United States of America, showing states, divided into counties. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government

A county of the United States is a local level of government created as a subdivision of a state by the state government or by the federal or territorial government as a subdivision of a territory. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government The word county is used in 48 of the 50 states, while Louisiana uses the term parish and Alaska uses the word borough. A county is a Land area of Regional Government within a larger State. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America The US state of Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes in the same way that 48 of the other states of the United States Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent In principle the word Borough designates a self-governing township ^[1] Including those, there are 3,077 counties in the US, an average of 62 counties per state. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The state with the fewest counties is Delaware (three), and the state with the most is Texas (254). Delaware ( is a state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. ^[2] In many states, counties are subdivided into townships or towns and may contain other independent, self-governing municipalities. A civil township is a widely used unit of Local government in the United States, subordinate to a county. The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or The site of a county's administration and courts is called the county seat. A county seat is a term for an Administrative center for a County, primarily used in the United States.

The U.S. Census Bureau lists 3,141 counties or county-equivalent administrative units total. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census The power of the county government varies widely from state to state, as does the relationship between counties and incorporated municipal governments. Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a State. ^[3] The distribution of power between the state government, county governments, and municipal governments is defined in each state's constitution. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity

County equivalents

The term county equivalents includes three additional types of administrative divisions which are different from the type of county found in most states:

• Alaska census areas: Most of the land area of Alaska is not contained within any of Alaska's 16 boroughs. A census tract, census area, or census district is a particular Community defined for the purpose of taking a Census. A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice This vast area, larger than France and Germany combined, is referred to by the Alaska state government as the Unorganized Borough and, outside municipal limits, has no local government. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Unorganized Borough is that part of the US state of Alaska not contained in any of its 17 organized Boroughs. The United States Census Bureau, in cooperation with the Alaska state government, has divided the Unorganized Borough into 11 census areas for statistical purposes. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census
• Independent cities: These are cities that legally belong to no county. An independent city is a City that does not form part of another general-purpose Local government entity As of 2004, there are 42 such cities in the United States: Baltimore, Maryland; Carson City, Nevada; St. Louis, Missouri; and all 39 cities in Virginia, where any municipality incorporated as a city (in contrast to town) is by law severed from any county that might otherwise have contained it. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state
• Washington, D.C., which, like the capitals of many other countries (see below), has a special status. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D It is not part of any state; instead, it constitutes the entirety of the District of Columbia, which, in accordance with Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, is under the jurisdiction of the U. The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. S. Congress. When founded, the district was in fact divided into two counties and two independent cities. Alexandria County (which now forms Arlington County and a portion of the independent city of Alexandria) was given back to Virginia in 1846, while the three remaining entities (the City of Washington, Georgetown City and Washington County) were merged into a consolidated government by an act of Congress in 1871 and Georgetown was formally abolished as a city entity by another act in 1895. Alexandria County was part of the original 100-mile square created as the District of Columbia in 1791 pursuant to Article I, Section 8 paragraph 17 of the Alexandria is an Independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Georgetown is a Neighborhood located in the Northwest quadrant of Washington D The County of Washington is one of the five political entities contained within the geographic region comprising what was originally the 100-square-mile District of Columbia. Congress has established a home rule government for the city, although city laws can be overridden by Congress. This is fairly rare, and so in practice the city operates much like other independent cities in the United States, although technically it does not meet the legal definition of one.

Cities and counties

In general, cities occupy a smaller area than the county which contains them. However, there are some exceptions to this rule:

• A city and its containing county may be merged to form a consolidated city-county, which is considered both a city and a county under state law. In American Local government, a consolidated city-county is a city and county that have been merged into one unified jurisdiction Examples include Denver, Colorado, and San Francisco, California. The City and County of Denver (pronounced /ˈdɛnvɚ/ is the Capital and the most populous city of Colorado, in the United States The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Similarly, some of Alaska's boroughs have merged with their principal cities, creating unified city-boroughs. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent This has resulted in some of Alaska's cities ranking among the geographically largest cities in the world. This is a non-exhaustive list of the World's largest cities in terms of the surface area of their municipalities
• A city may extend across county boundaries. Atlanta, Georgia; Columbus, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, are examples. Columbus is the Capital and the largest city of the US state of Ohio. Kansas City Missouri only Items for the metro area Kansas City Kansas or North Kansas City MO should go on their respective pages Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the US state of Oklahoma. The city of Dallas, Texas, is in parts of five counties, while New York City contains within itself five counties, each of which is coextensive with one of the five boroughs of the city and they are Manhattan (New York County), The Bronx (Bronx County), Queens (Queens County), Brooklyn (Kings County) and Staten Island (Richmond County). The City of New York In New York City, a borough is a unique form of government which administers the five fundamental constituent parts that make up the consolidated city Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. Staten Island (ˌstætənˈaɪlənd is a borough of New York City situated primarily on the island of the same name

