Union County, NM elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Union County: 7 seats on 7 elected bodies. 3 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 9 local governments in Union 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
4
0
School districts (school boards)
2
0
Special districts (elected boards)
2
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 Union County
4,013people
42.6median ageU.S.: 38.9
$46,694 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
16.6%below the U.S.: 12.5%
18.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$122,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700
6.2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
3.8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.2%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
10.4%U.S.: 8.4%
35.3%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
44.5%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 40.1% · White 53.3% · Black 1.1% · Asian 0% · Other or more than one race 5.5% (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 Union County
4.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.6%. New Mexico: 4.8%.
57people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
1,338people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
1,395in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
4.1%
57
1,338
1,395
August 2026
3.4%
48
1,381
1,429
July 2026
4.1%
59
1,396
1,455
June 2026
4.0%
56
1,342
1,398
May 2026
3.6%
50
1,353
1,403
April 2026
3.4%
48
1,362
1,410
March 2026
3.2%
45
1,367
1,412
February 2026
4.4%
62
1,349
1,411
January 2026
4.5%
64
1,367
1,431
December 2025
3.7%
52
1,367
1,419
November 2025
4.3%
62
1,370
1,432
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.6%
51
1,353
1,404
August 2025
3.5%
50
1,379
1,429
July 2025
4.3%
62
1,396
1,458
June 2025
3.8%
54
1,378
1,432
May 2025
3.4%
48
1,368
1,416
April 2025
3.0%
42
1,377
1,419
March 2025
3.0%
42
1,352
1,394
February 2025
3.5%
49
1,351
1,400
January 2025
3.7%
53
1,373
1,426
December 2024
3.2%
44
1,347
1,391
November 2024
3.6%
50
1,337
1,387
October 2024
3.7%
52
1,347
1,399
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.6%
51
1,369
1,420
2024
3.7%
51
1,343
1,394
2023
3.4%
48
1,371
1,419
2022
3.3%
48
1,411
1,459
2021
5.1%
74
1,373
1,447
2020
5.4%
81
1,425
1,506
2019
4.0%
68
1,649
1,717
2018
3.7%
61
1,604
1,665
2017
4.2%
75
1,710
1,785
2016
4.6%
80
1,670
1,750
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. New Mexico's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.7% 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 Union County
217.1 per 100,0002022. New Mexico: 776.8.
241.3 per 100,0002022. New Mexico: 2,976.2.
0murders2022, 9 violent crimes in all.
2022 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
2022
9
217.1
10
241.3
2019
5
123.1
24
590.7
2018
12
289.4
17
410.0
2017
13
314.5
27
653.3
2016
6
145.7
30
728.3
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Clayton Police Department
2025
2
7
2,537
Union County Sheriff's Office
2022
5
7
1,366
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 New Mexico · the U.S.
Police staffing
3.03 per 1,000 residents2024, 2 agencies serving 3,961 people.
12sworn officers2024, full-time, as of October 31.
7civilian staff2024, full-time.
2024 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.
Agencies counted (2), 2024
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Clayton Police Department
6
5
2,559
Union County Sheriff's Office
6
2
1,402
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2024
12
3.03
7
2
2022
11
2.65
9
2
2018
12
2.89
8
2
2017
12
2.90
8
2
2016
12
2.91
8
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 Union County District Attorney, 8th Judicial District?
Marcus J. Montoya (Democratic) is the District Attorney, 8th Judicial District of Union County, New Mexico.
Who is the Union County County Assessor?
Hollie S. Sandoval (Republican) is the County Assessor of Union County, New Mexico. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Union County County Clerk?
Devian Taylor Fields (Republican) is the County Clerk of Union County, New Mexico.
Who is the Union County Probate Judge?
Sharon M. Gonzales (Democratic) is the Probate Judge of Union County, New Mexico. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Union County Sheriff?
Curtis Skaggs (Republican) is the Sheriff of Union County, New Mexico. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Union County County Treasurer?
Shea Lea Arnett (Republican) is the County Treasurer of Union County, New Mexico.
Who are the Union County commissioners?
Justin K. Bennett (At-Large).
What is the population of Union County?
About 4,013 people, with a median age of 42.6; the median household income is $46,694 and 16.6% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Union County?
4.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 57 people unemployed in a labor force of 1,395, against 3.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Union County?
9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal, 2 school district and 2 special district governments.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Secretary of State's official results of each seat's last general election (November 2022 or November 2024, electionresults.sos.nm.gov and the certified canvass in the elections database at electionstats.sos.nm.gov); 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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