Who is the Buchanan County Assessor?

Dean Wilson (Republican) is the Assessor of Buchanan County, Missouri.

Who is the Buchanan County Auditor?

Tara Horn (Republican) is the Auditor of Buchanan County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Buchanan County Circuit Clerk?

Ashley Thrasher (Republican) is the Circuit Clerk of Buchanan County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Buchanan County Collector of Revenue?

Peggy Campbell (Democratic) is the Collector of Revenue of Buchanan County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Buchanan County County Clerk?

Mary Baack-Garvey (Republican) is the County Clerk of Buchanan County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney?

Michelle Davidson (Republican) is the Prosecuting Attorney of Buchanan County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Buchanan County Public Administrator?

Brad Haggard (Republican) is the Public Administrator of Buchanan County, Missouri.

Who is the Buchanan County Recorder of Deeds?

Becky Dunlap (Republican) is the Recorder of Deeds of Buchanan County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Buchanan County Sheriff?

Bill Puett (Republican) is the Sheriff of Buchanan County, Missouri.

Who is the Buchanan County Treasurer?

David Gall (Republican) is the Treasurer of Buchanan County, Missouri.

Who are the Buchanan County commissioners?

Scott Burnham (Associate Commissioner, Eastern District); Ron Hook (Associate Commissioner, Western District); Scott Nelson (Presiding Commissioner).

What is the population of Buchanan County?

About 83,568 people, with a median age of 38.9; the median household income is $62,158 and 16% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Buchanan County?

3.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,341 people unemployed in a labor force of 38,573, against 3.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Buchanan County?

33 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal, 4 school district and 22 special district governments.

Buchanan County, MO elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Buchanan County: 13 seats on 11 elected bodies. 7 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

County Commission

Buchanan County Commission

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Associate Commissioner, Eastern District	Scott Burnham Republican source
Associate Commissioner, Western District	Ron Hook Democratic source
Presiding Commissioner	Scott Nelson Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Assessor	Dean Wilson Republican source
Auditor	Tara Horn Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Circuit Clerk	Ashley Thrasher Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Collector of Revenue	Peggy Campbell Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Clerk	Mary Baack-Garvey Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Prosecuting Attorney	Michelle Davidson Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Public Administrator	Brad Haggard Republican source
Recorder of Deeds	Becky Dunlap Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Bill Puett Republican source
Treasurer	David Gall Republican source

How many local governments Buchanan County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 33 local governments in Buchanan 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	0
School districts (school boards)	4	0
Special districts (elected boards)	22	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 Buchanan County

83,568people

38.9median ageU.S.: 38.9

$62,158 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

16%below the U.S.: 12.5%

23.9%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$166,300median home valueU.S.: $332,700

4.2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

4%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

7.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

11.2%U.S.: 8.4%

50.4%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

23%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 7.6% · White 79.7% · Black 5.6% · Asian 1.1% · Other or more than one race 6% (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 Buchanan County

3.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.6%. Missouri: 3.3%.

1,341people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

37,232people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

38,573in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	3.5%	1,341	37,232	38,573
August 2026	4.1%	1,598	37,321	38,919
July 2026	4.3%	1,710	37,675	39,385
June 2026	4.1%	1,576	37,229	38,805
May 2026	3.7%	1,408	37,131	38,539
April 2026	3.7%	1,420	37,192	38,612
March 2026	4.4%	1,715	36,899	38,614
February 2026	4.3%	1,635	36,792	38,427
January 2026	4.3%	1,646	36,813	38,459
December 2025	3.2%	1,254	37,651	38,905
November 2025	3.4%	1,331	37,458	38,789
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.6%	1,381	37,056	38,437
August 2025	4.5%	1,762	36,979	38,741
July 2025	4.8%	1,901	37,300	39,201
June 2025	4.5%	1,760	37,091	38,851
May 2025	4.2%	1,625	36,821	38,446
April 2025	3.8%	1,476	36,935	38,411
March 2025	4.6%	1,758	36,699	38,457
February 2025	4.7%	1,783	36,310	38,093
January 2025	4.4%	1,685	36,423	38,108
December 2024	3.6%	1,360	36,507	37,867
November 2024	3.7%	1,394	36,277	37,671
October 2024	3.5%	1,328	36,475	37,803

