Who is the Barnes County County Auditor?

Julie Mindt is the County Auditor of Barnes County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Barnes County County Recorder?

Jody Pfaff is the County Recorder of Barnes County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Barnes County County Sheriff?

Randy McClaflin is the County Sheriff of Barnes County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Barnes County State's Attorney?

Tonya Duffy is the State's Attorney of Barnes County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Barnes County County Treasurer?

Debbie Magnuson is the County Treasurer of Barnes County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Barnes County commissioners?

Michael Schwehr (District 1); Shawn Olauson (District 2); Bill Carlblom (District 3); Vicky Lovell (District 4); Peter Paulson (District 5).

What is the population of Barnes County?

About 10,773 people, with a median age of 43.5; the median household income is $68,038 and 12.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Barnes County?

1.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 108 people unemployed in a labor force of 5,627, against 2.3% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Barnes County?

84 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 13 municipal, 42 township, 2 school district and 26 special district governments.

Barnes County, ND elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Barnes County: 10 seats on 6 elected bodies. 8 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Barnes County Board of Commissioners

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner, District 1	Michael Schwehr source
County Commissioner, District 2	Shawn Olauson source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 3	Bill Carlblom source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 4	Vicky Lovell source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 5	Peter Paulson source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Auditor	Julie Mindt source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Recorder	Jody Pfaff source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Sheriff	Randy McClaflin source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
State's Attorney	Tonya Duffy source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Treasurer	Debbie Magnuson source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Barnes County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 84 local governments in Barnes 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 (13 municipal, 42 township)	55	0
School districts (school boards)	2	0
Special districts (elected boards)	26	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 Barnes County

10,773people

43.5median ageU.S.: 38.9

$68,038 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

12.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%

30.7%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$173,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700

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

2.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

9.5%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

4.5%U.S.: 8.4%

35.2%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

16.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 2.1% · White 89.4% · Black 0.2% · Asian 2% · 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 Barnes County

1.9%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.3%. North Dakota: 1.8%.

108people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

5,519people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

5,627in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	1.9%	108	5,519	5,627
August 2026	2.1%	118	5,392	5,510
July 2026	3.3%	179	5,290	5,469
June 2026	3.3%	187	5,506	5,693
May 2026	2.2%	131	5,708	5,839
April 2026	2.4%	141	5,671	5,812
March 2026	3.0%	172	5,650	5,822
February 2026	3.1%	184	5,668	5,852
January 2026	3.6%	203	5,513	5,716
December 2025	2.9%	167	5,637	5,804
November 2025	2.2%	127	5,674	5,801
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	2.3%	132	5,617	5,749
August 2025	2.7%	157	5,617	5,774
July 2025	3.7%	214	5,497	5,711
June 2025	4.0%	239	5,664	5,903
May 2025	2.6%	152	5,777	5,929
April 2025	3.4%	197	5,680	5,877
March 2025	2.9%	169	5,590	5,759
February 2025	3.2%	184	5,507	5,691
January 2025	3.1%	174	5,387	5,561
December 2024	2.4%	134	5,471	5,605
November 2024	1.8%	104	5,526	5,630
October 2024	1.9%	110	5,632	5,742

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.0%	174	5,604	5,778
2024	3.0%	173	5,575	5,748
2023	2.1%	122	5,570	5,692
2022	2.0%	118	5,641	5,759
2021	2.5%	142	5,528	5,670
2020	3.5%	198	5,471	5,669
2019	2.6%	148	5,598	5,746
2018	2.3%	134	5,681	5,815
2017	2.6%	152	5,798	5,950
2016	2.9%	177	5,970	6,147

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. North Dakota's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 2.2% 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 Barnes County

101.5 per 100,0002024. North Dakota: 256.7.

655.4 per 100,0002024. North Dakota: 1,698.0.

0murders2024, 11 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	11	101.5	71	655.4
2023	5	46.4	84	779.5
2022	12	110.2	126	1,157.2
2021	18	174.4	155	1,502.1
2020	21	205.2	155	1,514.7
2019	21	203.2	161	1,557.8
2018	20	189.3	163	1,542.4
2017	12	112.8	188	1,766.8
2016	14	129.1	246	2,267.9

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Valley City Police Department	2024	10	64	6,541
Barnes County Sheriff's Office	2025	2	10	4,183

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 North Dakota · the U.S.

Police staffing

2.32 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 10,763 people.

25sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

14civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Barnes County Sheriff's Office	11	12	4,183
Valley City Police Department	14	2	6,580

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	25	2.32	14	2
2024	21	1.94	17	2
2023	20	1.86	13	2
2022	22	2.02	3	2
2021	23	2.23	4	2
2020	24	2.35	4	2
2019	22	2.13	3	2
2018	23	2.18	2	2
2017	20	1.88	2	2
2016	20	1.84	2	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 Barnes County County Auditor?: Julie Mindt is the County Auditor of Barnes County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Barnes County County Recorder?: Jody Pfaff is the County Recorder of Barnes County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Barnes County County Sheriff?: Randy McClaflin is the County Sheriff of Barnes County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Barnes County State's Attorney?: Tonya Duffy is the State's Attorney of Barnes County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Barnes County County Treasurer?: Debbie Magnuson is the County Treasurer of Barnes County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Barnes County commissioners?: Michael Schwehr (District 1); Shawn Olauson (District 2); Bill Carlblom (District 3); Vicky Lovell (District 4); Peter Paulson (District 5).
What is the population of Barnes County?: About 10,773 people, with a median age of 43.5; the median household income is $68,038 and 12.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Barnes County?: 1.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 108 people unemployed in a labor force of 5,627, against 2.3% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Barnes County?: 84 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 13 municipal, 42 township, 2 school district and 26 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Secretary of State's official results of each seat's last general election (2022 or 2024); officials appointed since then may differ; 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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