Zapata County, TX elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Zapata County: 9 seats on 6 elected bodies. 7 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 Zapata County has
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 5 local governments in Zapata 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
0
0
School districts (school boards)
1
0
Special districts (elected boards)
3
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 Zapata County
13,841people
32.3median ageU.S.: 38.9
$39,239 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
38.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%
15.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$97,100median home valueU.S.: $332,700
7.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
23.4%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
2.8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
27.6%U.S.: 8.4%
40.5%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
26.9%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 93.9% · White 4.8% · Black 0.1% · Asian 0.6% · Other or more than one race 0.5% (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 Zapata County
6.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 6.4%. Texas: 4.3%.
288people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
4,459people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
4,747in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
6.1%
288
4,459
4,747
August 2026
6.6%
310
4,381
4,691
July 2026
7.3%
344
4,375
4,719
June 2026
7.9%
366
4,292
4,658
May 2026
7.0%
325
4,342
4,667
April 2026
6.8%
318
4,354
4,672
March 2026
6.8%
322
4,397
4,719
February 2026
7.5%
361
4,442
4,803
January 2026
8.1%
386
4,404
4,790
December 2025
6.4%
299
4,401
4,700
November 2025
6.7%
319
4,457
4,776
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
6.4%
300
4,393
4,693
August 2025
6.7%
314
4,341
4,655
July 2025
6.8%
315
4,314
4,629
June 2025
6.6%
301
4,250
4,551
May 2025
6.4%
290
4,273
4,563
April 2025
6.6%
305
4,306
4,611
March 2025
7.2%
338
4,335
4,673
February 2025
7.9%
372
4,353
4,725
January 2025
8.0%
373
4,290
4,663
December 2024
7.5%
339
4,176
4,515
November 2024
7.4%
336
4,228
4,564
October 2024
6.9%
310
4,167
4,477
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
6.9%
321
4,338
4,659
2024
7.1%
315
4,145
4,460
2023
6.4%
283
4,128
4,411
2022
6.9%
319
4,311
4,630
2021
11.5%
533
4,089
4,622
2020
12.1%
569
4,139
4,708
2019
5.0%
255
4,885
5,140
2018
5.5%
295
5,082
5,377
2017
7.4%
400
5,016
5,416
2016
10.6%
557
4,692
5,249
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 Zapata County
50.9 per 100,0002025. Texas: 344.9.
254.6 per 100,0002025. Texas: 1,786.0.
0murders2025, 7 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
7
50.9
35
254.6
2024
16
115.6
60
433.6
2023
7
50.5
73
526.6
2022
6
42.8
34
242.6
2021
10
71.2
59
420.3
2020
16
113.1
108
763.7
2019
52
368.4
183
1,296.6
2018
7
48.9
202
1,411.0
2017
25
173.9
258
1,794.2
By police agency (1)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Zapata County Sheriff's Office
2025
7
35
13,747
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
2.55 per 1,000 residents2025, 1 agency serving 13,747 people.
35sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
49civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (1), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Zapata County Sheriff's Office
35
49
13,747
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
35
2.55
49
1
2024
33
2.38
49
1
2023
32
2.31
49
1
2022
63
4.49
12
1
2021
75
5.34
7
1
2020
69
4.88
10
1
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 Zapata County County Attorney?
S. Alfonso Figueroa is the County Attorney of Zapata County, Texas.
Who is the Zapata County County Clerk?
Mary Jayne Villarreal-Bonoan is the County Clerk of Zapata County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Zapata County District Clerk?
Elva Alicia Garcia is the District Clerk of Zapata County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Zapata County County Judge?
Joe Rathmell is the County Judge of Zapata County, Texas. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Zapata County Tax Assessor-Collector?
Delia Mendoza is the Tax Assessor-Collector of Zapata County, Texas.
What is the population of Zapata County?
About 13,841 people, with a median age of 32.3; the median household income is $39,239 and 38.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Zapata County?
6.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 288 people unemployed in a labor force of 4,747, against 6.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Zapata County?
5 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 school district and 3 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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