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.2%	1,611	36,975	38,586
2024	4.0%	1,501	36,392	37,893
2023	3.3%	1,228	36,168	37,396
2022	2.8%	1,036	36,325	37,361
2021	3.9%	1,515	36,963	38,478
2020	5.4%	2,144	37,259	39,403
2019	3.2%	1,318	39,257	40,575
2018	3.2%	1,318	39,296	40,614
2017	3.9%	1,599	39,844	41,443
2016	4.5%	1,896	40,346	42,242

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. Missouri's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.6% 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 Buchanan County

419.5 per 100,0002025. Missouri: 417.8.

3,088.3 per 100,0002025. Missouri: 1,644.1.

1murders2025, 357 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	357	419.5	2,628	3,088.3
2024	549	648.7	2,860	3,379.3
2023	566	674.3	2,805	3,341.9
2022	565	666.7	3,253	3,838.7
2021	508	577.9	3,289	3,741.3
2020	476	536.2	4,098	4,616.3
2018	554	611.1	4,027	4,441.9
2017	464	511.9	5,445	6,006.7

By police agency (4)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
St. Joseph Police Department	2025	347	2,511	70,838
Buchanan County Sheriff's Office	2025	10	114	12,500
Gower Police Department	2025	0	3	1,530
Easton Police Department	2025	0	0	226

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 Missouri · the U.S.

Police staffing

2.23 per 1,000 residents2018, 3 agencies serving 90,425 people.

202sworn officers2018, full-time, as of October 31.

80civilian staff2018, full-time.

2018 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.

Agencies counted (3), 2018

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
St. Joseph Police Department	130	43	76,409
Buchanan County Sheriff's Office	69	37	12,540
Gower Police Department	3	0	1,476

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2018	202	2.23	80	3
2017	203	2.25	76	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 Buchanan County Assessor?: Dean Wilson (Republican) is the Assessor of Buchanan County, Missouri.
Who is the Buchanan County Auditor?: Tara Horn (Republican) is the Auditor of Buchanan County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Buchanan County Circuit Clerk?: Ashley Thrasher (Republican) is the Circuit Clerk of Buchanan County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Buchanan County Collector of Revenue?: Peggy Campbell (Democratic) is the Collector of Revenue of Buchanan County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Buchanan County County Clerk?: Mary Baack-Garvey (Republican) is the County Clerk of Buchanan County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney?: Michelle Davidson (Republican) is the Prosecuting Attorney of Buchanan County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Buchanan County Public Administrator?: Brad Haggard (Republican) is the Public Administrator of Buchanan County, Missouri.
Who is the Buchanan County Recorder of Deeds?: Becky Dunlap (Republican) is the Recorder of Deeds of Buchanan County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Buchanan County Sheriff?: Bill Puett (Republican) is the Sheriff of Buchanan County, Missouri.
Who is the Buchanan County Treasurer?: David Gall (Republican) is the Treasurer of Buchanan County, Missouri.
Who are the Buchanan County commissioners?: Scott Burnham (Associate Commissioner, Eastern District); Ron Hook (Associate Commissioner, Western District); Scott Nelson (Presiding Commissioner).
What is the population of Buchanan County?: About 83,568 people, with a median age of 38.9; the median household income is $62,158 and 16% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Buchanan County?: 3.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,341 people unemployed in a labor force of 38,573, against 3.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Buchanan County?: 33 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal, 4 school district and 22 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Missouri Secretary of State's Official Manual (Blue Book) 2025–2026; 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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