Statistics

Main article: County statistics of the United States

A highway sign designating the border between Nicholas and Greenbrier counties in West Virginia along a secondary road. The term " County " is used in 48 of the 50 states of the United States for the level of local government below the state itself Nicholas County is a County located in the US state of West Virginia. Greenbrier County is a County located in the US state of West Virginia. West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by

At the 2000 U.S. Census, the median land area of the 3,077 U. In Probability theory and Statistics, a median is described as the number separating the higher half of a sample a population or a Probability distribution S. counties was 1,611 km² (622 sq mi), which is only two-thirds of the median land area of a ceremonial county of England, and only a little more than a quarter of the median land area of a French département. The ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies In the Terminology of Political geography and Historiography a National department (département departamento is an administrative However, this figure does not account for the differences among the United States counties themselves; counties in the western United States have a much larger mean land area than those in the eastern United States. For example, the median land area of counties in Georgia is 888 km² (343 sq mi), whereas in Utah it is 6,286 km² (2,427 sq mi). The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States.

The largest county equivalent by (total) area is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, at 147,843 square miles (382,912 km²), while the largest county is North Slope Borough, Alaska, at 94,763 square miles (245,435 km²). Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area is a Census area located in the state of Alaska, United States. North Slope Borough is a borough located largely in the North Slope region of the U The smallest county equivalent is the independent city of Falls Church, Virginia, at 2. An independent city is a City that does not form part of another general-purpose Local government entity Falls Church is an Independent city in Virginia, United States. 0 square miles (5 km²), while the smallest county is Kalawao County, Hawaii, at 13 square miles (34 km²). Kalawao County is a County located in the US state of Hawaii. The smallest self-governing county is Arlington County, Virginia, at 26 square miles (72 km²). ^[1]

At the 2000 U. S. Census, only 16. 7% of U. S. counties had more than 100,000 inhabitants. This reflects the essentially rural nature of U. S. counties, whose grid was designed in the 19th century, in a country still largely rural and only marginally affected by urbanization. Today, the vast majority of people in the United States are concentrated in a relatively small number of counties. The most populous county equivalent is Los Angeles County, California, with 10,226,506 inhabitants as of 2005, and the least populous county is Loving County, Texas, with 60 inhabitants as of 2005. Los Angeles County is a county in California and is by far the most populous county in the United States. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Loving County is a County in the US state of Texas, and is the least populous county in the entire United States

The most densely populated county (or county equivalent) is New York County, New York (coextensive with the Borough of Manhattan and consisting primarily of Manhattan island) with 66,940 people per square mile (ppsm) as of 2000, and the least densely populated county is Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska, with 0. Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York Lake and Peninsula Borough is a borough located in the state of Alaska, United States. 0767 ppsm as of 2000. The least densely populated county equivalent is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, with 0. Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area is a Census area located in the state of Alaska, United States. 0449 ppsm as of 2000.

Number of counties (or parishes in Louisiana, or boroughs in Alaska) per state

The list below also includes county equivalents. Southern and Midwestern states generally tend to have more counties than Western or Northeastern states. The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive U S WEST Inc was a Regional Bell Operating Company, one of seven "Baby Bells" that were spawned by the Antitrust breakup of AT&T in 1983 The Northeast is a region of the United States. As defined by the U

