Carson County, TX elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Carson County: 5 seats on 4 elected bodies. 4 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
How many local governments Carson County has
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 10 local governments in Carson County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
0
Cities, towns, villages and townships
4
0
School districts (school boards)
3
0
Special districts (elected boards)
2
1
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 Carson County
5,801people
41median ageU.S.: 38.9
$85,231 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
7.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%
26.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$143,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700
1.2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
2.1%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
11.7%U.S.: 8.4%
31.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
11.3%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 10.9% · White 81.8% · Black 0.7% · Asian 0.3% · Other or more than one race 6.3% (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 Carson County
3.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.1%. Texas: 4.3%.
97people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
3,054people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
3,151in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.1%
97
3,054
3,151
August 2026
3.5%
108
3,019
3,127
July 2026
3.7%
115
3,029
3,144
June 2026
3.8%
120
3,020
3,140
May 2026
3.2%
99
3,033
3,132
April 2026
2.9%
93
3,082
3,175
March 2026
3.0%
94
2,989
3,083
February 2026
3.3%
106
3,092
3,198
January 2026
3.1%
96
3,050
3,146
December 2025
2.6%
80
3,035
3,115
November 2025
3.0%
94
3,071
3,165
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.1%
98
3,033
3,131
August 2025
3.2%
100
3,037
3,137
July 2025
3.1%
95
3,008
3,103
June 2025
2.9%
88
2,967
3,055
May 2025
2.8%
85
2,988
3,073
April 2025
2.5%
80
3,064
3,144
March 2025
2.8%
86
3,016
3,102
February 2025
3.0%
95
3,066
3,161
January 2025
2.8%
88
3,004
3,092
December 2024
2.5%
76
2,928
3,004
November 2024
3.1%
94
2,947
3,041
October 2024
2.9%
88
2,926
3,014
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
2.9%
90
3,026
3,116
2024
2.9%
88
2,952
3,040
2023
2.9%
89
2,956
3,045
2022
3.0%
91
2,923
3,014
2021
3.9%
116
2,837
2,953
2020
4.2%
121
2,773
2,894
2019
2.6%
76
2,884
2,960
2018
2.8%
84
2,928
3,012
2017
3.2%
98
2,959
3,057
2016
3.2%
101
3,071
3,172
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.
Crime reported in Carson County
189.5 per 100,0002025. Texas: 344.9.
361.8 per 100,0002025. Texas: 1,786.0.
0murders2025, 11 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
11
189.5
21
361.8
2024
2
33.5
22
368.4
2022
19
332.2
18
314.7
2020
14
238.1
29
493.1
2019
29
487.6
50
840.6
2018
22
366.8
51
850.3
2017
19
314.9
36
596.6
2016
29
490.4
53
896.2
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Carson County Sheriff's Office
2025
11
19
3,503
Panhandle Police Department
2025
0
2
2,302
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 Texas · the U.S.
Police staffing
2.24 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 5,805 people.
13sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
13civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Carson County Sheriff's Office
9
13
3,503
Panhandle Police Department
4
0
2,302
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
13
2.24
13
2
2024
11
1.84
16
2
2023
11
1.90
16
2
2022
14
2.45
14
2
2021
13
2.25
12
2
2020
13
2.21
14
2
2018
11
1.83
13
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 Carson County County Attorney?
Cho Sherwood is the County Attorney of Carson County, Texas.
Who is the Carson County District and County Clerk?
Gayla Cates is the District and County Clerk of Carson County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Carson County County Judge?
Daniel Looten is the County Judge of Carson County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
What is the population of Carson County?
About 5,801 people, with a median age of 41; the median household income is $85,231 and 7.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Carson County?
3.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 97 people unemployed in a labor force of 3,151, against 3.1% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Carson County?
10 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal, 3 school district and 2 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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