Who is the Carter County Assessor?

Gary Rector (Republican) is the Assessor of Carter County, Missouri.

Who is the Carter County Circuit Clerk?

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

Who is the Carter County Collector of Revenue?

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

Who is the Carter County Coroner?

Joe Ben Chapman (Republican) is the Coroner of Carter County, Missouri.

Who is the Carter County County Clerk?

Debi Reynolds (Republican) is the County Clerk of Carter County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Carter County Prosecuting Attorney?

Hannah Pender (Democratic) is the Prosecuting Attorney of Carter County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Carter County Public Administrator?

Heidi Truncone (Republican) is the Public Administrator of Carter County, Missouri.

Who is the Carter County Recorder of Deeds?

Pauline Peterman (Democratic) is the Recorder of Deeds of Carter County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Carter County Sheriff?

Alonzo Bradwell (Republican) is the Sheriff of Carter County, Missouri.

Who is the Carter County Treasurer?

Velvet Ricker (Republican) is the Treasurer of Carter County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Carter County commissioners?

Tom Wilder (Associate Commissioner, Eastern District); Erik McSpadden (Associate Commissioner, Western District); Ron Keeney (Presiding Commissioner).

What is the population of Carter County?

About 5,297 people, with a median age of 38.9; the median household income is $50,000 and 20.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Carter County?

4.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 94 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,319, against 3.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Carter County?

16 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 2 school district and 10 special district governments.

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

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

Carter County Commission

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Associate Commissioner, Eastern District	Tom Wilder Republican source
Associate Commissioner, Western District	Erik McSpadden Republican source
Presiding Commissioner	Ron Keeney Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Assessor	Gary Rector Republican source
Circuit Clerk	Mary Godsy Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Collector of Revenue	Lisa Rodgers Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Coroner	Joe Ben Chapman Republican source
County Clerk	Debi Reynolds Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Prosecuting Attorney	Hannah Pender Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Public Administrator	Heidi Truncone Republican source
Recorder of Deeds	Pauline Peterman Democratic source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Alonzo Bradwell Republican source
Treasurer	Velvet Ricker Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Carter County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 16 local governments in Carter 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	3	0
School districts (school boards)	2	0
Special districts (elected boards)	10	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 Carter County

5,297people

38.9median ageU.S.: 38.9

$50,000 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

20.8%below the U.S.: 12.5%

10.1%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$159,400median home valueU.S.: $332,700

3.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

1.5%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

13.1%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

14.6%U.S.: 8.4%

50%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

26.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 2.3% · White 92.6% · Black 0.4% · Asian 0% · Other or more than one race 4.7% (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 Carter County

4.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.9%. Missouri: 3.3%.

94people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

2,225people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

2,319in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	4.1%	94	2,225	2,319
August 2026	5.0%	117	2,227	2,344
July 2026	5.1%	116	2,153	2,269
June 2026	4.5%	104	2,206	2,310
May 2026	3.8%	85	2,133	2,218
April 2026	3.9%	88	2,167	2,255
March 2026	4.6%	103	2,125	2,228
February 2026	5.0%	110	2,093	2,203
January 2026	5.2%	113	2,043	2,156
December 2025	3.9%	85	2,102	2,187
November 2025	4.0%	86	2,081	2,167
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.9%	86	2,146	2,232
August 2025	4.8%	109	2,156	2,265
July 2025	5.4%	120	2,096	2,216
June 2025	5.0%	114	2,164	2,278
May 2025	4.5%	100	2,137	2,237
April 2025	4.1%	93	2,155	2,248
March 2025	5.0%	113	2,149	2,262
February 2025	5.6%	127	2,125	2,252
January 2025	5.4%	121	2,105	2,226
December 2024	5.2%	116	2,131	2,247
November 2024	4.5%	99	2,095	2,194
October 2024	3.8%	85	2,144	2,229

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	4.7%	105	2,129	2,234
2024	4.8%	109	2,147	2,256
2023	4.4%	101	2,170	2,271
2022	3.8%	88	2,201	2,289
2021	5.1%	120	2,234	2,354
2020	6.9%	160	2,165	2,325
2019	5.0%	117	2,216	2,333
2018	5.4%	125	2,199	2,324
2017	6.1%	145	2,214	2,359
2016	7.5%	177	2,198	2,375

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 Carter County

482.4 per 100,0002024. Missouri: 467.0.

357.3 per 100,0002024. Missouri: 1,974.1.

0murders2024, 27 violent crimes in all.

2024 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2024	27	482.4	20	357.3
2022	31	547.0	33	582.3
2021	36	581.4	55	888.2
2020	36	583.2	39	631.8
2017	29	453.8	95	1,486.5
2016	37	564.4	86	1,311.8

By police agency (3)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Carter County Sheriff's Office	2024	25	17	4,178
Van Buren Police Department	2025	0	2	781
Ellsinore Police Department	2023	0	1	422

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

2.79 per 1,000 residents2024, 3 agencies serving 5,367 people.

15sworn officers2024, full-time, as of October 31.

10civilian staff2024, full-time.

2024 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.

Agencies counted (3), 2024

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Carter County Sheriff's Office	9	10	4,178
Van Buren Police Department	5	0	765
Ellsinore Police Department	1	0	424

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 Carter County Assessor?: Gary Rector (Republican) is the Assessor of Carter County, Missouri.
Who is the Carter County Circuit Clerk?: Mary Godsy (Republican) is the Circuit Clerk of Carter County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Carter County Collector of Revenue?: Lisa Rodgers (Democratic) is the Collector of Revenue of Carter County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Carter County Coroner?: Joe Ben Chapman (Republican) is the Coroner of Carter County, Missouri.
Who is the Carter County County Clerk?: Debi Reynolds (Republican) is the County Clerk of Carter County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Carter County Prosecuting Attorney?: Hannah Pender (Democratic) is the Prosecuting Attorney of Carter County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Carter County Public Administrator?: Heidi Truncone (Republican) is the Public Administrator of Carter County, Missouri.
Who is the Carter County Recorder of Deeds?: Pauline Peterman (Democratic) is the Recorder of Deeds of Carter County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Carter County Sheriff?: Alonzo Bradwell (Republican) is the Sheriff of Carter County, Missouri.
Who is the Carter County Treasurer?: Velvet Ricker (Republican) is the Treasurer of Carter County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Carter County commissioners?: Tom Wilder (Associate Commissioner, Eastern District); Erik McSpadden (Associate Commissioner, Western District); Ron Keeney (Presiding Commissioner).
What is the population of Carter County?: About 5,297 people, with a median age of 38.9; the median household income is $50,000 and 20.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Carter County?: 4.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 94 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,319, against 3.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Carter County?: 16 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 2 school district and 10 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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