 5.5% · Asian 7.7% · Other or more than one race 4.4% (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 Washington County

4.3%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.3%. Minnesota: 4.4%.

6,593people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

145,665people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

152,258in 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%	6,593	145,665	152,258
August 2026	4.5%	6,789	144,586	151,375
July 2026	4.3%	6,542	145,700	152,242
June 2026	4.4%	6,693	145,667	152,360
May 2026	3.9%	5,869	146,043	151,912
April 2026	3.5%	5,309	145,847	151,156
March 2026	4.2%	6,249	143,961	150,210
February 2026	4.5%	6,770	143,978	150,748
January 2026	4.4%	6,632	144,576	151,208
December 2025	3.6%	5,526	147,000	152,526
November 2025	3.7%	5,638	147,360	152,998
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.3%	5,145	148,611	153,756
August 2025	3.7%	5,725	147,853	153,578
July 2025	3.7%	5,677	148,668	154,345
June 2025	3.7%	5,751	148,624	154,375
May 2025	3.3%	5,072	148,971	154,043
April 2025	3.0%	4,587	149,253	153,840
March 2025	3.4%	5,157	147,242	152,399
February 2025	3.3%	5,081	146,954	152,035
January 2025	3.1%	4,700	147,163	151,863
December 2024	2.4%	3,672	147,877	151,549
November 2024	2.4%	3,686	147,547	151,233
October 2024	2.4%	3,651	147,813	151,464

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.4%	5,278	147,973	153,251
2024	2.8%	4,182	147,295	151,477
2023	2.4%	3,575	145,886	149,461
2022	2.0%	3,014	144,096	147,110
2021	3.2%	4,545	138,731	143,276
2020	5.8%	8,298	135,296	143,594
2019	2.9%	4,180	138,759	142,939
2018	2.6%	3,697	136,501	140,198
2017	3.0%	4,234	134,682	138,916
2016	3.4%	4,657	131,931	136,588

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 Washington County

63.4 per 100,0002025. Minnesota: 223.5.

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

0murders2025, 214 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	214	63.4	2,481	735.3
2024	288	86.5	2,785	836.7
2023	246	75.1	2,920	890.8
2022	288	89.1	3,754	1,161.5
2021	336	108.7	4,529	1,464.8
2020	241	79.4	5,043	1,660.8
2019	235	78.2	4,852	1,615.3
2018	214	72.0	3,484	1,171.8
2017	243	82.5	5,270	1,789.2
2016	262	90.0	5,040	1,730.7

By police agency (9)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Woodbury Police Department	2025	62	937	81,929
Washington County Sheriff's Office	2025	41	296	77,899
Cottage Grove Police Department	2025	28	270	43,759
Oakdale Police Department	2025	43	437	31,027
Forest Lake Police Department	2025	11	238	20,700
Stillwater Police Department	2025	15	165	19,382
St. Paul Park Police Department	2025	8	30	5,341
Oak Park Heights Police Department	2025	6	99	4,633
Bayport Police Department	2025	0	9	3,727

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

1.27 per 1,000 residents2025, 9 agencies serving 288,397 people.

367sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

202civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (9), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Washington County Sheriff's Office	128	155	77,899
Woodbury Police Department	80	14	81,929
Cottage Grove Police Department	49	12	43,759
Oakdale Police Department	39	6	31,027
Forest Lake Police Department	20	10	20,700
Stillwater Police Department	26	4	19,382
Oak Park Heights Police Department	11	1	4,633
Bayport Police Department	7	0	3,727
St. Paul Park Police Department	7	0	5,341

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	367	1.27	202	9
2024	351	1.23	195	9
2023	337	1.20	180	9
2022	342	1.24	174	9
2021	333	1.24	193	9
2020	330	1.25	175	9
2019	339	1.30	167	9
2018	324	1.25	174	9
2017	321	1.25	178	9
2016	310	1.22	168	9

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 Washington County County Attorney?: Kevin Magnuson is the County Attorney of Washington County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Washington County Sheriff?: Dan Starry is the Sheriff of Washington County, Minnesota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Washington County commissioners?: Fran Miron (District 1); Stan Karwoski (District 2); Bethany Cox (District 3); Karla Bigham (District 4); Michelle Clasen (District 5).
What is the population of Washington County?: About 276,238 people, with a median age of 39.8; the median household income is $115,345 and 5.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Washington County?: 4.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 6,593 people unemployed in a labor force of 152,258, against 3.3% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Washington County?: 45 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 25 municipal, 6 township, 4 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.

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

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