Who is the Richland County County Sheriff?

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

Who is the Richland County State's Attorney?

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

Who are the Richland County commissioners?

Nathan Berseth (County Commissioner); Rowland Ehlert (County Commissioner); Terry Goerger (County Commissioner); Perry Miller (County Commissioner); Tim Campbell (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Richland County?

About 16,584 people, with a median age of 38; the median household income is $75,432 and 9.7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Richland County?

1.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 149 people unemployed in a labor force of 9,100, against 2.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Richland County?

89 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 14 municipal, 36 township, 6 school district and 32 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Richland County: 7 seats on 3 elected bodies. 5 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	Nathan Berseth source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Rowland Ehlert source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Terry Goerger source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Perry Miller source
County Commissioner	Tim Campbell source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Sheriff	Gary Ruhl source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
State's Attorney	Megan Kummer 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 89 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 (14 municipal, 36 township)	50	0
School districts (school boards)	6	0
Special districts (elected boards)	32	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

16,584people

38median ageU.S.: 38.9

$75,432 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

9.7%below the U.S.: 12.5%

24.9%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$183,600median home valueU.S.: $332,700

1.7%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

1.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

7.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

6.7%U.S.: 8.4%

32.2%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

17.4%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 3.8% · White 88.8% · Black 0.8% · Asian 0.8% · Other or more than one race 5.9% (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

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

149people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

8,951people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

9,100in 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%	149	8,951	9,100
August 2026	2.3%	207	8,790	8,997
July 2026	2.3%	202	8,764	8,966
June 2026	2.7%	248	8,807	9,055
May 2026	2.0%	179	8,933	9,112
April 2026	2.1%	192	8,898	9,090
March 2026	2.7%	251	8,924	9,175
February 2026	2.9%	264	8,854	9,118
January 2026	3.0%	266	8,711	8,977
December 2025	2.3%	210	8,846	9,056
November 2025	2.2%	199	8,911	9,110
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	2.0%	181	8,918	9,099
August 2025	2.8%	254	8,926	9,180
July 2025	3.6%	329	8,869	9,198
June 2025	3.1%	277	8,751	9,028
May 2025	2.3%	209	8,752	8,961
April 2025	2.9%	260	8,677	8,937
March 2025	3.3%	293	8,658	8,951
February 2025	3.3%	293	8,636	8,929
January 2025	3.0%	266	8,639	8,905
December 2024	2.9%	256	8,681	8,937
November 2024	2.6%	237	8,811	9,048
October 2024	1.7%	157	9,059	9,216

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	2.8%	252	8,780	9,032
2024	2.6%	233	8,779	9,012
2023	1.9%	166	8,730	8,896
2022	2.0%	172	8,630	8,802
2021	2.4%	207	8,509	8,716
2020	3.7%	322	8,297	8,619
2019	2.1%	187	8,578	8,765
2018	2.4%	214	8,655	8,869
2017	2.4%	210	8,672	8,882
2016	2.7%	240	8,718	8,958

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 Richland County

125.0 per 100,0002024. North Dakota: 256.7.

1,226.5 per 100,0002024. North Dakota: 1,698.0.

0murders2024, 21 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	21	125.0	206	1,226.5
2023	25	149.7	213	1,275.3
2022	18	107.3	243	1,449.1
2021	37	229.7	222	1,378.0
2020	35	219.0	301	1,883.3
2019	24	149.9	311	1,943.0
2018	14	86.6	280	1,731.6
2017	17	106.5	293	1,835.5
2016	18	112.3	320	1,995.6

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Richland County Sheriff's Office	2024	2	30	8,801
Wahpeton Police Department	2024	19	176	7,995

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

2.16 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 16,652 people.

36sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

25civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Richland County Sheriff's Office	18	23	8,510
Wahpeton Police Department	18	2	8,142

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	36	2.16	25	2
2024	34	2.02	26	2
2023	33	1.98	22	2
2022	32	1.91	22	2
2021	31	1.92	22	2
2020	34	2.13	22	2
2019	32	2.00	22	2
2018	33	2.04	21	2
2017	32	2.00	19	2
2016	32	2.00	19	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 County Sheriff?: Gary Ruhl is the County Sheriff of Richland County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Richland County State's Attorney?: Megan Kummer is the State's Attorney of Richland County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Richland County commissioners?: Nathan Berseth (County Commissioner); Rowland Ehlert (County Commissioner); Terry Goerger (County Commissioner); Perry Miller (County Commissioner); Tim Campbell (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Richland County?: About 16,584 people, with a median age of 38; the median household income is $75,432 and 9.7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Richland County?: 1.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 149 people unemployed in a labor force of 9,100, against 2.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Richland County?: 89 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 14 municipal, 36 township, 6 school district and 32 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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