Who is the Polk County Assessor of Property?

Jason Pankey is the Assessor of Property of Polk County, Tennessee.

Who is the Polk County Circuit Court Clerk?

Angela Davis is the Circuit Court Clerk of Polk County, Tennessee.

Who is the Polk County County Clerk?

Jackie Rogers is the County Clerk of Polk County, Tennessee.

Who is the Polk County County Executive?

Stan Howard is the County Executive of Polk County, Tennessee.

Who is the Polk County Register of Deeds?

Kile Swafford is the Register of Deeds of Polk County, Tennessee.

Who is the Polk County Sheriff?

Steve Ross is the Sheriff of Polk County, Tennessee.

Who is the Polk County Trustee?

Gina Hicks-Burchfiel is the Trustee of Polk County, Tennessee.

Who are the Polk County commissioners?

Jared Allen (County Commissioner); Keith Barker (County Commissioner); Danny Carver (County Commissioner); Ryan Cooke (County Commissioner); Debbie Davis (County Commissioner); James “Mush” Davis (County Commissioner); Christy Hardin (County Commissioner); Gary Miller (County Commissioner); Samantha Trantham (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Polk County?

About 17,898 people, with a median age of 46.9; the median household income is $62,522 and 13.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Polk County?

3.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 255 people unemployed in a labor force of 7,375, against 3.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Polk County?

9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal and 5 special district governments.

Polk County, TN elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Polk County: 16 seats on 8 elected bodies.

County Commission

Polk County Commission

Office	Who holds it now
County Commissioner	Jared Allen source
County Commissioner	Keith Barker source
County Commissioner	Danny Carver source
County Commissioner	Ryan Cooke source
County Commissioner	Debbie Davis source
County Commissioner	James “Mush” Davis source
County Commissioner	Christy Hardin source
County Commissioner	Gary Miller source
County Commissioner	Samantha Trantham source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now
Assessor of Property	Jason Pankey source
Circuit Court Clerk	Angela Davis source
County Clerk	Jackie Rogers source
County Executive	Stan Howard source
Register of Deeds	Kile Swafford source
Sheriff	Steve Ross source
Trustee	Gina Hicks-Burchfiel source

How many local governments Polk County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 9 local governments in Polk 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)	0	0
Special districts (elected boards)	5	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 (1 in Polk County), 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 Polk County

17,898people

46.9median ageU.S.: 38.9

$62,522 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

13.9%below the U.S.: 12.5%

16.6%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$169,900median home valueU.S.: $332,700

5.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

1%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

7.1%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

14.9%U.S.: 8.4%

49.2%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

18.4%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 2.2% · White 89.1% · Black 0.8% · Asian 0.3% · Other or more than one race 7.7% (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 Polk County

3.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.9%. Tennessee: 3.3%.

255people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

7,120people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

7,375in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	3.5%	255	7,120	7,375
August 2026	3.7%	269	7,014	7,283
July 2026	3.8%	280	7,090	7,370
June 2026	4.2%	307	7,087	7,394
May 2026	3.4%	247	7,077	7,324
April 2026	3.4%	245	7,046	7,291
March 2026	4.7%	344	7,024	7,368
February 2026	4.2%	307	7,054	7,361
January 2026	3.8%	282	7,087	7,369
December 2025	3.6%	271	7,227	7,498
November 2025	4.0%	299	7,196	7,495
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.9%	288	7,191	7,479
August 2025	3.8%	277	7,080	7,357
July 2025	4.4%	330	7,178	7,508
June 2025	4.4%	327	7,181	7,508
May 2025	3.6%	265	7,194	7,459
April 2025	3.3%	245	7,269	7,514
March 2025	3.7%	278	7,196	7,474
February 2025	3.7%	275	7,173	7,448
January 2025	4.1%	302	7,094	7,396
December 2024	3.8%	284	7,134	7,418
November 2024	3.9%	287	7,094	7,381
October 2024	4.1%	299	7,078	7,377

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.8%	287	7,180	7,467
2024	3.8%	279	7,121	7,400
2023	3.8%	283	7,176	7,459
2022	3.6%	271	7,165	7,436
2021	4.2%	314	7,193	7,507
2020	6.6%	508	7,239	7,747
2019	3.8%	300	7,497	7,797
2018	4.1%	311	7,303	7,614
2017	4.4%	342	7,384	7,726
2016	5.5%	429	7,328	7,757

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. Tennessee'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 Polk County

320.7 per 100,0002025. Tennessee: 492.3.

751.9 per 100,0002025. Tennessee: 1,636.6.

2murders2025, 61 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	61	320.7	143	751.9
2024	50	267.0	172	918.6
2023	49	265.0	233	1,260.3
2022	36	194.8	306	1,655.7
2021	38	220.6	320	1,858.0
2020	47	274.0	284	1,655.7
2019	30	174.1	348	2,019.6
2018	56	328.3	411	2,409.1
2017	34	198.5	399	2,329.8
2016	42	245.8	428	2,504.8

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Polk County Sheriff's Office	2025	59	137	17,114
Benton Police Department	2023	0	17	1,403

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 Tennessee · the U.S.

Police staffing

1.89 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 18,558 people.

35sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

38civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Polk County Sheriff's Office	29	38	17,114
Benton Police Department	6	0	1,444

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	35	1.89	38	2
2024	30	1.64	39	2
2023	33	1.83	38	2
2022	33	1.83	39	2
2021	33	1.95	36	2
2020	33	1.96	38	2
2019	33	1.95	38	2
2018	33	1.97	40	2
2017	28	1.67	39	2
2016	28	1.67	27	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 Polk County Assessor of Property?: Jason Pankey is the Assessor of Property of Polk County, Tennessee.
Who is the Polk County Circuit Court Clerk?: Angela Davis is the Circuit Court Clerk of Polk County, Tennessee.
Who is the Polk County County Clerk?: Jackie Rogers is the County Clerk of Polk County, Tennessee.
Who is the Polk County County Executive?: Stan Howard is the County Executive of Polk County, Tennessee.
Who is the Polk County Register of Deeds?: Kile Swafford is the Register of Deeds of Polk County, Tennessee.
Who is the Polk County Sheriff?: Steve Ross is the Sheriff of Polk County, Tennessee.
Who is the Polk County Trustee?: Gina Hicks-Burchfiel is the Trustee of Polk County, Tennessee.
Who are the Polk County commissioners?: Jared Allen (County Commissioner); Keith Barker (County Commissioner); Danny Carver (County Commissioner); Ryan Cooke (County Commissioner); Debbie Davis (County Commissioner); James “Mush” Davis (County Commissioner); Christy Hardin (County Commissioner); Gary Miller (County Commissioner); Samantha Trantham (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Polk County?: About 17,898 people, with a median age of 46.9; the median household income is $62,522 and 13.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Polk County?: 3.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 255 people unemployed in a labor force of 7,375, against 3.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Polk County?: 9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal and 5 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the county directory of the University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS); 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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