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

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

County officers

OfficeWho holds it nowNext term
County AttorneySteven B. Payson source
County ClerkClare Christy sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
District ClerkAdreana Gonzalez sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County JudgeFoy O’Brien sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Tax Assessor-CollectorYvonne Moreno source

Special districts

Boards elected by the voters who live in each district.

Dawson County Justices of the Peace · 1 seat
OfficeWho holds it nowNext term
Justice of the PeaceLarry A. Duyck sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Dawson County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 12 local governments in Dawson 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 townships30
School districts (school boards)40
Special districts (elected boards)41

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 Dawson County

12,134people
34.8median ageU.S.: 38.9
$54,360 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
19.6%below the U.S.: 12.5%
12.7%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$103,400median home valueU.S.: $332,700
6.4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
8.4%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
3.8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
22.5%U.S.: 8.4%
49.6%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
25.5%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 55.8% · White 35.2% · Black 6.5% · Asian 0.5% · Other or more than one race 2% (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 Dawson County

4.3%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.4%. Texas: 4.3%.
192people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
4,290people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
4,482in the September 2026, preliminary.
Unemployment rate, yearly average, Dawson County 0.0%2.3%4.7%7.0%9.3% 20162018202020222024

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years
MonthRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
September 2026 (preliminary)4.3%1924,2904,482
August 20264.7%2114,2424,453
July 20264.7%2074,2004,407
June 20264.9%2154,2134,428
May 20264.2%1884,2734,461
April 20264.0%1814,3104,491
March 20264.2%1864,2224,408
February 20264.4%1974,3304,527
January 20264.5%2004,2704,470
December 20253.8%1714,2934,464
November 20254.3%1924,2954,487
October 2025not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 20254.4%1984,2524,450
August 20254.6%2034,1794,382
July 20254.7%2014,0984,299
June 20254.5%1954,1194,314
May 20253.9%1694,1764,345
April 20253.6%1594,2354,394
March 20254.1%1804,2454,425
February 20254.3%1924,2884,480
January 20254.2%1874,2214,408
December 20243.8%1644,1404,304
November 20244.5%1934,1084,301
October 20244.3%1854,0954,280
Yearly averages
YearRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
2025 (11 months)4.2%1864,2184,404
20244.2%1824,1784,360
20234.2%1844,1934,377
20224.5%1984,2374,435
20216.9%3164,2414,557
20208.9%4024,0924,494
20194.1%1844,3424,526
20184.5%2024,2684,470
20175.1%2324,3104,542
20165.2%2384,3154,553

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 Dawson County

579.8 per 100,0002019. Texas: 421.8.
3,531.9 per 100,0002019. Texas: 2,405.6.
2murders2019, 76 violent crimes in all.

2019 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.

By police agency (3)
AgencyYearViolentPropertyPeople served
Lamesa Police Department202545867,972
Dawson County Sheriff's Office20256423,472
O'Donnell Police Department201901825

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

1.84 per 1,000 residents2016, 3 agencies serving 14,105 people.
26sworn officers2016, full-time, as of October 31.
18civilian staff2016, full-time.

2016 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.

Agencies counted (3), 2016
AgencyOfficersCiviliansPeople served
Lamesa Police Department1869,429
Dawson County Sheriff's Office7123,873
O'Donnell Police Department10803

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 Dawson County County Attorney?
Steven B. Payson is the County Attorney of Dawson County, Texas.
Who is the Dawson County County Clerk?
Clare Christy is the County Clerk of Dawson County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Dawson County District Clerk?
Adreana Gonzalez is the District Clerk of Dawson County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Dawson County County Judge?
Foy O’Brien is the County Judge of Dawson County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Dawson County Tax Assessor-Collector?
Yvonne Moreno is the Tax Assessor-Collector of Dawson County, Texas.
What is the population of Dawson County?
About 12,134 people, with a median age of 34.8; the median household income is $54,360 and 19.6% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Dawson County?
4.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 192 people unemployed in a labor force of 4,482, against 4.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Dawson County?
12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 4 school district and 4 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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