Governance

They are usually governed by an elected board of supervisors, county commission, county council or county legislature In some counties, there is a county mayor or a county executive. List of Texas county name etymologies|List of Texas county seat name etymologies The state of Texas is divided into 254 counties, more than any other U The US state of Georgia is divided into 159 counties. Under the Georgia Constitution, counties are granted Home rule to deal with The Commonwealth of Virginia is divided into 95 counties and 39 independent cities, which are considered County-equivalents for census purposes Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This is a list of the one hundred Missouri has 114 counties and one Independent city. St Louis City is separate from St Alphabetical list |}Former counties of KansasMarion (1855-1857 One of 36 Original Counties The links in the column FIPS County Code are to the Census Bureau Info page for that county The US State of North Carolina is divided into 100 counties. North Carolina ranks 28th in size by area but has There are 99 counties in the US state of Iowa. The first two counties Des Moines County and Dubuque County, were created in 1834 when Iowa ImageTennessee_population_mappng|450px|right|poly 4 198 64 199 68 156 62 154 61 153 56 153 53 155 27 153 23 157 24 162 18 163 18 169 25 171 25 175 22 177 24 182 19 180 16 182 13 190 6 The following is a list of the 93 counties in the US state of Nebraska, listed by name FIPS code and license plate prefix The US state of Indiana is divided into 92 counties. The oldest and newest counties in Indiana are Knox County (created 1790 This is a list of the eighty-eight counties in the US state of Ohio. This is a List of counties in Minnesota. There are 87 counties in the U The boundaries of the 83 counties in the US state of Michigan have not changed substantially since 1897. List of 82 counties in the US state of Mississippi: List |}Former counties of MississippiBainbridge (1823-1824 Formed from Covington County YeahImage Oklahoma counties mappng|thumb|right|300px|Map of Oklahoma counties]]This is a list of the seventy-seven counties in the U List of 75 counties in the US state of Arkansas: List |} Former Counties in ArkansasLovely County (1827-28 Crawford and Disolved by Washington This is a list of 72 counties in the US state of Wisconsin. The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS code which is used by the United The following is a list of the sixty-seven counties of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States of America. ImageFlorida counties mappng|thumb|right|400px|Florida counties (clickable map poly 42 38 86 40 79 44 74 47 71 55 69 69 74 72 76 87 77 90 87 97 87 102 87 108 78 111 77 115 80 117 ImageAlabama counties mappng|thumb|right|310px|Alabama counties (clickable mappoly 210 83 208 83 199 75 188 75 176 70 171 70 165 This page is a list of the 66 counties in the US state of South Dakota with FIPS codes, and includes an outline map of the state and a map showing The US state of Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes in the same way that 48 of the other states of the United States See also Geography of Colorado State of Colorado|History of Colorado This is a list of the 64 counties of the U There are 62 counties in the State of New York. The first twelve counties in New York were created immediately after the British annexation of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam The US state of California is divided into fifty-eight counties. This is a list of the 56 counties in the US state of Montana. List of 55 counties in the US state of West Virginia: List |} See also List of West Virginia county name etymologies This is a list of counties in North Dakota. There are 53 counties in the U The US state of South Carolina is made up of 46 counties. They range in size from 392 square miles (1016 square kilometers in the case of Calhoun This is a list of 44 counties in the US state of Idaho. The FIPS county code is the five-digit Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS code which uniquely There are 39 counties in the US state of Washington. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory The following is a list of 36 counties in the US state of Oregon. This is a list of the thirty-three' counties in the US state of New Mexico. This is a list of the 29 counties in the US State of Utah. List The US state of Alaska is not divided into counties, as are 48 other states but it is divided into boroughs ( Louisiana is divided into parishes This is a list of the twenty-four counties and County-equivalents in the U This is a list of counties in Wyoming. There are 23 counties in the U The US state of New Jersey has 21 counties New Jersey was governed by two separate groups of proprietors as two distinct provinces East Jersey This is a List of counties in Nevada. There are sixteen counties and one Independent city in the U This is a list of the sixteen counties in the US state of Maine. This is a list of counties in Arizona. There are 15 counties in the U There are fourteen counties in the US state of Vermont. These counties together contain 255 political units or "places" including 237 Towns This is a list of Massachusetts counties, consisting of the 14 Massachusetts counties This is a list of counties in New Hampshire. There are currently 10 counties in the U This is a list of counties in Connecticut. There are currently eight counties in the U This is a list of the five counties in the US state of Rhode Island. The five counties of Hawai{{okina}}i on the Hawaiian Islands enjoy somewhat greater status than many counties on the United States mainland The United States state of Delaware has three counties: New Castle, Kent, and Sussex, the fewest counties of any U The Board of Supervisors is the body governing Counties in the U A county commission is a group of elected officials charged with administering the county Government in Local government in some states of the A County council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a County. The position of mayor is mostly ceremonial in some states, while in others, the mayor is more powerful than the commissioners or supervisors. ^[1]

In many states, the board in charge of a county holds powers that transcend all three traditional branches of government. It has the legislative power to enact ordinances for the county; it has the executive power to oversee the executive operations of county government; and it has quasi-judicial power with regard to certain limited matters (like hearing appeals from the planning commission if one exists).

As for the day-to-day operations of the county government, they are sometimes overseen by a county manager or chief administrative officer who reports to the board, the mayor, or both.

In some states, the county technically has a plural executive in that several important officials are elected separately from the board of commissioners or supervisors (implying they cannot be fired by the board). This can create tension if such officials then disagree on how to best carry out their respective functions.

Scope of power

The power of county governments varies widely from state to state, as does the relationship between counties and incorporated cities. The government of the county usually resides in a municipality called the county seat. A county seat is a term for an Administrative center for a County, primarily used in the United States. However, some counties may have multiple seats or no seat.

