Who is the Howard County County Assessor?

Neal Dethlefs is the County Assessor of Howard County, Nebraska. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Howard County County Attorney?

Heather Sikyta is the County Attorney of Howard County, Nebraska. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Howard County County Clerk?

Brenda Klanecky is the County Clerk of Howard County, Nebraska. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Howard County Clerk of the District Court?

Lisa Johnson is the Clerk of the District Court of Howard County, Nebraska. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Howard County Sheriff?

Michael Hoff is the Sheriff of Howard County, Nebraska. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Howard County County Treasurer?

Sara Roy is the County Treasurer of Howard County, Nebraska. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Howard County commissioners?

Jessie Urbanski (County Commissioner); Kathy Hirschman (County Commissioner); Kirt Lukasiewicz (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Howard County?

About 6,534 people, with a median age of 42.2; the median household income is $76,767 and 4.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Howard County?

3.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 111 people unemployed in a labor force of 3,650, against 2.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Howard County?

25 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal, 3 school district and 14 special district governments.

Howard County, NE elected officials: county commissioners or supervisors, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Howard County: 9 seats on 7 elected bodies. 8 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

County Board of Commissioners or Supervisors

Howard County Board of Commissioners

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner	Jessie Urbanski source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Kathy Hirschman source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Kirt Lukasiewicz source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Assessor	Neal Dethlefs source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Attorney	Heather Sikyta source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Clerk	Brenda Klanecky source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Clerk of the District Court	Lisa Johnson source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Michael Hoff source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Treasurer	Sara Roy source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Howard County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 25 local governments in Howard 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	0
School districts (school boards)	3	0
Special districts (elected boards)	14	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 Howard County

6,534people

42.2median ageU.S.: 38.9

$76,767 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

4.8%below the U.S.: 12.5%

26%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$209,100median home valueU.S.: $332,700

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

1.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

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

6.8%U.S.: 8.4%

29.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

23%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 3.2% · White 91.1% · Black 0.6% · Asian 0.1% · Other or more than one race 4.9% (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 Howard County

3.0%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.2%. Nebraska: 2.5%.

111people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

3,539people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

3,650in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	3.0%	111	3,539	3,650
August 2026	2.1%	77	3,538	3,615
July 2026	2.1%	75	3,525	3,600
June 2026	2.7%	97	3,475	3,572
May 2026	2.3%	81	3,503	3,584
April 2026	2.0%	74	3,537	3,611
March 2026	2.0%	73	3,567	3,640
February 2026	2.6%	95	3,542	3,637
January 2026	3.9%	143	3,526	3,669
December 2025	2.4%	87	3,550	3,637
November 2025	2.6%	93	3,502	3,595
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	2.2%	80	3,507	3,587
August 2025	2.2%	80	3,526	3,606
July 2025	2.6%	96	3,552	3,648
June 2025	2.9%	107	3,553	3,660
May 2025	2.7%	97	3,488	3,585
April 2025	2.7%	97	3,539	3,636
March 2025	2.5%	90	3,522	3,612
February 2025	2.8%	100	3,480	3,580
January 2025	2.4%	85	3,527	3,612
December 2024	2.2%	78	3,509	3,587
November 2024	2.3%	84	3,492	3,576
October 2024	2.3%	84	3,499	3,583

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	2.5%	92	3,522	3,614
2024	2.6%	94	3,513	3,607
2023	1.9%	67	3,494	3,561
2022	2.0%	69	3,433	3,502
2021	2.2%	77	3,355	3,432
2020	4.3%	145	3,213	3,358
2019	3.6%	120	3,238	3,358
2018	3.1%	103	3,245	3,348
2017	3.0%	101	3,230	3,331
2016	3.3%	110	3,220	3,330

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. Nebraska's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 2.9% 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 Howard County

48.2 per 100,0002025. Nebraska: 218.4.

0.0 per 100,0002025. Nebraska: 1,378.6.

0murders2025, 2 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	2	48.2	0	0.0
2022	0	0.0	2	48.0
2021	1	23.7	2	47.4
2019	2	48.7	3	73.0

By police agency (1)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Howard County Sheriff's Office	2025	2	0	4,153

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 Nebraska · the U.S.

Police staffing

1.69 per 1,000 residents2025, 1 agency serving 4,153 people.

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

7civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (1), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Howard County Sheriff's Office	7	7	4,153

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	7	1.69	7	1
2024	6	1.43	7	1
2023	6	1.46	7	1
2022	7	1.68	7	1
2021	6	1.42	6	1
2020	5	1.22	7	1
2019	5	1.22	7	1
2018	4	0.98	7	1
2017	5	1.22	7	1
2016	5	1.23	6	1

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 Howard County County Assessor?: Neal Dethlefs is the County Assessor of Howard County, Nebraska. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Howard County County Attorney?: Heather Sikyta is the County Attorney of Howard County, Nebraska. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Howard County County Clerk?: Brenda Klanecky is the County Clerk of Howard County, Nebraska. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Howard County Clerk of the District Court?: Lisa Johnson is the Clerk of the District Court of Howard County, Nebraska. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Howard County Sheriff?: Michael Hoff is the Sheriff of Howard County, Nebraska. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Howard County County Treasurer?: Sara Roy is the County Treasurer of Howard County, Nebraska. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Howard County commissioners?: Jessie Urbanski (County Commissioner); Kathy Hirschman (County Commissioner); Kirt Lukasiewicz (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Howard County?: About 6,534 people, with a median age of 42.2; the median household income is $76,767 and 4.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Howard County?: 3.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 111 people unemployed in a labor force of 3,650, against 2.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Howard County?: 25 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal, 3 school district and 14 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 7, 2026, from each county's annual audit filed with the Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts (its list of county officials at June 30, 2025) or, where the audit has none, the county's own website (read November 2026), with the Secretary of State's, Department of Revenue's and Judicial Branch's contact directories for a clerk, assessor or clerk of the district court a county page doesn't name; officials appointed or replaced 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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