Who is the Vernon County Assessor?

Lena Kleeman (Democratic) is the Assessor of Vernon County, Missouri.

Who is the Vernon County Circuit Clerk?

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

Who is the Vernon County Collector-Treasurer?

Brent Banes (Republican) is the Collector-Treasurer of Vernon County, Missouri.

Who is the Vernon County Coroner?

David L. Ferry (Democratic) is the Coroner of Vernon County, Missouri.

Who is the Vernon County County Clerk?

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

Who is the Vernon County County Surveyor?

The office of Vernon County County Surveyor is vacant.

Who is the Vernon County Prosecuting Attorney?

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

Who is the Vernon County Public Administrator?

Kelsey Westerhold (Republican) is the Public Administrator of Vernon County, Missouri.

Who is the Vernon County Recorder of Deeds?

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

Who is the Vernon County Sheriff?

Mike Buehler (Republican) is the Sheriff of Vernon County, Missouri.

Who are the Vernon County commissioners?

Cindy Thompson (Associate Commissioner, Northern District); John Shorten (Associate Commissioner, Southern District); Joe Wilson (Presiding Commissioner).

What is the population of Vernon County?

About 19,687 people, with a median age of 41.9; the median household income is $52,230 and 18.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Vernon County?

3.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 302 people unemployed in a labor force of 9,748, against 3.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Vernon County?

44 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 12 municipal, 20 township, 4 school district and 7 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Vernon County: 13 seats on 11 elected bodies. 5 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

County Commission

Vernon County Commission

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Associate Commissioner, Northern District	Cindy Thompson Republican source
Associate Commissioner, Southern District	John Shorten Republican source
Presiding Commissioner	Joe Wilson Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Assessor	Lena Kleeman Democratic source
Circuit Clerk	Carrie Poe Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Collector-Treasurer	Brent Banes Republican source
Coroner	David L. Ferry Democratic source
County Clerk	Adrienne Lee Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Surveyor	Vacant source
Prosecuting Attorney	Brandi McInroy Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Public Administrator	Kelsey Westerhold Republican source
Recorder of Deeds	Shelly Baldwin Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Mike Buehler Republican source

How many local governments Vernon County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 44 local governments in Vernon 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 (12 municipal, 20 township)	32	0
School districts (school boards)	4	0
Special districts (elected boards)	7	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 Vernon County

19,687people

41.9median ageU.S.: 38.9

$52,230 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

18.8%below the U.S.: 12.5%

16.6%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$158,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700

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

2.2%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

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

14.4%U.S.: 8.4%

34.5%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

33.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 2.7% · White 92.6% · Black 0.9% · Asian 0.8% · Other or more than one race 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 Vernon County

3.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.2%. Missouri: 3.3%.

302people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

9,446people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

9,748in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	3.1%	302	9,446	9,748
August 2026	3.9%	358	8,935	9,293
July 2026	4.2%	390	8,850	9,240
June 2026	3.8%	359	9,175	9,534
May 2026	3.3%	311	9,165	9,476
April 2026	3.2%	310	9,517	9,827
March 2026	3.7%	361	9,328	9,689
February 2026	3.8%	367	9,376	9,743
January 2026	3.8%	362	9,129	9,491
December 2025	2.9%	280	9,212	9,492
November 2025	3.2%	299	9,073	9,372
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.2%	303	9,225	9,528
August 2025	4.3%	385	8,670	9,055
July 2025	4.5%	415	8,834	9,249
June 2025	4.2%	411	9,265	9,676
May 2025	4.0%	378	9,097	9,475
April 2025	3.5%	343	9,382	9,725
March 2025	4.3%	423	9,449	9,872
February 2025	4.1%	401	9,436	9,837
January 2025	3.9%	385	9,407	9,792
December 2024	3.6%	330	8,953	9,283
November 2024	3.6%	327	8,649	8,976
October 2024	3.6%	327	8,808	9,135

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.8%	366	9,186	9,552
2024	4.0%	360	8,690	9,050
2023	3.4%	310	8,741	9,051
2022	2.5%	230	8,824	9,054
2021	3.2%	294	8,974	9,268
2020	4.4%	408	8,932	9,340
2019	3.4%	322	9,083	9,405
2018	3.1%	300	9,246	9,546
2017	3.8%	367	9,301	9,668
2016	4.8%	462	9,143	9,605

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 Vernon County

385.1 per 100,0002025. Missouri: 417.8.

2,147.6 per 100,0002025. Missouri: 1,644.1.

0murders2025, 78 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	78	385.1	435	2,147.6
2024	81	399.6	526	2,595.1
2023	69	343.4	597	2,971.0
2022	66	330.6	559	2,800.0
2021	87	417.8	582	2,795.0
2020	85	404.6	521	2,480.2
2019	110	525.2	681	3,251.4
2018	122	585.5	744	3,570.4
2017	155	731.2	882	4,160.6
2016	127	597.2	854	4,015.8

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Vernon County Sheriff's Office	2025	48	148	11,504
Nevada Police Department	2025	30	287	8,315

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

2.17 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 19,819 people.

43sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

40civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Vernon County Sheriff's Office	20	36	11,504
Nevada Police Department	23	4	8,315

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	43	2.17	40	2
2024	34	1.71	33	2
2023	40	2.03	34	2
2022	39	2.00	39	2
2019	38	1.86	33	2
2018	40	1.97	32	2
2017	40	1.94	30	2
2016	39	1.88	19	2

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 Vernon County Assessor?: Lena Kleeman (Democratic) is the Assessor of Vernon County, Missouri.
Who is the Vernon County Circuit Clerk?: Carrie Poe (Republican) is the Circuit Clerk of Vernon County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Vernon County Collector-Treasurer?: Brent Banes (Republican) is the Collector-Treasurer of Vernon County, Missouri.
Who is the Vernon County Coroner?: David L. Ferry (Democratic) is the Coroner of Vernon County, Missouri.
Who is the Vernon County County Clerk?: Adrienne Lee (Republican) is the County Clerk of Vernon County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Vernon County County Surveyor?: The office of Vernon County County Surveyor is vacant.
Who is the Vernon County Prosecuting Attorney?: Brandi McInroy (Republican) is the Prosecuting Attorney of Vernon County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Vernon County Public Administrator?: Kelsey Westerhold (Republican) is the Public Administrator of Vernon County, Missouri.
Who is the Vernon County Recorder of Deeds?: Shelly Baldwin (Republican) is the Recorder of Deeds of Vernon County, Missouri. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Vernon County Sheriff?: Mike Buehler (Republican) is the Sheriff of Vernon County, Missouri.
Who are the Vernon County commissioners?: Cindy Thompson (Associate Commissioner, Northern District); John Shorten (Associate Commissioner, Southern District); Joe Wilson (Presiding Commissioner).
What is the population of Vernon County?: About 19,687 people, with a median age of 41.9; the median household income is $52,230 and 18.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Vernon County?: 3.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 302 people unemployed in a labor force of 9,748, against 3.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Vernon County?: 44 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 12 municipal, 20 township, 4 school district and 7 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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