Deaf Smith County, TX elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Deaf Smith County: 6 seats on 6 elected bodies. 3 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 8 local governments in Deaf Smith 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
1
0
School districts (school boards)
2
0
Special districts (elected boards)
4
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 Deaf Smith County
18,460people
31.3median ageU.S.: 38.9
$60,799 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
17.7%below the U.S.: 12.5%
11.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$121,300median home valueU.S.: $332,700
3.5%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
17.2%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
3.7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
21%U.S.: 8.4%
35.2%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
19.6%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 76.4% · White 21% · Black 0.8% · Asian 0% · Other or more than one race 1.7% (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 Deaf Smith County
3.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.6%. Texas: 4.3%.
303people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
8,263people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
8,566in 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%
303
8,263
8,566
August 2026
3.8%
324
8,117
8,441
July 2026
4.1%
345
8,163
8,508
June 2026
4.3%
368
8,153
8,521
May 2026
3.7%
309
8,154
8,463
April 2026
3.3%
281
8,311
8,592
March 2026
3.6%
303
8,112
8,415
February 2026
3.8%
334
8,342
8,676
January 2026
3.8%
321
8,196
8,517
December 2025
3.1%
265
8,290
8,555
November 2025
3.4%
297
8,375
8,672
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.6%
309
8,298
8,607
August 2025
3.8%
328
8,254
8,582
July 2025
3.9%
333
8,266
8,599
June 2025
3.7%
317
8,182
8,499
May 2025
3.3%
278
8,192
8,470
April 2025
2.8%
245
8,390
8,635
March 2025
3.2%
279
8,391
8,670
February 2025
3.6%
318
8,529
8,847
January 2025
3.4%
296
8,417
8,713
December 2024
3.0%
257
8,328
8,585
November 2024
3.3%
289
8,356
8,645
October 2024
3.3%
287
8,312
8,599
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.4%
297
8,326
8,623
2024
3.3%
287
8,315
8,602
2023
3.3%
281
8,308
8,589
2022
3.1%
271
8,345
8,616
2021
3.9%
329
8,103
8,432
2020
3.8%
309
7,763
8,072
2019
2.9%
232
7,693
7,925
2018
3.0%
238
7,669
7,907
2017
3.3%
256
7,550
7,806
2016
3.4%
270
7,747
8,017
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 Deaf Smith County
270.5 per 100,0002024. Texas: 394.5.
935.8 per 100,0002024. Texas: 2,055.5.
3murders2024, 50 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
50
270.5
173
935.8
2023
40
218.2
336
1,832.5
2022
52
284.7
298
1,631.4
2021
52
289.2
264
1,468.1
2020
120
652.7
335
1,822.2
2019
89
479.6
370
1,993.9
2018
103
550.9
402
2,150.2
2017
64
342.1
411
2,196.7
2016
60
319.2
451
2,399.1
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Hereford Police Department
2024
35
130
14,696
Deaf Smith County Sheriff's Office
2025
4
25
3,565
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
2.06 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 18,410 people.
38sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
55civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Deaf Smith County Sheriff's Office
11
49
3,565
Hereford Police Department
27
6
14,845
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
38
2.06
55
2
2024
37
2.00
59
2
2023
34
1.85
53
2
2022
37
2.03
55
2
2021
37
2.06
32
2
2018
40
2.14
31
2
2017
40
2.14
31
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 Deaf Smith County County Clerk?
Rachel Garman is the County Clerk of Deaf Smith County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Deaf Smith County District Attorney?
William (Chris) Strowd is the District Attorney of Deaf Smith County, Texas.
Who is the Deaf Smith County District Clerk?
Gloria Ellis is the District Clerk of Deaf Smith County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Deaf Smith County County Judge?
David Lynn Wagner, Jr. is the County Judge of Deaf Smith County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Deaf Smith County Tax Assessor-Collector?
Gina Nunez is the Tax Assessor-Collector of Deaf Smith County, Texas.
What is the population of Deaf Smith County?
About 18,460 people, with a median age of 31.3; the median household income is $60,799 and 17.7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Deaf Smith County?
3.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 303 people unemployed in a labor force of 8,566, against 3.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Deaf Smith County?
8 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 municipal, 2 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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