Rusk County, TX elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Rusk County: 14 seats on 6 elected bodies. 10 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 Rusk County has
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 23 local governments in Rusk 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)
8
0
Special districts (elected boards)
9
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 Rusk County
52,842people
39.1median ageU.S.: 38.9
$68,658 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
14.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%
17.5%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$171,300median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.5%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
6.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
13.7%U.S.: 8.4%
43.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
24.7%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 19.1% · White 61.4% · Black 13.2% · Asian 0.4% · Other or more than one race 5.9% (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 Rusk County
4.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.6%. Texas: 4.3%.
984people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
20,779people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
21,763in 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%
984
20,779
21,763
August 2026
4.8%
1,040
20,710
21,750
July 2026
5.0%
1,089
20,657
21,746
June 2026
5.3%
1,145
20,518
21,663
May 2026
4.5%
967
20,616
21,583
April 2026
4.1%
881
20,590
21,471
March 2026
4.1%
879
20,579
21,458
February 2026
4.6%
988
20,620
21,608
January 2026
4.5%
975
20,601
21,576
December 2025
4.0%
869
20,804
21,673
November 2025
4.4%
953
20,804
21,757
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.6%
995
20,777
21,772
August 2025
4.9%
1,060
20,698
21,758
July 2025
4.7%
1,025
20,667
21,692
June 2025
4.3%
931
20,665
21,596
May 2025
4.1%
873
20,652
21,525
April 2025
3.7%
811
20,887
21,698
March 2025
4.2%
916
20,777
21,693
February 2025
4.6%
996
20,678
21,674
January 2025
4.8%
1,027
20,558
21,585
December 2024
4.2%
907
20,581
21,488
November 2024
4.7%
1,019
20,605
21,624
October 2024
4.5%
958
20,499
21,457
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.4%
951
20,724
21,675
2024
4.5%
968
20,500
21,468
2023
4.3%
921
20,546
21,467
2022
4.4%
921
20,189
21,110
2021
6.2%
1,309
19,811
21,120
2020
7.6%
1,596
19,274
20,870
2019
3.7%
797
20,650
21,447
2018
4.3%
910
20,473
21,383
2017
5.3%
1,127
20,173
21,300
2016
6.0%
1,301
20,328
21,629
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 Rusk County
238.8 per 100,0002025. Texas: 344.9.
1,087.6 per 100,0002025. Texas: 1,786.0.
2murders2025, 117 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
117
238.8
533
1,087.6
2024
133
268.3
681
1,373.8
2023
125
251.9
678
1,366.3
2021
179
362.2
818
1,655.3
2020
148
296.8
1,099
2,203.9
2019
110
221.2
972
1,954.8
2018
165
342.9
1,075
2,233.9
2016
227
470.2
1,184
2,452.4
By police agency (5)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Rusk County Sheriff's Office
2025
70
212
31,645
Henderson Police Department
2025
40
296
13,540
Overton Police Department
2025
6
23
2,312
New London Police Department
2024
0
12
988
Mount Enterprise Police Department
2024
1
0
512
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
1.45 per 1,000 residents2025, 5 agencies serving 49,005 people.
71sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
56civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (5), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Rusk County Sheriff's Office
31
47
31,645
Henderson Police Department
31
8
13,540
Overton Police Department
6
1
2,312
New London Police Department
2
0
994
Mount Enterprise Police Department
1
0
514
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
71
1.45
56
5
2024
68
1.37
59
5
2023
72
1.45
44
5
2022
75
1.52
44
4
2021
82
1.66
44
4
2020
75
1.50
45
3
2019
79
1.59
49
3
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 Rusk County County Clerk?
Trudy McGill is the County Clerk of Rusk County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Rusk County District Clerk?
Terri Willard is the District Clerk of Rusk County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Rusk County Tax Assessor-Collector?
Nesha Partin is the Tax Assessor-Collector of Rusk County, Texas.
Who is the Rusk County County and District Attorney?
Micheal Jimerson is the County and District Attorney of Rusk County, Texas.
Who are the Rusk County commissioners?
Joel Hale (County Judge); Randy Gaut (Precinct 1); Robert Kuykendall (Precinct 2); Greg Gibson (Precinct 3); Bennie Whitworth (Precinct 4).
What is the population of Rusk County?
About 52,842 people, with a median age of 39.1; the median household income is $68,658 and 14.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Rusk County?
4.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 984 people unemployed in a labor force of 21,763, against 4.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Rusk County?
23 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 5 municipal, 8 school district and 9 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.
See your members of Congress and every race and measure on your ballot in Rusk County, from your address. Your address stays in your browser.Look up my races