Who is the Columbia County Assessor?

Andrea Jurkiewicz is the Assessor of Columbia County, Oregon. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Columbia County County Clerk?

Debbie Klug is the County Clerk of Columbia County, Oregon. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Columbia County District Attorney?

Joshua Pond is the District Attorney of Columbia County, Oregon. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Columbia County Justice of the Peace?

James Gibson is the Justice of the Peace of Columbia County, Oregon.

Who is the Columbia County Sheriff?

Brian Pixley is the Sheriff of Columbia County, Oregon. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Columbia County County Treasurer?

Pamela Smith is the County Treasurer of Columbia County, Oregon.

Who are the Columbia County commissioners?

Kellie Jo Smith (County Commissioner); Margaret Magruder (County Commissioner); Casey Garrett (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Columbia County?

About 53,493 people, with a median age of 43.3; the median household income is $87,458 and 8.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Columbia County?

4.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,284 people unemployed in a labor force of 26,694, against 6.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Columbia County?

34 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal, 6 school district and 20 special district governments.

Columbia County, OR elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Columbia County: 9 seats on 7 elected bodies. 5 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of Commissioners

Columbia County Board of Commissioners

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner	Kellie Jo Smith source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Margaret Magruder source
County Commissioner	Casey Garrett source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Assessor	Andrea Jurkiewicz source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Clerk	Debbie Klug source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
District Attorney	Joshua Pond source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Justice of the Peace	James Gibson source
Sheriff	Brian Pixley source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Treasurer	Pamela Smith source

How many local governments Columbia County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 34 local governments in Columbia 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)	6	0
Special districts (elected boards)	20	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 Columbia County

53,493people

43.3median ageU.S.: 38.9

$87,458 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

8.9%below the U.S.: 12.5%

19.8%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$421,600median home valueU.S.: $332,700

4.1%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

3.5%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

10.5%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

5.4%U.S.: 8.4%

53.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

26.6%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 6.7% · White 84.3% · Black 0.6% · Asian 0.8% · Other or more than one race 7.6% (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 Columbia County

4.8%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 6.2%. Oregon: 4.3%.

1,284people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

25,410people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

26,694in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	4.8%	1,284	25,410	26,694
August 2026	5.7%	1,530	25,223	26,753
July 2026	6.0%	1,599	24,877	26,476
June 2026	6.0%	1,581	24,797	26,378
May 2026	5.4%	1,427	24,840	26,267
April 2026	5.5%	1,453	24,800	26,253
March 2026	6.4%	1,684	24,767	26,451
February 2026	6.7%	1,772	24,734	26,506
January 2026	6.8%	1,809	24,658	26,467
December 2025	5.9%	1,580	25,054	26,634
November 2025	5.9%	1,571	25,203	26,774
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	6.2%	1,666	25,124	26,790
August 2025	6.5%	1,736	25,156	26,892
July 2025	6.2%	1,662	25,055	26,717
June 2025	5.7%	1,518	24,983	26,501
May 2025	5.4%	1,432	25,107	26,539
April 2025	5.4%	1,447	25,210	26,657
March 2025	6.0%	1,607	25,102	26,709
February 2025	6.1%	1,623	25,122	26,745
January 2025	6.3%	1,692	25,112	26,804
December 2024	5.1%	1,353	25,183	26,536
November 2024	4.9%	1,298	25,227	26,525
October 2024	4.6%	1,216	25,255	26,471

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	6.0%	1,594	25,112	26,706
2024	4.8%	1,267	25,155	26,422
2023	4.3%	1,122	25,161	26,283
2022	4.4%	1,144	24,871	26,015
2021	5.5%	1,389	23,893	25,282
2020	7.7%	1,904	22,716	24,620
2019	4.4%	1,077	23,667	24,744
2018	4.8%	1,184	23,456	24,640
2017	5.0%	1,218	23,308	24,526
2016	5.9%	1,417	22,600	24,017

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. Oregon's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 5.0% 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 Columbia County

177.9 per 100,0002023. Oregon: 332.0.

804.3 per 100,0002023. Oregon: 2,601.9.

2murders2023, 96 violent crimes in all.

2023 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
2023	96	177.9	434	804.3
2021	120	227.4	530	1,004.5
2020	80	152.6	468	892.5
2019	67	123.2	289	531.6

By police agency (6)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Columbia County Sheriff's Office	2025	66	57	25,046
St. Helens Police Department	2024	40	136	14,616
Scappoose Police Department	2025	15	55	8,349
Vernonia Police Department	2023	1	16	2,436
Columbia City Police Department	2025	0	5	1,948
Rainier Police Department	2024	2	42	1,932

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 Oregon · the U.S.

Police staffing

1.10 per 1,000 residents2025, 6 agencies serving 54,323 people.

60sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

40civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (6), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Columbia County Sheriff's Office	24	34	25,046
St. Helens Police Department	17	3	14,602
Scappoose Police Department	10	1	8,349
Rainier Police Department	5	1	1,938
Vernonia Police Department	3	1	2,440
Columbia City Police Department	1	0	1,948

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	60	1.10	40	6
2024	61	1.11	41	6
2023	67	1.24	42	6
2022	58	1.09	46	6
2021	54	1.02	44	6

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 Columbia County Assessor?: Andrea Jurkiewicz is the Assessor of Columbia County, Oregon. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Columbia County County Clerk?: Debbie Klug is the County Clerk of Columbia County, Oregon. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Columbia County District Attorney?: Joshua Pond is the District Attorney of Columbia County, Oregon. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Columbia County Justice of the Peace?: James Gibson is the Justice of the Peace of Columbia County, Oregon.
Who is the Columbia County Sheriff?: Brian Pixley is the Sheriff of Columbia County, Oregon. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Columbia County County Treasurer?: Pamela Smith is the County Treasurer of Columbia County, Oregon.
Who are the Columbia County commissioners?: Kellie Jo Smith (County Commissioner); Margaret Magruder (County Commissioner); Casey Garrett (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Columbia County?: About 53,493 people, with a median age of 43.3; the median household income is $87,458 and 8.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Columbia County?: 4.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,284 people unemployed in a labor force of 26,694, against 6.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Columbia County?: 34 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 7 municipal, 6 school district and 20 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Oregon Blue Book published by the Secretary of State; 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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