Who is the Richland County Clerk and Recorder?

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

Who is the Richland County Superintendent of Schools?

Timothy W. Tharp (Republican) is the Superintendent of Schools of Richland County, Montana. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Richland County Treasurer/Assessor?

Amy Metz (Republican) is the Treasurer/Assessor of Richland County, Montana. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Richland County commissioners?

Loren H. Young (District 1); Shane Gorder (District 2); Duane Mitchell (District 3).

What is the population of Richland County?

About 11,235 people, with a median age of 38.4; the median household income is $73,084 and 6.6% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Richland County?

2.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 112 people unemployed in a labor force of 5,674, against 2.5% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Richland County?

22 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal, 6 school district and 13 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Richland County: 6 seats on 4 elected bodies. 4 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Richland County Board of Commissioners

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner, District 1	Loren H. Young Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 2	Shane Gorder Republican source
County Commissioner, District 3	Duane Mitchell Republican source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Clerk and Recorder	Stephanie Verhasselt Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Superintendent of Schools	Timothy W. Tharp Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Treasurer/Assessor	Amy Metz Republican source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Richland County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 22 local governments in Richland 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	2	0
School districts (school boards)	6	0
Special districts (elected boards)	13	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 Richland County

11,235people

38.4median ageU.S.: 38.9

$73,084 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

6.6%below the U.S.: 12.5%

22%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$263,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700

3.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

3.1%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

5.7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

4.7%U.S.: 8.4%

28.2%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

31.9%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.5% · White 87.5% · Black 0.3% · Asian 0.4% · Other or more than one race 6.3% (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 Richland County

2.0%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.5%. Montana: 2.5%.

112people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

5,562people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

5,674in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	2.0%	112	5,562	5,674
August 2026	2.4%	137	5,678	5,815
July 2026	2.4%	140	5,641	5,781
June 2026	2.9%	167	5,545	5,712
May 2026	2.5%	137	5,395	5,532
April 2026	2.5%	138	5,449	5,587
March 2026	2.9%	163	5,433	5,596
February 2026	2.7%	154	5,450	5,604
January 2026	3.2%	180	5,530	5,710
December 2025	2.7%	154	5,566	5,720
November 2025	2.4%	136	5,621	5,757
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	2.5%	141	5,538	5,679
August 2025	2.4%	140	5,757	5,897
July 2025	2.3%	138	5,751	5,889
June 2025	2.7%	158	5,667	5,825
May 2025	2.5%	140	5,571	5,711
April 2025	2.4%	140	5,583	5,723
March 2025	2.7%	156	5,669	5,825
February 2025	2.8%	158	5,547	5,705
January 2025	2.5%	142	5,606	5,748
December 2024	2.2%	129	5,829	5,958
November 2024	1.9%	114	5,876	5,990
October 2024	2.1%	124	5,918	6,042

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	2.5%	146	5,625	5,771
2024	2.4%	147	5,877	6,024
2023	2.3%	138	5,769	5,907
2022	2.6%	151	5,731	5,882
2021	3.8%	231	5,791	6,022
2020	6.2%	382	5,807	6,189
2019	2.6%	161	6,026	6,187
2018	3.0%	184	5,975	6,159
2017	3.7%	233	5,998	6,231
2016	5.0%	320	6,133	6,453

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 Richland County

396.3 per 100,0002025. Montana: 419.1.

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

0murders2025, 43 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	43	396.3	62	571.4
2024	37	338.1	56	511.7
2023	35	317.9	51	463.3
2022	41	370.4	90	813.1
2021	41	361.9	96	847.5
2020	52	474.6	165	1,506.0
2019	52	471.0	116	1,050.7
2018	56	496.9	146	1,295.5
2017	66	559.7	192	1,628.2
2016	47	377.0	227	1,820.7

By police agency (3)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Sidney Police Department	2025	39	44	5,951
Richland County Sheriff's Office	2025	4	11	4,056
Fairview Police Department	2025	0	7	844

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

1.94 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 10,851 people.

21sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

25civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (3), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Richland County Sheriff's Office	10	23	4,056
Sidney Police Department	10	2	5,951
Fairview Police Department	1	0	844

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	21	1.94	25	3
2024	24	2.19	22	3
2023	21	1.91	23	3
2022	23	2.08	23	3
2021	23	2.03	25	3
2020	24	2.19	27	3
2019	25	2.26	23	3
2017	24	2.04	26	2
2016	22	1.76	28	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 Richland County Clerk and Recorder?: Stephanie Verhasselt (Republican) is the Clerk and Recorder of Richland County, Montana. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Richland County Superintendent of Schools?: Timothy W. Tharp (Republican) is the Superintendent of Schools of Richland County, Montana. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Richland County Treasurer/Assessor?: Amy Metz (Republican) is the Treasurer/Assessor of Richland County, Montana. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Richland County commissioners?: Loren H. Young (District 1); Shane Gorder (District 2); Duane Mitchell (District 3).
What is the population of Richland County?: About 11,235 people, with a median age of 38.4; the median household income is $73,084 and 6.6% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Richland County?: 2.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 112 people unemployed in a labor force of 5,674, against 2.5% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Richland County?: 22 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal, 6 school district and 13 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.

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