Who is the Jefferson County Assessor?

Jean McCloskey is the Assessor of Jefferson County, Oregon.

Who is the Jefferson County County Clerk?

Kate Zemke is the County Clerk of Jefferson County, Oregon. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Jefferson County District Attorney?

Steven Leriche is the District Attorney of Jefferson County, Oregon.

Who is the Jefferson County Sheriff?

Jason Pollock is the Sheriff of Jefferson County, Oregon. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Jefferson County County Treasurer?

Jeff Rasmussen is the County Treasurer of Jefferson County, Oregon.

Who are the Jefferson County commissioners?

Mark Wunsch (County Commission Chair); Kelly Simmelink (County Commissioner); Seth Taylor (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Jefferson County?

About 25,203 people, with a median age of 41.5; the median household income is $76,260 and 13.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Jefferson County?

4.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 485 people unemployed in a labor force of 11,221, against 5.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Jefferson County?

20 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 4 school district and 12 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Jefferson County: 8 seats on 6 elected bodies. 4 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of Commissioners

Jefferson County Board of Commissioners

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commission Chair	Mark Wunsch source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Kelly Simmelink source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Seth Taylor source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Assessor	Jean McCloskey source
County Clerk	Kate Zemke source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
District Attorney	Steven Leriche source
Sheriff	Jason Pollock source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Treasurer	Jeff Rasmussen source

How many local governments Jefferson County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 20 local governments in Jefferson 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	3	0
School districts (school boards)	4	0
Special districts (elected boards)	12	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 Jefferson County

25,203people

41.5median ageU.S.: 38.9

$76,260 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

13.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%

21.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$374,200median home valueU.S.: $332,700

8.1%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

6.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

8.2%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

7.3%U.S.: 8.4%

43.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

30.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 21.3% · White 57.3% · Black 0.6% · Asian 0.5% · Other or more than one race 20.3% (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 Jefferson County

4.3%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 5.6%. Oregon: 4.3%.

485people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

10,736people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

11,221in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	4.3%	485	10,736	11,221
August 2026	5.5%	627	10,725	11,352
July 2026	5.6%	629	10,670	11,299
June 2026	5.4%	607	10,659	11,266
May 2026	4.8%	536	10,592	11,128
April 2026	4.9%	542	10,514	11,056
March 2026	5.9%	651	10,406	11,057
February 2026	6.5%	715	10,284	10,999
January 2026	6.7%	739	10,221	10,960
December 2025	5.8%	641	10,356	10,997
November 2025	5.5%	611	10,469	11,080
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	5.6%	627	10,622	11,249
August 2025	5.9%	669	10,680	11,349
July 2025	6.1%	697	10,693	11,390
June 2025	5.4%	604	10,676	11,280
May 2025	4.9%	538	10,527	11,065
April 2025	4.4%	487	10,472	10,959
March 2025	5.7%	622	10,299	10,921
February 2025	6.0%	653	10,213	10,866
January 2025	6.1%	667	10,242	10,909
December 2024	4.9%	537	10,376	10,913
November 2024	4.4%	478	10,442	10,920
October 2024	4.1%	455	10,569	11,024

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	5.6%	620	10,477	11,097
2024	4.7%	516	10,483	10,999
2023	4.5%	488	10,362	10,850
2022	5.0%	540	10,154	10,694
2021	6.2%	662	9,961	10,623
2020	8.2%	846	9,464	10,310
2019	4.9%	503	9,686	10,189
2018	5.3%	532	9,570	10,102
2017	5.4%	542	9,438	9,980
2016	6.5%	635	9,186	9,821

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 Jefferson County

120.4 per 100,0002025. Oregon: 311.2.

524.4 per 100,0002025. Oregon: 2,118.0.

1murders2025, 31 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	31	120.4	135	524.4
2024	42	161.5	251	965.0
2023	41	159.6	395	1,537.8
2022	19	74.3	279	1,091.4
2021	20	80.1	356	1,425.5
2020	19	76.3	417	1,675.2
2019	34	130.6	440	1,690.6
2018	36	140.5	415	1,620.0
2017	39	157.0	408	1,642.2
2016	51	208.5	401	1,639.0

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office	2025	10	61	17,908
Madras Police Department	2024	35	185	7,830

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

1.94 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 25,743 people.

50sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

9civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office	40	7	17,908
Madras Police Department	10	2	7,835

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	50	1.94	9	2
2024	52	2.00	5	2
2023	42	1.64	6	2
2022	36	1.41	4	2
2021	29	1.16	23	2
2020	27	1.08	23	2
2019	27	1.11	27	2
2018	27	1.12	27	2
2017	59	2.53	7	2
2016	43	1.87	6	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 Jefferson County Assessor?: Jean McCloskey is the Assessor of Jefferson County, Oregon.
Who is the Jefferson County County Clerk?: Kate Zemke is the County Clerk of Jefferson County, Oregon. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Jefferson County District Attorney?: Steven Leriche is the District Attorney of Jefferson County, Oregon.
Who is the Jefferson County Sheriff?: Jason Pollock is the Sheriff of Jefferson County, Oregon. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Jefferson County County Treasurer?: Jeff Rasmussen is the County Treasurer of Jefferson County, Oregon.
Who are the Jefferson County commissioners?: Mark Wunsch (County Commission Chair); Kelly Simmelink (County Commissioner); Seth Taylor (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Jefferson County?: About 25,203 people, with a median age of 41.5; the median household income is $76,260 and 13.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Jefferson County?: 4.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 485 people unemployed in a labor force of 11,221, against 5.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Jefferson County?: 20 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 4 school district and 12 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.

Jefferson County's 2026 ballot and results · Every Oregon county · Oregon's members of Congress

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