Who is the Wells County County Recorder?

Carrie K Krause is the County Recorder of Wells County, North Dakota.

Who is the Wells County County Sheriff?

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

Who is the Wells County State's Attorney?

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

Who are the Wells County commissioners?

Danny Maxwell (District 1); Leon B Klocke (District 2); Stanley Buxa (District 3); Dennis T Dockter (District 4); Bryan Lautt (District 5).

What is the population of Wells County?

About 3,890 people, with a median age of 46.3; the median household income is $66,114 and 9.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Wells County?

1.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 39 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,055, against 1.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Wells County?

57 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal, 36 township, 2 school district and 11 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Wells County: 8 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

Wells 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	Danny Maxwell source
County Commissioner, District 2	Leon B Klocke source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 3	Stanley Buxa source
County Commissioner, District 4	Dennis T Dockter source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 5	Bryan Lautt source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Recorder	Carrie K Krause source
County Sheriff	Christopher Kluth source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
State's Attorney	Kathleen Murray source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Wells County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 57 local governments in Wells 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 (7 municipal, 36 township)	43	0
School districts (school boards)	2	0
Special districts (elected boards)	11	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 Wells County

3,890people

46.3median ageU.S.: 38.9

$66,114 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

9.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%

21.7%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$114,500median home valueU.S.: $332,700

2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

1%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

7.1%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

3.7%U.S.: 8.4%

48.2%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

26.4%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 0.6% · White 95.1% · Black 0% · Asian 0.2% · Other or more than one race 4.2% (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 Wells County

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

39people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

2,016people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

2,055in 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%	39	2,016	2,055
August 2026	2.4%	48	1,990	2,038
July 2026	2.1%	43	1,976	2,019
June 2026	2.6%	52	1,957	2,009
May 2026	2.3%	46	1,949	1,995
April 2026	3.2%	64	1,919	1,983
March 2026	3.8%	76	1,929	2,005
February 2026	3.8%	77	1,948	2,025
January 2026	3.8%	75	1,922	1,997
December 2025	3.1%	63	1,970	2,033
November 2025	1.8%	36	1,967	2,003
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	1.8%	36	2,009	2,045
August 2025	1.9%	39	2,013	2,052
July 2025	1.9%	38	2,015	2,053
June 2025	2.5%	49	1,929	1,978
May 2025	2.4%	46	1,911	1,957
April 2025	3.2%	61	1,863	1,924
March 2025	3.5%	67	1,867	1,934
February 2025	3.8%	72	1,843	1,915
January 2025	3.4%	65	1,863	1,928
December 2024	2.7%	53	1,905	1,958
November 2024	2.2%	43	1,882	1,925
October 2024	1.8%	35	1,941	1,976

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	2.6%	52	1,932	1,984
2024	2.7%	53	1,897	1,950
2023	2.7%	54	1,911	1,965
2022	2.9%	57	1,911	1,968
2021	3.2%	64	1,912	1,976
2020	4.0%	80	1,905	1,985
2019	2.8%	55	1,933	1,988
2018	2.7%	57	2,030	2,087
2017	3.1%	70	2,155	2,225
2016	3.7%	83	2,176	2,259

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 Wells County

92.0 per 100,0002024. North Dakota: 256.7.

437.1 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	92.0	19	437.1
2023	1	22.8	12	273.5
2022	5	115.2	9	207.4
2021	11	270.1	15	368.4
2020	6	143.5	15	358.7
2019	3	77.4	17	438.7
2018	4	101.2	30	758.7
2017	3	75.3	41	1,029.1
2016	9	221.4	36	885.6

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Wells County Sheriff's Office	2024	2	11	2,311
Harvey Police Department	2024	2	8	1,587

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

1.86 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 3,755 people.

7sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

1civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Wells County Sheriff's Office	4	1	2,208
Harvey Police Department	3	0	1,547

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	7	1.86	1	2
2024	6	1.54	1	2
2023	4	1.02	1	2
2021	8	2.19	1	2
2020	8	2.13	1	2
2019	9	2.32	1	3
2018	7	1.77	1	3
2017	7	1.76	1	3
2016	8	1.97	0	3

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 Wells County County Recorder?: Carrie K Krause is the County Recorder of Wells County, North Dakota.
Who is the Wells County County Sheriff?: Christopher Kluth is the County Sheriff of Wells County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Wells County State's Attorney?: Kathleen Murray is the State's Attorney of Wells County, North Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Wells County commissioners?: Danny Maxwell (District 1); Leon B Klocke (District 2); Stanley Buxa (District 3); Dennis T Dockter (District 4); Bryan Lautt (District 5).
What is the population of Wells County?: About 3,890 people, with a median age of 46.3; the median household income is $66,114 and 9.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Wells County?: 1.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 39 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,055, against 1.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Wells County?: 57 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal, 36 township, 2 school district and 11 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.

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

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