Defiance County, OH elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Defiance County: 96 seats on 45 elected bodies. 2 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 32 local governments in Defiance 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 municipal, 12 township)
16
15
School districts (school boards)
5
2
Special districts (elected boards)
10
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 Defiance County
38,343people
41.1median ageU.S.: 38.9
$73,064 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
10.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
19%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$163,200median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5.2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
0.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
5.9%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
8.4%U.S.: 8.4%
30.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
16.5%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 11.1% · White 84.7% · Black 1.6% · Asian 0.2% · Other or more than one race 2.3% (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 Defiance County
3.2%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.9%. Ohio: 3.3%.
618people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
18,832people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
19,450in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.2%
618
18,832
19,450
August 2026
2.9%
567
19,055
19,622
July 2026
3.3%
648
18,763
19,411
June 2026
3.3%
642
18,868
19,510
May 2026
2.6%
505
18,822
19,327
April 2026
2.9%
550
18,708
19,258
March 2026
3.5%
686
18,671
19,357
February 2026
4.3%
832
18,535
19,367
January 2026
4.5%
859
18,342
19,201
December 2025
3.9%
760
18,639
19,399
November 2025
3.8%
738
18,734
19,472
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.9%
752
18,648
19,400
August 2025
4.2%
828
18,655
19,483
July 2025
4.8%
935
18,702
19,637
June 2025
4.6%
910
18,751
19,661
May 2025
4.2%
828
18,673
19,501
April 2025
4.5%
877
18,532
19,409
March 2025
5.2%
1,018
18,601
19,619
February 2025
4.9%
953
18,536
19,489
January 2025
5.1%
995
18,545
19,540
December 2024
4.1%
810
18,789
19,599
November 2024
4.2%
820
18,850
19,670
October 2024
3.8%
743
18,809
19,552
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.5%
872
18,638
19,510
2024
4.1%
804
18,822
19,626
2023
3.3%
638
18,672
19,310
2022
3.7%
687
18,125
18,812
2021
4.5%
853
18,088
18,941
2020
7.6%
1,447
17,599
19,046
2019
3.9%
773
18,815
19,588
2018
4.0%
799
18,980
19,779
2017
4.4%
893
19,178
20,071
2016
4.6%
917
19,104
20,021
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. Ohio's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.4% 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 Defiance County
162.7 per 100,0002025. Ohio: 275.6.
720.5 per 100,0002025. Ohio: 1,428.8.
0murders2025, 63 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
63
162.7
279
720.5
2024
51
131.9
309
799.3
2023
54
140.9
344
897.8
2022
66
173.6
313
823.3
2021
52
137.3
378
998.1
2020
41
108.1
350
922.8
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Defiance County Sheriff's Office
2025
17
73
18,057
Defiance Police Department
2025
37
180
17,213
Hicksville Police Department
2025
9
26
3,452
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 Ohio · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.68 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 38,722 people.
65sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
18civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Defiance County Sheriff's Office
29
14
18,057
Defiance Police Department
29
3
17,213
Hicksville Police Department
7
1
3,452
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
65
1.68
18
3
2024
61
1.58
18
3
2022
65
1.71
6
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 Defiance County County Auditor?
Jill R Little (Republican) is the County Auditor of Defiance County, Ohio. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Defiance County Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas?
Danny O Crites (Republican) is the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of Defiance County, Ohio.
Who is the Defiance County County Coroner?
John J Racciato (Republican) is the County Coroner of Defiance County, Ohio.
Who is the Defiance County County Engineer?
Warren J Schlatter (Republican) is the County Engineer of Defiance County, Ohio.
Who is the Defiance County Prosecuting Attorney?
Morris J Murray (Republican) is the Prosecuting Attorney of Defiance County, Ohio.
Who is the Defiance County County Recorder?
Cecilia Ann Parsons (Republican) is the County Recorder of Defiance County, Ohio.
Who is the Defiance County County Sheriff?
Douglas J Engel (Republican) is the County Sheriff of Defiance County, Ohio.
Who is the Defiance County County Treasurer?
Vickie S Myers (Republican) is the County Treasurer of Defiance County, Ohio.
Who are the Defiance County commissioners?
Dana E Phipps (County Commissioner); Mick Pocratsky (County Commissioner); Matthew John Koester (County Commissioner).
Who is on the Defiance County School Board?
Charles A Bakle Jr (Board of Education Member); Wesley C Moats (Board of Education Member); Christine M Oberlin (Board of Education Member); Cathy L Davis (Board of Education Member); Michael C Wahl (Board of Education Member); Michael A Boff (Board of Education Member); Chelsie Jordan Schroeder (Board of Education Member); Eric J Wiemken (Board of Education Member); Shaun Mack (Board of Education Member); Bradley J Sines (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of Defiance County?
About 38,343 people, with a median age of 41.1; the median household income is $73,064 and 10.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Defiance County?
3.2% in September 2026 (preliminary): 618 people unemployed in a labor force of 19,450, against 3.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Defiance County?
32 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal, 12 township, 5 school district and 10 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Defiance County?
34: Adams, Adams, Clerk Ney, Defiance, Defiance, Defiance, Defiance, Defiance, Delaware, Delaware, Farmer, Farmer, Hicksville, Hicksville, Hicksville, Hicksville, Highland, Highland, Mark, Mark, Milford, Milford, Ney, Ney, Noble, Noble, Richland, Richland, Sherwood, Sherwood, Tiffin, Tiffin, Washington, Washington. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.
Officeholders as of November 7, 2026, from each county board of elections' elected-officials list (the boards' Elected Officials lookups, read November 7, 2026, and the other boards' own published lists) and Cuyahoga County's certified 2024 general election results. Counties whose board publishes no list we can read yet aren't listed; officials appointed since a list was updated 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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