Who is the Chouteau County County Attorney?

Stephen A. Gannon (Republican) is the County Attorney of Chouteau County, Montana. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Chouteau County Clerk and Recorder?

Lana K. Claassen (Republican) is the Clerk and Recorder of Chouteau County, Montana. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Chouteau County Clerk of District Court/Superintendent of Schools/Surveyor?

Rick Cook (Republican) is the Clerk of District Court/Superintendent of Schools/Surveyor of Chouteau County, Montana.

Who is the Chouteau County Sheriff/Coroner?

Justin D. Smith is the Sheriff/Coroner of Chouteau County, Montana. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Chouteau County Treasurer/Assessor?

Waden "Eddie" Fultz (Republican) is the Treasurer/Assessor of Chouteau County, Montana. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Chouteau County commissioners?

Rick Darlington (District 1); Clay Riehl (District 2); Robert Pasha (District 3).

What is the population of Chouteau County?

About 5,906 people, with a median age of 43; the median household income is $58,218 and 11.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Chouteau County?

2.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 70 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,762, against 2.7% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Chouteau County?

25 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 7 school district and 14 special district governments.

Chouteau County, MT elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Chouteau County: 8 seats on 6 elected bodies. 5 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Chouteau County Board of Commissioners

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner, District 1	Rick Darlington Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 2	Clay Riehl Republican source
County Commissioner, District 3	Robert Pasha Republican source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Attorney	Stephen A. Gannon Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Clerk and Recorder	Lana K. Claassen Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Clerk of District Court/Superintendent of Schools/Surveyor	Rick Cook Republican source
Sheriff/Coroner	Justin D. Smith source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Treasurer/Assessor	Waden "Eddie" Fultz Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Chouteau County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 25 local governments in Chouteau 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)	7	0
Special districts (elected boards)	14	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 Chouteau County

5,906people

43median ageU.S.: 38.9

$58,218 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

11.2%below the U.S.: 12.5%

23%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$207,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700

3.2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

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

7.9%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

5.7%U.S.: 8.4%

32.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

29.7%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 3.1% · White 75.4% · Black 0.1% · Asian 0.1% · Other or more than one race 21.4% (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 Chouteau County

2.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.7%. Montana: 2.5%.

70people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

2,692people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

2,762in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	2.5%	70	2,692	2,762
August 2026	2.8%	78	2,669	2,747
July 2026	2.6%	70	2,635	2,705
June 2026	3.2%	89	2,654	2,743
May 2026	2.7%	70	2,560	2,630
April 2026	2.3%	62	2,614	2,676
March 2026	2.9%	78	2,589	2,667
February 2026	3.1%	82	2,541	2,623
January 2026	3.3%	89	2,613	2,702
December 2025	3.0%	82	2,612	2,694
November 2025	2.9%	76	2,550	2,626
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	2.7%	73	2,629	2,702
August 2025	2.6%	71	2,712	2,783
July 2025	3.0%	83	2,691	2,774
June 2025	2.3%	68	2,844	2,912
May 2025	2.4%	65	2,680	2,745
April 2025	2.4%	66	2,704	2,770
March 2025	2.1%	59	2,788	2,847
February 2025	2.2%	60	2,674	2,734
January 2025	2.6%	73	2,758	2,831
December 2024	2.3%	64	2,700	2,764
November 2024	1.9%	51	2,670	2,721
October 2024	1.9%	52	2,728	2,780

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	2.6%	71	2,695	2,766
2024	2.4%	68	2,726	2,794
2023	2.7%	75	2,744	2,819
2022	2.1%	58	2,676	2,734
2021	2.5%	69	2,682	2,751
2020	3.5%	97	2,697	2,794
2019	2.5%	70	2,747	2,817
2018	2.7%	77	2,744	2,821
2017	3.0%	85	2,733	2,818
2016	3.5%	99	2,743	2,842

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. Montana's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.1% 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 Chouteau County

55.1 per 100,0002025. Montana: 419.1.

523.7 per 100,0002025. Montana: 1,448.5.

0murders2025, 4 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	4	55.1	38	523.7
2024	8	111.3	20	278.3
2022	10	168.5	5	84.3
2021	11	191.0	13	225.7
2020	5	88.8	17	302.1
2019	1	17.5	13	227.3
2018	8	138.6	11	190.5
2017	3	52.2	28	487.6
2016	3	52.1	16	277.7

By police agency (1)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Chouteau County Sheriff's Office	2024	8	20	5,772

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 Montana · the U.S.

Police staffing

1.71 per 1,000 residents2025, 1 agency serving 5,842 people.

10sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

13civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (1), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Chouteau County Sheriff's Office	10	13	5,842

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	10	1.71	13	1
2024	10	1.73	8	1
2023	9	1.54	12	2
2022	12	2.02	10	2
2021	13	2.26	13	2
2020	13	2.31	14	2
2019	13	2.27	13	2
2018	13	2.25	15	2
2017	13	2.26	15	2
2016	13	2.26	13	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 Chouteau County County Attorney?: Stephen A. Gannon (Republican) is the County Attorney of Chouteau County, Montana. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Chouteau County Clerk and Recorder?: Lana K. Claassen (Republican) is the Clerk and Recorder of Chouteau County, Montana. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Chouteau County Clerk of District Court/Superintendent of Schools/Surveyor?: Rick Cook (Republican) is the Clerk of District Court/Superintendent of Schools/Surveyor of Chouteau County, Montana.
Who is the Chouteau County Sheriff/Coroner?: Justin D. Smith is the Sheriff/Coroner of Chouteau County, Montana. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Chouteau County Treasurer/Assessor?: Waden "Eddie" Fultz (Republican) is the Treasurer/Assessor of Chouteau County, Montana. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Chouteau County commissioners?: Rick Darlington (District 1); Clay Riehl (District 2); Robert Pasha (District 3).
What is the population of Chouteau County?: About 5,906 people, with a median age of 43; the median household income is $58,218 and 11.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Chouteau County?: 2.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 70 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,762, against 2.7% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Chouteau County?: 25 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 7 school district and 14 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 7, 2026, from each county's own website (its elected-officials or department pages, read November 7, 2026), or a county's certified canvass; offices no county page names are left out; 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.

Chouteau County's 2026 ballot and results · Every Montana county · Montana's members of Congress

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

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