Hardin County, TX elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Hardin County: 16 seats on 7 elected bodies. 11 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 Hardin County has
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 21 local governments in Hardin 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
5
0
School districts (school boards)
5
0
Special districts (elected boards)
10
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 Hardin County
57,642people
39.4median ageU.S.: 38.9
$75,808 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
12.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%
21%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$205,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5.4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
2.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
15.9%U.S.: 8.4%
45.9%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
17.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 6.8% · White 82.4% · Black 5.6% · Asian 0.5% · Other or more than one race 4.7% (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 Hardin County
4.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.7%. Texas: 4.3%.
26,358people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
27,613in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
4.5%
1,255
26,358
27,613
August 2026
4.8%
1,327
26,238
27,565
July 2026
5.0%
1,377
26,106
27,483
June 2026
5.2%
1,414
25,978
27,392
May 2026
4.5%
1,232
26,117
27,349
April 2026
4.1%
1,125
26,130
27,255
March 2026
4.2%
1,149
26,080
27,229
February 2026
4.5%
1,241
26,065
27,306
January 2026
4.8%
1,304
25,989
27,293
December 2025
4.2%
1,145
26,170
27,315
November 2025
4.5%
1,241
26,223
27,464
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.7%
1,303
26,155
27,458
August 2025
4.9%
1,334
26,015
27,349
July 2025
4.7%
1,270
26,003
27,273
June 2025
4.5%
1,231
26,168
27,399
May 2025
4.3%
1,157
26,040
27,197
April 2025
3.9%
1,074
26,355
27,429
March 2025
4.3%
1,167
26,281
27,448
February 2025
4.6%
1,268
26,169
27,437
January 2025
4.6%
1,251
26,077
27,328
December 2024
4.2%
1,147
26,121
27,268
November 2024
4.6%
1,251
26,109
27,360
October 2024
4.5%
1,222
26,014
27,236
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.5%
1,222
26,151
27,373
2024
4.6%
1,230
25,772
27,002
2023
4.8%
1,241
24,693
25,934
2022
5.1%
1,285
24,048
25,333
2021
7.8%
1,939
22,929
24,868
2020
9.1%
2,238
22,416
24,654
2019
4.6%
1,144
23,843
24,987
2018
5.2%
1,303
23,564
24,867
2017
6.2%
1,543
23,309
24,852
2016
6.1%
1,514
23,236
24,750
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 Hardin County
144.0 per 100,0002025. Texas: 344.9.
508.3 per 100,0002025. Texas: 1,786.0.
3murders2025, 85 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
85
144.0
300
508.3
2024
72
120.9
325
545.7
2023
85
144.9
393
669.9
2022
91
156.8
461
794.5
2021
74
127.4
412
709.3
2020
76
131.7
548
949.3
2019
96
168.0
545
953.5
2018
90
157.0
664
1,158.4
2017
89
157.5
657
1,162.4
2016
84
150.2
748
1,337.8
By police agency (5)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Hardin County Sheriff's Office
2025
54
153
33,911
Lumberton Police Department
2025
12
94
14,417
Silsbee Police Department
2024
13
48
6,722
Kountze Police Department
2025
3
21
2,170
Sour Lake Police Department
2025
2
10
1,862
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
1.42 per 1,000 residents2025, 5 agencies serving 59,016 people.
84sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
53civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (5), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Hardin County Sheriff's Office
36
42
33,911
Silsbee Police Department
16
6
6,656
Lumberton Police Department
19
3
14,417
Sour Lake Police Department
7
1
1,862
Kountze Police Department
6
1
2,170
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
84
1.42
53
5
2024
82
1.38
52
5
2023
83
1.41
49
5
2022
83
1.43
51
5
2021
85
1.46
52
5
2020
82
1.42
53
5
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 Hardin County County Attorney?
Matt Minick is the County Attorney of Hardin County, Texas.
Who is the Hardin County County Clerk?
Connie Becton is the County Clerk of Hardin County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Hardin County District Attorney?
Rebecca R. Walton is the District Attorney of Hardin County, Texas.
Who is the Hardin County District Clerk?
Dana Hogg is the District Clerk of Hardin County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Hardin County Tax Assessor-Collector?
Steve Smith is the Tax Assessor-Collector of Hardin County, Texas.
Who are the Hardin County commissioners?
Wayne McDaniel (County Judge); L.W. Cooper Jr. (Precinct 1); Chris Kirkendall (Precinct 2); Amanda Young (Precinct 3); Ernie Koch (Precinct 4).
What is the population of Hardin County?
About 57,642 people, with a median age of 39.4; the median household income is $75,808 and 12.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Hardin County?
4.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,255 people unemployed in a labor force of 27,613, against 4.7% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Hardin County?
21 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 5 municipal, 5 school district and 10 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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