Number of Local Governments by State
Some states are home to significant numbers of local governments, with numerous jurisdictional boundaries and overlapping special districts.
Nationally, there were a total of 38,779 general-purpose governments in the United States in 2017, along with another 51,296 special districts. States with the most counties, cities, towns and other general local governments are:
- Illinois: 2,828
- Minnesota: 2,720
- Pennsylvania: 2,625
- Ohio: 2,327
- Kansas: 1,993
- Wisconsin: 1,924
- Michigan: 1,856
- North Dakota: 1,718
- Indiana: 1,662
- New York: 1,587
The Census Bureau conducts the Census of Governments every five years, categorizing each government in the country.
General purpose governments include all counties, cities, towns, townships, villages and other jurisdictions serving as the primary government in an area. Special districts consist of school districts, water authorities, parks districts and other public entities serving a more specific function.
| State | Total Local Government Units | General Purpose | Special Districts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1,195 | 528 | 667 |
| Alaska | 179 | 164 | 15 |
| Arizona | 658 | 106 | 552 |
| Arkansas | 1,541 | 576 | 965 |
| California | 4,444 | 539 | 3,905 |
| Colorado | 3,141 | 333 | 2,808 |
| Connecticut | 625 | 179 | 446 |
| Delaware | 334 | 60 | 274 |
| District of Columbia | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Florida | 1,712 | 478 | 1,234 |
| Georgia | 1,380 | 689 | 691 |
| Hawaii | 21 | 4 | 17 |
| Idaho | 1,170 | 244 | 926 |
| Illinois | 6,918 | 2,828 | 4,090 |
| Indiana | 2,638 | 1,662 | 976 |
| Iowa | 1,941 | 1,042 | 899 |
| Kansas | 3,792 | 1,993 | 1,799 |
| Kentucky | 1,322 | 535 | 787 |
| Louisiana | 516 | 364 | 152 |
| Maine | 834 | 504 | 330 |
| Maryland | 344 | 180 | 164 |
| Massachusetts | 858 | 356 | 502 |
| Michigan | 2,863 | 1,856 | 1,007 |
| Minnesota | 3,643 | 2,720 | 923 |
| Mississippi | 969 | 380 | 589 |
| Missouri | 3,768 | 1,341 | 2,427 |
| Montana | 1,226 | 183 | 1,043 |
| Nebraska | 2,538 | 988 | 1,550 |
| Nevada | 189 | 35 | 154 |
| New Hampshire | 541 | 244 | 297 |
| New Jersey | 1,338 | 586 | 752 |
| New Mexico | 1,013 | 138 | 875 |
| New York | 3,450 | 1,587 | 1,863 |
| North Carolina | 970 | 652 | 318 |
| North Dakota | 2,664 | 1,718 | 946 |
| Ohio | 3,897 | 2,327 | 1,570 |
| Oklahoma | 1,830 | 667 | 1,163 |
| Oregon | 1,510 | 276 | 1,234 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,830 | 2,625 | 2,205 |
| Rhode Island | 129 | 39 | 90 |
| South Carolina | 671 | 316 | 355 |
| South Dakota | 1,916 | 1,279 | 637 |
| Tennessee | 906 | 437 | 469 |
| Texas | 5,343 | 1,472 | 3,871 |
| Utah | 619 | 279 | 340 |
| Vermont | 729 | 293 | 436 |
| Virginia | 517 | 323 | 194 |
| Washington | 1,900 | 320 | 1,580 |
| West Virginia | 651 | 287 | 364 |
| Wisconsin | 3,096 | 1,924 | 1,172 |
| Wyoming | 794 | 122 | 672 |
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 Census of Governments
Local Governments Per Capita
The following table shows numbers of governments per capita by state using the data above and 2017 Census population estimates. States with the most total units of government per capita include North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
| State | Total Local Units Per 100K | General Purpose Governments Per 100K | Special Districts Per 100K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 24.5 | 10.8 | 13.7 |
| Alaska | 24.2 | 22.2 | 2.0 |
| Arizona | 9.3 | 1.5 | 7.8 |
| Arkansas | 51.3 | 19.2 | 32.1 |
| California | 11.3 | 1.4 | 9.9 |
| Colorado | 55.9 | 5.9 | 50.0 |
| Connecticut | 17.5 | 5.0 | 12.5 |
| Delaware | 34.9 | 6.3 | 28.6 |
| District of Columbia | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Florida | 8.2 | 2.3 | 5.9 |
| Georgia | 13.3 | 6.6 | 6.6 |
| Hawaii | 1.5 | 0.3 | 1.2 |
| Idaho | 68.1 | 14.2 | 53.9 |
| Illinois | 54.1 | 22.1 | 32.0 |
| Indiana | 39.6 | 25.0 | 14.7 |
| Iowa | 61.7 | 33.1 | 28.6 |
| Kansas | 130.3 | 68.5 | 61.8 |
| Kentucky | 29.7 | 12.0 | 17.7 |
| Louisiana | 11.0 | 7.8 | 3.3 |
| Maine | 62.5 | 37.8 | 24.7 |
| Maryland | 5.7 | 3.0 | 2.7 |
| Massachusetts | 12.5 | 5.2 | 7.3 |
| Michigan | 28.7 | 18.6 | 10.1 |
| Minnesota | 65.4 | 48.8 | 16.6 |
| Mississippi | 32.4 | 12.7 | 19.7 |
| Missouri | 61.7 | 22.0 | 39.7 |
| Montana | 116.4 | 17.4 | 99.0 |
| Nebraska | 132.4 | 51.5 | 80.8 |
| Nevada | 6.4 | 1.2 | 5.2 |
| New Hampshire | 40.1 | 18.1 | 22.0 |
| New Jersey | 15.1 | 6.6 | 8.5 |
| New Mexico | 48.4 | 6.6 | 41.8 |
| New York | 17.6 | 8.1 | 9.5 |
| North Carolina | 9.4 | 6.3 | 3.1 |
| North Dakota | 352.8 | 227.5 | 125.3 |
| Ohio | 33.4 | 20.0 | 13.5 |
| Oklahoma | 46.5 | 17.0 | 29.6 |
| Oregon | 36.4 | 6.7 | 29.8 |
| Pennsylvania | 37.8 | 20.5 | 17.2 |
| Rhode Island | 12.2 | 3.7 | 8.5 |
| South Carolina | 13.4 | 6.3 | 7.1 |
| South Dakota | 219.4 | 146.5 | 72.9 |
| Tennessee | 13.5 | 6.5 | 7.0 |
| Texas | 18.9 | 5.2 | 13.7 |
| Utah | 19.9 | 9.0 | 11.0 |
| Vermont | 116.7 | 46.9 | 69.8 |
| Virginia | 6.1 | 3.8 | 2.3 |
| Washington | 25.6 | 4.3 | 21.3 |
| West Virginia | 35.8 | 15.8 | 20.0 |
| Wisconsin | 53.5 | 33.2 | 20.2 |
| Wyoming | 137.1 | 21.1 | 116.1 |
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 Census of Governments
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