Who is the Grand Forks County County Sheriff?

Andy Schneider is the County Sheriff of Grand Forks County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Grand Forks County State's Attorney?

Haley Wamstad is the State's Attorney of Grand Forks County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Grand Forks County commissioners?

Bob Rost (County Commissioner); Kimberly Hagen (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Grand Forks County?

About 72,923 people, with a median age of 30.9; the median household income is $68,075 and 13.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Grand Forks County?

1.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 637 people unemployed in a labor force of 40,583, against 2.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Grand Forks County?

79 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 9 municipal, 41 township, 8 school district and 20 special district governments.

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

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

Board of County Commissioners

Grand Forks County Board of Commissioners

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner	Bob Rost source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Kimberly Hagen source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Sheriff	Andy Schneider source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
State's Attorney	Haley Wamstad source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Grand Forks County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 79 local governments in Grand Forks 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 (9 municipal, 41 township)	50	0
School districts (school boards)	8	0
Special districts (elected boards)	20	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 Grand Forks County

72,923people

30.9median ageU.S.: 38.9

$68,075 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

13.2%below the U.S.: 12.5%

38%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$252,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700

2.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

6.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

7.6%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

4.5%U.S.: 8.4%

44.5%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

20.2%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.4% · White 81.4% · Black 3.7% · Asian 2.8% · Other or more than one race 6.8% (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 Grand Forks County

1.6%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.0%. North Dakota: 1.8%.

637people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

39,946people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

40,583in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	1.6%	637	39,946	40,583
August 2026	1.9%	789	40,208	40,997
July 2026	1.9%	785	40,571	41,356
June 2026	2.2%	899	40,096	40,995
May 2026	1.6%	671	40,637	41,308
April 2026	1.8%	758	40,514	41,272
March 2026	2.3%	942	40,766	41,708
February 2026	2.4%	997	40,764	41,761
January 2026	2.7%	1,101	40,281	41,382
December 2025	2.1%	850	40,334	41,184
November 2025	2.0%	826	40,664	41,490
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	2.0%	810	40,573	41,383
August 2025	2.2%	904	39,986	40,890
July 2025	2.2%	896	40,243	41,139
June 2025	2.6%	1,079	39,952	41,031
May 2025	2.1%	853	39,981	40,834
April 2025	2.3%	952	40,062	41,014
March 2025	2.8%	1,162	40,129	41,291
February 2025	2.7%	1,114	40,162	41,276
January 2025	2.7%	1,095	39,592	40,687
December 2024	2.2%	890	39,536	40,426
November 2024	2.0%	796	39,637	40,433
October 2024	1.7%	685	39,988	40,673

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	2.3%	958	40,153	41,111
2024	2.1%	856	39,539	40,395
2023	1.9%	732	38,743	39,475
2022	1.9%	732	38,004	38,736
2021	2.7%	1,038	37,349	38,387
2020	4.4%	1,685	36,706	38,391
2019	1.9%	733	38,658	39,391
2018	2.0%	811	39,028	39,839
2017	2.1%	866	39,549	40,415
2016	2.3%	907	39,107	40,014

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 Grand Forks County

299.5 per 100,0002024. North Dakota: 256.7.

1,896.1 per 100,0002024. North Dakota: 1,698.0.

3murders2024, 224 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	224	299.5	1,418	1,896.1
2023	175	237.5	1,584	2,149.8
2022	198	266.4	1,846	2,483.7
2021	201	283.6	1,504	2,122.1
2020	183	260.5	1,429	2,034.1
2019	184	257.1	1,541	2,153.2
2018	165	229.7	1,530	2,129.9
2017	196	274.7	1,863	2,610.7
2016	185	259.2	1,929	2,702.9

By police agency (3)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Grand Forks Police Department	2024	212	1,347	58,848
Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office	2025	11	38	11,259
Emerado Police Department	2024	0	13	440

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

1.84 per 1,000 residents2023, 5 agencies serving 72,474 people.

133sworn officers2023, full-time, as of October 31.

22civilian staff2023, full-time.

2023 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.

Agencies counted (5), 2023

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Grand Forks Police Department	98	16	58,470
Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office	32	6	11,583
Emerado Police Department	1	0	437
NORTHWOOD	1	0	930
THOMPSON	1	0	1,054

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2023	133	1.84	22	5
2022	126	1.72	23	5
2021	131	1.88	27	5
2020	128	1.86	21	5
2019	128	1.82	21	5
2018	125	1.77	21	5
2017	125	1.78	21	5
2016	121	1.73	22	5

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 Grand Forks County County Sheriff?: Andy Schneider is the County Sheriff of Grand Forks County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Grand Forks County State's Attorney?: Haley Wamstad is the State's Attorney of Grand Forks County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Grand Forks County commissioners?: Bob Rost (County Commissioner); Kimberly Hagen (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Grand Forks County?: About 72,923 people, with a median age of 30.9; the median household income is $68,075 and 13.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Grand Forks County?: 1.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 637 people unemployed in a labor force of 40,583, against 2.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Grand Forks County?: 79 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 9 municipal, 41 township, 8 school district and 20 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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