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 Smith County: 14 seats on 6 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 Smith County has
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 29 local governments in Smith 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
10
0
School districts (school boards)
9
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 Smith County
241,740people
37.5median ageU.S.: 38.9
$74,192 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
11.6%below the U.S.: 12.5%
28.6%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$240,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
8.8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
5.8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
16.9%U.S.: 8.4%
47.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
25.7%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 20.9% · White 57.5% · Black 16.3% · Asian 1.7% · Other or more than one race 3.6% (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 Smith County
4.0%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.1%. Texas: 4.3%.
117,670people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
122,541in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
4.0%
4,871
117,670
122,541
August 2026
4.2%
5,188
117,822
123,010
July 2026
4.4%
5,373
117,655
123,028
June 2026
4.5%
5,492
116,453
121,945
May 2026
3.9%
4,758
117,711
122,469
April 2026
3.6%
4,328
116,773
121,101
March 2026
3.7%
4,500
116,298
120,798
February 2026
4.1%
5,006
116,523
121,529
January 2026
4.2%
5,030
116,001
121,031
December 2025
4.3%
5,260
117,370
122,630
November 2025
4.0%
4,885
117,548
122,433
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.1%
4,981
117,045
122,026
August 2025
4.2%
5,083
116,900
121,983
July 2025
4.8%
5,944
116,879
122,823
June 2025
3.8%
4,584
116,391
120,975
May 2025
3.6%
4,374
117,167
121,541
April 2025
3.3%
3,997
117,004
121,001
March 2025
3.7%
4,394
115,787
120,181
February 2025
4.0%
4,835
114,868
119,703
January 2025
4.0%
4,728
114,368
119,096
December 2024
3.5%
4,126
115,227
119,353
November 2024
3.9%
4,651
114,770
119,421
October 2024
3.9%
4,606
114,546
119,152
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.0%
4,824
116,484
121,308
2024
3.8%
4,535
113,749
118,284
2023
3.7%
4,292
111,250
115,542
2022
3.8%
4,254
108,223
112,477
2021
5.2%
5,716
104,470
110,186
2020
6.8%
7,332
99,808
107,140
2019
3.4%
3,572
102,916
106,488
2018
3.7%
3,891
102,028
105,919
2017
4.1%
4,329
100,440
104,769
2016
4.6%
4,734
98,993
103,727
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 Smith County
294.4 per 100,0002025. Texas: 344.9.
1,175.7 per 100,0002025. Texas: 1,786.0.
9murders2025, 720 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
720
294.4
2,875
1,175.7
2024
754
308.3
3,108
1,270.9
2023
786
327.7
3,348
1,395.8
2022
916
388.8
3,585
1,521.6
2021
820
356.7
4,086
1,777.2
2020
863
377.6
4,987
2,182.0
2018
715
319.0
4,689
2,091.8
2017
775
348.5
5,475
2,461.8
2016
716
325.6
6,311
2,870.2
By police agency (5)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Tyler Police Department
2025
413
2,041
113,759
Smith County Sheriff's Office
2025
285
688
112,051
Whitehouse Police Department
2025
6
46
10,186
Lindale Police Department
2025
14
94
7,537
Arp Police Department
2025
2
6
1,012
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
1.72 per 1,000 residents2025, 5 agencies serving 244,545 people.
420sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
282civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (5), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Smith County Sheriff's Office
177
222
112,051
Tyler Police Department
200
50
113,759
Lindale Police Department
19
8
7,537
Whitehouse Police Department
18
2
10,186
Arp Police Department
6
0
1,012
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
420
1.72
282
5
2024
423
1.73
295
5
2023
388
1.62
274
5
2022
377
1.60
263
5
2021
405
1.76
245
5
2020
388
1.70
243
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 Smith County County Clerk?
Karen Phillips is the County Clerk of Smith County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Smith County Criminal District Attorney?
Jacob Putman is the Criminal District Attorney of Smith County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Smith County District Clerk?
Penny Clarkston is the District Clerk of Smith County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Smith County Tax Assessor-Collector?
Gary B. Barber is the Tax Assessor-Collector of Smith County, Texas.
Who are the Smith County commissioners?
Neal Franklin (County Judge); Christina Drewry (Precinct 1); John Moore (Precinct 2); J Scott Herod (Precinct 3); Ralph Caraway Sr. (Precinct 4).
What is the population of Smith County?
About 241,740 people, with a median age of 37.5; the median household income is $74,192 and 11.6% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Smith County?
4.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 4,871 people unemployed in a labor force of 122,541, against 4.1% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Smith County?
29 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 10 municipal, 9 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.
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