Who is the Ransom County County Auditor?

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

Who is the Ransom County County Recorder?

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

Who is the Ransom County County Sheriff?

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

Who is the Ransom County State's Attorney?

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

Who is the Ransom County County Treasurer?

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

Who are the Ransom County commissioners?

Kevin Bishop (County Commissioner); Neil Olerud (County Commissioner); Greg Schwab (County Commissioner); Sye Olson (County Commissioner); Todd Anderson (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Ransom County?

About 5,643 people, with a median age of 43.1; the median household income is $75,736 and 10.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Ransom County?

1.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 42 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,772, against 2.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Ransom County?

40 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 5 municipal, 24 township, 3 school district and 7 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Ransom County: 10 seats on 6 elected bodies. 7 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Ransom County Board of Commissioners

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner	Kevin Bishop source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Neil Olerud source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Greg Schwab source
County Commissioner	Sye Olson source
County Commissioner	Todd Anderson source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Auditor	Nicole Gentzkow source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Recorder	Shelly Schwab source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Sheriff	Darren Benneweis source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
State's Attorney	Fallon Kelly source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Treasurer	Kathie Erickson source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Ransom County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 40 local governments in Ransom 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 (5 municipal, 24 township)	29	0
School districts (school boards)	3	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 Ransom County

5,643people

43.1median ageU.S.: 38.9

$75,736 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

10.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%

22.9%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$193,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700

2.9%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

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

9.2%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

2.8%U.S.: 8.4%

38.9%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

19.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 2.7% · White 91.8% · Black 1.1% · Asian 0.7% · Other or more than one race 3.7% (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 Ransom County

1.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.4%. North Dakota: 1.8%.

42people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

2,730people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

2,772in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	1.5%	42	2,730	2,772
August 2026	1.7%	48	2,698	2,746
July 2026	1.9%	52	2,684	2,736
June 2026	2.5%	69	2,720	2,789
May 2026	1.9%	53	2,739	2,792
April 2026	2.2%	62	2,718	2,780
March 2026	2.6%	73	2,716	2,789
February 2026	2.8%	78	2,690	2,768
January 2026	3.0%	82	2,630	2,712
December 2025	2.3%	63	2,674	2,737
November 2025	2.0%	54	2,669	2,723
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	2.4%	66	2,693	2,759
August 2025	2.2%	60	2,720	2,780
July 2025	10.5%	319	2,716	3,035
June 2025	2.6%	72	2,690	2,762
May 2025	2.2%	60	2,694	2,754
April 2025	2.3%	63	2,657	2,720
March 2025	2.9%	79	2,636	2,715
February 2025	3.0%	80	2,623	2,703
January 2025	3.1%	83	2,615	2,698
December 2024	2.2%	61	2,651	2,712
November 2024	2.1%	58	2,646	2,704
October 2024	1.8%	52	2,760	2,812

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.3%	91	2,672	2,763
2024	3.2%	89	2,692	2,781
2023	1.7%	47	2,667	2,714
2022	1.8%	50	2,706	2,756
2021	2.3%	64	2,742	2,806
2020	4.1%	121	2,816	2,937
2019	1.7%	49	2,861	2,910
2018	1.8%	54	2,909	2,963
2017	2.0%	58	2,910	2,968
2016	2.2%	66	2,923	2,989

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 Ransom County

61.5 per 100,0002024. North Dakota: 256.7.

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

0murders2024, 4 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	4	61.5	40	615.5
2023	1	15.4	53	815.5
2022	2	30.4	31	470.7
2021	4	67.1	34	570.0
2020	6	100.5	47	787.3
2019	5	83.8	60	1,005.4
2018	2	33.0	59	973.8
2017	10	163.0	89	1,450.5
2016	8	129.1	51	823.2

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Ransom County Sheriff's Office	2024	2	21	3,487
Lisbon Police Department	2024	2	19	2,164

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

1.62 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 5,552 people.

9sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

1civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Ransom County Sheriff's Office	5	1	3,382
Lisbon Police Department	4	0	2,170

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	9	1.62	1	2
2024	10	1.77	1	2
2023	9	1.59	1	2
2021	9	1.75	1	2
2020	9	1.75	1	2
2019	9	1.75	2	2
2018	7	1.34	1	2
2017	7	1.33	1	2
2016	7	1.31	1	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 Ransom County County Auditor?: Nicole Gentzkow is the County Auditor of Ransom County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Ransom County County Recorder?: Shelly Schwab is the County Recorder of Ransom County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Ransom County County Sheriff?: Darren Benneweis is the County Sheriff of Ransom County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Ransom County State's Attorney?: Fallon Kelly is the State's Attorney of Ransom County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Ransom County County Treasurer?: Kathie Erickson is the County Treasurer of Ransom County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Ransom County commissioners?: Kevin Bishop (County Commissioner); Neil Olerud (County Commissioner); Greg Schwab (County Commissioner); Sye Olson (County Commissioner); Todd Anderson (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Ransom County?: About 5,643 people, with a median age of 43.1; the median household income is $75,736 and 10.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Ransom County?: 1.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 42 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,772, against 2.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Ransom County?: 40 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 5 municipal, 24 township, 3 school district and 7 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.

Ransom County's 2026 ballot and results · Every North Dakota county · North Dakota's members of Congress

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

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