Bell County, TX elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Bell County: 12 seats on 7 elected bodies. 7 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

County officers

OfficeWho holds it nowNext term
County AttorneyJames E. Nichols source
County ClerkShelley Coston sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
District AttorneyStephanie Newell source
District ClerkJoanna Staton sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County JudgeDavid Blackburn sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Tax Assessor-CollectorShay Luedeke source

Special districts

Boards elected by the voters who live in each district.

Bell County Justices of the Peace · 6 seats
OfficeWho holds it nowNext term
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 1Theodore R. Duffield sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Place 1Clifford Lee Coleman sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3, Place 1Rosanne Fisher source
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3, Place 2Larry D. Wilkey sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, Place 1Gregory Johnson source
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, Place 2Nicola J. James sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Bell County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 45 local governments in Bell County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of governmentCensus count (2022)Listed on this page
County government10
Cities, towns, villages and townships110
School districts (school boards)110
Special districts (elected boards)221

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 Bell County

386,897people
32.3median ageU.S.: 38.9
$68,865 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
14.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
27.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$241,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700
6.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
8.6%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
18.5%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
14%U.S.: 8.4%
51.3%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
30.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 26.3% · White 42.4% · Black 21.5% · Asian 2.9% · Other or more than one race 6.9% (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 Bell County

4.9%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 5.0%. Texas: 4.3%.
8,275people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
160,644people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
168,919in the September 2026, preliminary.
Unemployment rate, yearly average, Bell County 0.0%1.8%3.5%5.3%7.0% 20162018202020222024

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years
MonthRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
September 2026 (preliminary)4.9%8,275160,644168,919
August 20265.2%8,848159,775168,623
July 20265.4%9,093159,537168,630
June 20265.5%9,277158,600167,877
May 20264.8%8,077160,565168,642
April 20264.4%7,475160,526168,001
March 20264.6%7,670160,263167,933
February 20265.1%8,622160,104168,726
January 20265.0%8,406159,679168,085
December 20254.3%7,310161,001168,311
November 20254.9%8,204160,802169,006
October 2025not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 20255.0%8,451161,824170,275
August 20255.0%8,558160,960169,518
July 20254.9%8,279160,894169,173
June 20254.7%7,849160,302168,151
May 20254.4%7,356160,345167,701
April 20254.1%6,845162,000168,845
March 20254.4%7,356161,116168,472
February 20254.7%7,952160,526168,478
January 20254.6%7,689160,596168,285
December 20244.1%6,844160,701167,545
November 20244.6%7,642159,610167,252
October 20244.5%7,576159,045166,621
Yearly averages
YearRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
2025 (11 months)4.6%7,804160,942168,746
20244.4%7,384159,184166,568
20234.3%7,033155,362162,395
20224.3%6,809153,016159,825
20215.5%8,674149,316157,990
20206.7%10,166142,593152,759
20193.7%5,519145,333150,852
20184.0%5,939143,824149,763
20174.1%6,080143,289149,369
20164.3%6,293140,679146,972

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. Texas's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.4% 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.

Police in Bell County

Police staffing

1.69 per 1,000 residents2025, 12 agencies serving 405,958 people.
688sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
614civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (12), 2025
AgencyOfficersCiviliansPeople served
Bell County Sheriff's Office12046758,744
Killeen Police Department26267162,382
Temple Police Department1624999,965
Harker Heights Police Department531235,790
Belton Police Department441726,304
Nolanville Police Department1217,799
Morgan's Point Resort Police Department1004,798
Troy Police Department803,745
Salado Police Department702,505
Bartlett Police Department411,687
Rogers Police Department401,097
Holland Police Department201,142

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 Bell County County Attorney?
James E. Nichols is the County Attorney of Bell County, Texas.
Who is the Bell County County Clerk?
Shelley Coston is the County Clerk of Bell County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Bell County District Attorney?
Stephanie Newell is the District Attorney of Bell County, Texas.
Who is the Bell County District Clerk?
Joanna Staton is the District Clerk of Bell County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Bell County County Judge?
David Blackburn is the County Judge of Bell County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Bell County Tax Assessor-Collector?
Shay Luedeke is the Tax Assessor-Collector of Bell County, Texas.
What is the population of Bell County?
About 386,897 people, with a median age of 32.3; the median household income is $68,865 and 14.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Bell County?
4.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 8,275 people unemployed in a labor force of 168,919, against 5.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Bell County?
45 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 11 municipal, 11 school district and 22 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Office of Court Administration's directory of trial courts by county (May 2026), the Texas Secretary of State's county officer lists, the Comptroller's county directory and each county's own website (commissioners); officials appointed since those lists were 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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