How Many Local Governments Are In The USA? (Infographic)

If you think there’s too much government in the United States, you may be on to something. There are over 90,000 government units in the US, with over $3.4 trillion spent annually on direct expenditures for state and local governments. From state, county, local towns and villages all the way to special districts and independent school districts, that makes for a huge amount of bureaucracy.

A breakdown of the total number of local governments in the United States by state and government type can be found in the infographic below:

This data was compiled from the 2017 Census of Governments: Organization, published in 2019. In addition to the federal government and the 50 state governments, the Census Bureau recognizes five basic types of local governments. Three are general-purpose governments: County, municipal, and township governments. Legislative provisions for school district and special district governments are more diverse. Single-function and multiple-function districts, authorities, commissions, boards, and other entities have varying degrees of autonomy that varies by state.

Government Breakdown by State

According to the data sources, there are a total of 90,075 local governments in the United States. Of these, 51,296 are Special Purpose Governments and 38,779 are General Purpose Governments. Note that while not a state, Washington DC is included in the numbers. Illinois has the largest number of entities, while Hawaii has the least.

Many special purpose and district offices can be easier to run for because members or officers are appointed.

County Governments

There are 3,031 County Governments and 35,748 Subcounty Governments. 19,495 of these are Municipal Governments, and 16,253 are Township Governments. Subcounty areas consist of incorporated places such as cities, boroughs, villages, along with towns and townships.

Special Purpose Governments

Of the 51,296 Special Purpose Governments, 38,542 are Special Districts and 12,754 are Independent School Districts. An independent school district (ISD) is a type of school district that operates independent from any municipality, county, or state.

Elected and Appointed Officials

The US has a strong tradition of local government with a large number of elected officials, such as state legislators, mayors, city council members and even special district officials. Within these governing entities, there are over 500,000 elected officials. And very state, county and municipality has their own set of laws, so understanding the structure of government in your area is important if you decide to start a run for office.