Minimal scope

In New England, counties function at most as judicial court districts (in Connecticut and Rhode Island, they have lost those functions) and most government power below the state level is in the hands of towns and cities. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Rhode Island ( officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the United States A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands inhabitants although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan In several of Maine's sparsely populated counties, small towns rely on the county for law enforcement, and in New Hampshire several social programs are administered at the state level. New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. In some New England states, such as Connecticut, parts of Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, counties are only geographic designations and do not have any governmental powers. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Rhode Island ( officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the United States All government is either done at the state level or at the municipal (town or city) level. In Connecticut, 15 regional councils have been established to partially fill the void left behind when the state abolished its eight county governments in 1960. Connecticut's regional councils do not conform to the old county lines, rather they are composed of towns that share the same geographic region and have similar demographics. The regional councils' authority is much more limited compared with a county government: the regional councils have no taxing authority or authority to issue permits; the aforementioned powers are delegated to the town governments. Regional councils do however have authority over infrastructure and land use planning, distribution of state and federal funds for infrastructure projects, emergency preparedness, and limited law enforcement.

Moderate scope

Outside New England, counties typically provide, at a minimum, public utilities, libraries, hospitals, public health services, parks, roads, law enforcement, and jails. A public utility (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the Infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using A library is a collection of information sources resources and services and the structure in which it is housed it is organized for use and maintained by a public body an institution A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts and informed choices of society organisations A park is a protected area of Land and Water, usually in its natural or semi-natural (landscaped state and set aside for some purpose often to do with human A road is an identifiable route, way or path between two or more places. Jail, or gaol (especially in Canada, Australia and NZ[http //www There is usually a county registrar, recorder, or clerk (the title varies) who collects vital statistics, holds elections (sometimes in coordination with a separate elections office or commission), and prepares or processes certificates of births, deaths, marriages, and dissolutions (divorce decrees). Vital statistics are the information maintained by a Government, recording the birth and Death of individuals within that government's Jurisdiction Other key county officials include the coroner/medical examiner, treasurer, assessor, auditor, controller, and district attorney. A coroner is an official responsible for investigating deaths particularly some of those happening under unusual circumstances and determining the cause of death A coroner is an official responsible for investigating deaths particularly some of those happening under unusual circumstances and determining the cause of death In many Governments a treasurer is the person responsible for running the Treasury. The most general definition of an audit is an evaluation of a person organization system process project or product A district attorney (DA is in some US jurisdictions the title of the local public official who represents the government in the prosecution of alleged criminals

In most states, the county sheriff is the principal law enforcement officer in the county. SHERIFF is a telecom fraud detection and management system originally developed by BT and MCI.

In most western states, the county controls all unincorporated land within its boundaries. In Law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any Municipality. In states with a township tier, unincorporated land is controlled by the township. Residents of unincorporated land who are dissatisfied with county-level or township-level resource allocation decisions can incorporate as a city or village. A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City.

A few counties provide public transportation themselves; this usually comes in the form of a simple bus system. However, in most counties, public transportation is provided by one of the following: a special district that is coterminous with the county, a multi-county regional transit authority, or a state agency. There are two types of special-purpose districts in the United States school districts and special districts

Broad scope

More populated counties provide many facilities, such as airports, convention centers, museums, beaches, harbors, zoos, clinics, law libraries, and public housing. An airport is a location where Aircraft such as airplanes, Helicopters and blimps take off and land Conference centre redirects here For the conference facility in Salt Lake City Utah that is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development open to the public which acquires conserves researches communicates and exhibits the A harbor or harbour (see spelling differences) or haven, is a place where ships may shelter from the Weather or are stored A zoological garden, shortened to zoo, is an institution in which living animals are exhibited in captivity A clinic (or an outpatient clinic) is a small private or public health facility that is devoted to the care of Outpatients, often in a community in contrast A law library is a Library designed to assist Law students Attorneys Judges and their Law clerks in finding the legal resources necessary Public housing is a form of Housing tenure in which the property is owned by a Government authority which may be central or local They provide services such as child and family services, elder services, mental health services, welfare services, veterans assistance services, animal control, probation supervision, historic preservation, food safety regulation, and environmental health services. An animal control officer may be an Employee of or a contractor to a Municipality, is charged with the responsibility of responding to calls for service Probation is the suspension of all or part of a jail sentence the Criminal who is "on probation" has been convicted of a crime but instead of serving jail They have many additional officials like public defenders, arts commissioners, human rights commissioners, and planning commissioners. In the United States, a public defender is an Attorney whose duty is to provide legal representation to people who are charged with a crime or other offense Finally, there may also be a county fire department (as distinguished from fire departments operated by individual cities, special districts, or the state government).

See also

• Lists of U.S. county name etymologies
• List of counties of the United States

References

External links

sus*Geographic Areas Reference Manual by the United States Cen Bureau

• National Association of Counties
• Cross-reference any State, County, City, ZIP Code in the U.S.
• U.S. County Formation Maps 1643-Present – Cumulative animated graphics.