Refugio County, TX elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Refugio County: 6 seats on 5 elected bodies. 5 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 Refugio County has
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 15 local governments in Refugio 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)
7
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 Refugio County
6,707people
42.4median ageU.S.: 38.9
$60,181 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
14.6%below the U.S.: 12.5%
14%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$99,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.5%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
7.6%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
16.1%U.S.: 8.4%
61.5%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
31.7%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 50.4% · White 40.6% · Black 6.2% · Asian 0% · Other or more than one race 2.8% (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 Refugio County
5.2%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 5.4%. Texas: 4.3%.
146people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
2,644people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
2,790in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
5.2%
146
2,644
2,790
August 2026
5.2%
143
2,628
2,771
July 2026
5.7%
159
2,625
2,784
June 2026
5.5%
151
2,615
2,766
May 2026
5.2%
145
2,651
2,796
April 2026
4.8%
134
2,679
2,813
March 2026
5.1%
142
2,638
2,780
February 2026
5.2%
146
2,657
2,803
January 2026
5.6%
156
2,649
2,805
December 2025
4.6%
129
2,656
2,785
November 2025
4.9%
138
2,672
2,810
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
5.4%
153
2,677
2,830
August 2025
5.6%
158
2,671
2,829
July 2025
4.8%
135
2,667
2,802
June 2025
4.8%
133
2,648
2,781
May 2025
4.4%
124
2,670
2,794
April 2025
4.3%
122
2,719
2,841
March 2025
4.7%
133
2,685
2,818
February 2025
4.9%
140
2,699
2,839
January 2025
5.0%
142
2,713
2,855
December 2024
4.3%
122
2,696
2,818
November 2024
4.9%
140
2,705
2,845
October 2024
4.7%
133
2,719
2,852
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.9%
137
2,680
2,817
2024
4.5%
130
2,743
2,873
2023
4.2%
119
2,744
2,863
2022
5.1%
140
2,615
2,755
2021
7.1%
200
2,615
2,815
2020
8.9%
250
2,564
2,814
2019
4.0%
114
2,762
2,876
2018
5.0%
143
2,722
2,865
2017
6.1%
181
2,780
2,961
2016
7.2%
206
2,646
2,852
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 Refugio County
163.9 per 100,0002024. Texas: 394.5.
685.4 per 100,0002024. Texas: 2,055.5.
0murders2024, 11 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
11
163.9
46
685.4
2023
13
197.3
71
1,077.4
2022
11
161.6
67
984.4
2021
7
103.5
88
1,301.4
2020
6
87.2
50
727.0
2019
9
129.6
77
1,108.4
2018
11
153.1
60
835.3
2016
31
427.4
66
910.0
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Refugio Police Department
2025
11
7
2,807
Refugio County Sheriff's Office
2025
3
15
2,621
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
4.17 per 1,000 residents2024, 3 agencies serving 6,711 people.
28sworn officers2024, full-time, as of October 31.
31civilian staff2024, full-time.
2024 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.
Agencies counted (3), 2024
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Refugio County Sheriff's Office
17
29
2,675
Refugio Police Department
10
2
2,771
WOODSBORO
1
0
1,265
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2024
28
4.17
31
3
2023
25
3.79
28
3
2022
29
4.26
30
3
2021
25
3.70
29
3
2020
27
3.93
33
3
2018
24
3.34
27
2
2016
22
3.03
24
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 Refugio County County Attorney?
Deborah A. Bauer is the County Attorney of Refugio County, Texas.
Who is the Refugio County County Clerk?
Margie Castellano is the County Clerk of Refugio County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Refugio County District Clerk?
Sylvia M. Lopez is the District Clerk of Refugio County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Refugio County County Judge?
Jhiela (Gigi) Poynter is the County Judge of Refugio County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
What is the population of Refugio County?
About 6,707 people, with a median age of 42.4; the median household income is $60,181 and 14.6% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Refugio County?
5.2% in September 2026 (preliminary): 146 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,790, against 5.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Refugio County?
15 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal, 3 school district and 7 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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