Kittitas County, WA elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Kittitas County: 45 seats on 15 elected bodies. 8 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
Board of County Commissioners
Kittitas County Board of Commissioners
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
Who lives in each of the 6 school districts (Census figures)
School district
People
Median household income
Below the poverty line
Without health insurance
Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent
Cle Elum-Roslyn School District
9,671
$76,117
7.2%
7%
46.7%
Damman School District
781
$113,125
1.8%
3.1%
50%
Easton School District
1,398
$116,250
6.9%
7.4%
33.8%
Ellensburg School District
29,564
$65,539
18.6%
5.4%
60.5%
Kittitas School District
4,179
$110,398
11.5%
6.8%
37.1%
Thorp School District
1,504
$107,321
4.3%
3.5%
8%
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates for each school district's area, matched to its board by name. They're estimates with a , larger for small districts.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 35 local governments in Kittitas 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
1
School districts (school boards)
6
6
Special districts (elected boards)
23
0
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 Kittitas County
47,172people
35.8median ageU.S.: 38.9
$73,804 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
14.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%
37%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$497,400median home valueU.S.: $332,700
6.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
4.8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
7.6%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
5.8%U.S.: 8.4%
58%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
35.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 10.5% · White 79.3% · Black 1.1% · Asian 1.7% · Other or more than one race 7.4% (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 Kittitas County
3.7%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.9%. Washington: 4.3%.
831people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
21,420people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
22,251in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.7%
831
21,420
22,251
August 2026
4.6%
1,031
21,205
22,236
July 2026
4.0%
875
21,211
22,086
June 2026
4.4%
1,010
21,910
22,920
May 2026
4.9%
1,139
22,271
23,410
April 2026
5.2%
1,238
22,528
23,766
March 2026
5.3%
1,297
23,061
24,358
February 2026
5.9%
1,436
22,867
24,303
January 2026
5.6%
1,370
23,071
24,441
December 2025
5.7%
1,342
22,365
23,707
November 2025
4.9%
1,188
22,878
24,066
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.9%
915
22,560
23,475
August 2025
4.8%
1,087
21,545
22,632
July 2025
4.7%
1,061
21,572
22,633
June 2025
3.7%
875
22,812
23,687
May 2025
4.4%
1,017
22,213
23,230
April 2025
4.1%
964
22,568
23,532
March 2025
4.7%
1,146
23,040
24,186
February 2025
5.7%
1,388
23,065
24,453
January 2025
5.0%
1,221
22,969
24,190
December 2024
5.0%
1,167
21,991
23,158
November 2024
4.4%
1,030
22,288
23,318
October 2024
4.1%
953
22,295
23,248
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.7%
1,109
22,508
23,617
2024
4.7%
1,111
22,476
23,587
2023
4.4%
1,051
22,599
23,650
2022
4.6%
1,062
21,964
23,026
2021
5.4%
1,212
21,180
22,392
2020
8.4%
1,957
21,463
23,420
2019
5.3%
1,309
23,432
24,741
2018
5.4%
1,222
21,608
22,830
2017
5.1%
1,175
21,900
23,075
2016
5.7%
1,287
21,280
22,567
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. Washington's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.8% 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 Kittitas County
122.7 per 100,0002023. Washington: 359.3.
1,690.1 per 100,0002023. Washington: 2,891.1.
1murders2023, 57 violent crimes in all.
2023 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
2023
57
122.7
785
1,690.1
2022
88
185.1
873
1,836.0
2017
47
100.8
894
1,917.8
2016
45
100.4
902
2,012.9
By police agency (4)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Kittitas County Sheriff's Office
2025
16
108
22,849
Ellensburg Police Department
2025
44
317
20,873
Cle Elum Police Department
2025
1
60
3,262
Kittitas Police Department
2023
0
7
1,459
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 Washington · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.73 per 1,000 residents2025, 4 agencies serving 48,427 people.
84sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
63civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (4), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Kittitas County Sheriff's Office
42
53
22,849
Ellensburg Police Department
30
7
20,873
Cle Elum Police Department
10
2
3,262
Kittitas Police Department
2
1
1,443
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
84
1.73
63
4
2024
82
1.76
63
4
2022
91
1.95
59
4
2021
88
1.77
63
4
2020
75
1.54
59
4
2019
68
1.41
53
4
2017
73
1.60
49
4
2016
71
1.62
47
4
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 Kittitas County County Assessor?
Mike Hougardy (Republican) is the County Assessor of Kittitas County, Washington. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Kittitas County County Auditor?
Bryan Elliott (Republican) is the County Auditor of Kittitas County, Washington. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Kittitas County County Clerk?
Karen Bowen (Republican) is the County Clerk of Kittitas County, Washington. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Kittitas County County Coroner?
Nicholas (Nick) Henderson (Republican) is the County Coroner of Kittitas County, Washington. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Kittitas County Prosecuting Attorney?
Greg Zempel (Republican) is the Prosecuting Attorney of Kittitas County, Washington. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Kittitas County Sheriff?
Clay Myers (Republican) is the Sheriff of Kittitas County, Washington. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Kittitas County County Treasurer?
Amy Cziske (Republican) is the County Treasurer of Kittitas County, Washington. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Jennifer Simons (Director Position 1); Claire Hein Nicholls (Director Position 2 (at large)); Zack Hill (Director Position 3); Marlene Pfeifer (Director Position 1); Michael Milligan (Director Position 2); Carol Carrothers (Director Position 3); Stephen Nicholas Haberman (Director Position 4); Rodney Van Orman (Director Position 5); Christopher Helgeson (Director Position 1); Jen Phillips (Director Position 2); Hailey Rarden (Director Position 3); Jason Meuli (Director Position 4); Phillip K. Meehan (Director Position 5); Madeline deMaintenon (Director Position 1); Cathie Day (Director Position 2); Cynthia Coe (Director Position 3); Jeff Dermond (Director Position 4 (at large)); Michael Rowley (Director Position 5 (at large)); Nicole Ogan (Director Position 1); Billy (BJ) Fekkes (Director Position 2); Erin Tostenson (Director Position 3); Ellen Cartwright (Director Position 4); Jerry Lael (Director Position 5); Lois Bell (Director Position 1); Jessica J Howard (Director Position 2); Anne Cubilie (Director Position 3); Brook Shull (Director Position 4); Kim Rivera (Director Position 5 (at large)).
What is the population of Kittitas County?
About 47,172 people, with a median age of 35.8; the median household income is $73,804 and 14.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Kittitas County?
3.7% in September 2026 (preliminary): 831 people unemployed in a labor force of 22,251, against 3.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Kittitas County?
35 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 5 municipal, 6 school district and 23 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Kittitas County?
1: Ellensburg. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Washington Secretary of State's certified results of each seat's last general election (2021–2025); officials appointed since then 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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