Who is the Van Buren County Assessor of Property?

Darlene Hale is the Assessor of Property of Van Buren County, Tennessee.

Who is the Van Buren County Circuit Court Clerk?

Lavetta Simmons is the Circuit Court Clerk of Van Buren County, Tennessee.

Who is the Van Buren County County Clerk?

Lisa Rigsby is the County Clerk of Van Buren County, Tennessee.

Who is the Van Buren County County Mayor?

Barry Austin is the County Mayor of Van Buren County, Tennessee.

Who is the Van Buren County Register of Deeds?

April Shockley is the Register of Deeds of Van Buren County, Tennessee.

Who is the Van Buren County Sheriff?

Michael Brock is the Sheriff of Van Buren County, Tennessee.

Who is the Van Buren County Trustee?

Beth Simmons is the Trustee of Van Buren County, Tennessee.

Who are the Van Buren County commissioners?

Jeffrey Blair (County Commissioner); Michael Chandler (County Commissioner); Jordan Delong (County Commissioner); Gage Farmer (County Commissioner); Joey Grissom (County Commissioner); Terry Hickey (County Commissioner); Terry Hodges (County Commissioner); Seth Pettit (County Commissioner); Bradi Roberts (County Commissioner); Rip Van Winkle (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Van Buren County?

About 6,437 people, with a median age of 47.2; the median household income is $54,931 and 16.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Van Buren County?

3.2% in September 2026 (preliminary): 92 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,882, against 3.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Van Buren County?

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

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Van Buren County: 17 seats on 8 elected bodies.

County Commission

Van Buren County Commission

Office	Who holds it now
County Commissioner	Jeffrey Blair source
County Commissioner	Michael Chandler source
County Commissioner	Jordan Delong source
County Commissioner	Gage Farmer source
County Commissioner	Joey Grissom source
County Commissioner	Terry Hickey source
County Commissioner	Terry Hodges source
County Commissioner	Seth Pettit source
County Commissioner	Bradi Roberts source
County Commissioner	Rip Van Winkle source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now
Assessor of Property	Darlene Hale source
Circuit Court Clerk	Lavetta Simmons source
County Clerk	Lisa Rigsby source
County Mayor	Barry Austin source
Register of Deeds	April Shockley source
Sheriff	Michael Brock source
Trustee	Beth Simmons source

How many local governments Van Buren County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 3 local governments in Van Buren 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	1	0
School districts (school boards)	0	0
Special districts (elected boards)	1	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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren County

6,437people

47.2median ageU.S.: 38.9

$54,931 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

16.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%

13.7%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$159,200median home valueU.S.: $332,700

2.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

0.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

10%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

15.1%U.S.: 8.4%

32.4%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

29.5%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 2.2% · White 94.6% · Black 0.3% · Asian 0.1% · Other or more than one race 2.7% (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 Van Buren County

3.2%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.4%. Tennessee: 3.3%.

92people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

2,790people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

2,882in 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%	92	2,790	2,882
August 2026	3.4%	96	2,754	2,850
July 2026	3.6%	100	2,684	2,784
June 2026	4.0%	116	2,762	2,878
May 2026	3.2%	89	2,711	2,800
April 2026	3.0%	83	2,647	2,730
March 2026	3.0%	84	2,680	2,764
February 2026	3.6%	103	2,730	2,833
January 2026	3.2%	90	2,721	2,811
December 2025	3.3%	95	2,807	2,902
November 2025	3.7%	107	2,762	2,869
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.4%	96	2,724	2,820
August 2025	3.3%	91	2,675	2,766
July 2025	3.9%	106	2,621	2,727
June 2025	4.1%	114	2,648	2,762
May 2025	3.3%	91	2,686	2,777
April 2025	3.1%	85	2,692	2,777
March 2025	3.4%	97	2,726	2,823
February 2025	3.5%	99	2,736	2,835
January 2025	4.1%	119	2,782	2,901
December 2024	3.4%	98	2,795	2,893
November 2024	3.6%	103	2,784	2,887
October 2024	3.8%	106	2,719	2,825

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.6%	100	2,714	2,814
2024	3.5%	99	2,748	2,847
2023	3.5%	101	2,747	2,848
2022	3.3%	92	2,691	2,783
2021	3.9%	106	2,605	2,711
2020	6.4%	174	2,531	2,705
2019	3.4%	95	2,683	2,778
2018	3.6%	100	2,656	2,756
2017	3.3%	92	2,689	2,781
2016	4.7%	128	2,584	2,712

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 Van Buren County

135.7 per 100,0002024. Tennessee: 602.4.

723.8 per 100,0002024. Tennessee: 2,047.7.

0murders2024, 9 violent crimes in all.

2024 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
2024	9	135.7	48	723.8
2023	9	137.0	23	350.1
2021	11	182.9	35	582.1
2020	4	67.7	42	711.0
2019	6	103.6	41	707.9
2018	6	104.1	72	1,248.7
2017	8	139.8	76	1,328.0
2016	18	315.7	67	1,175.0

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Van Buren County Sheriff's Office	2025	7	11	5,205
Spencer Police Department	2021	4	5	1,720

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

1.90 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 6,828 people.

13sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

1civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Van Buren County Sheriff's Office	11	1	5,205
Spencer Police Department	2	0	1,623

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	13	1.90	1	2
2024	12	1.81	14	2
2023	12	1.83	18	2
2022	6	0.92	16	2
2021	10	1.66	13	2
2020	9	1.52	14	2
2019	9	1.55	16	2
2018	10	1.73	16	2
2017	12	2.10	9	2
2016	11	1.93	10	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 Van Buren County Assessor of Property?: Darlene Hale is the Assessor of Property of Van Buren County, Tennessee.
Who is the Van Buren County Circuit Court Clerk?: Lavetta Simmons is the Circuit Court Clerk of Van Buren County, Tennessee.
Who is the Van Buren County County Clerk?: Lisa Rigsby is the County Clerk of Van Buren County, Tennessee.
Who is the Van Buren County County Mayor?: Barry Austin is the County Mayor of Van Buren County, Tennessee.
Who is the Van Buren County Register of Deeds?: April Shockley is the Register of Deeds of Van Buren County, Tennessee.
Who is the Van Buren County Sheriff?: Michael Brock is the Sheriff of Van Buren County, Tennessee.
Who is the Van Buren County Trustee?: Beth Simmons is the Trustee of Van Buren County, Tennessee.
Who are the Van Buren County commissioners?: Jeffrey Blair (County Commissioner); Michael Chandler (County Commissioner); Jordan Delong (County Commissioner); Gage Farmer (County Commissioner); Joey Grissom (County Commissioner); Terry Hickey (County Commissioner); Terry Hodges (County Commissioner); Seth Pettit (County Commissioner); Bradi Roberts (County Commissioner); Rip Van Winkle (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Van Buren County?: About 6,437 people, with a median age of 47.2; the median household income is $54,931 and 16.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Van Buren County?: 3.2% in September 2026 (preliminary): 92 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,882, against 3.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Van Buren County?: 3 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 municipal and 1 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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