There are multiple local governments in some states, each with its own set of jurisdictional lines and special districts that overlap. In 2017, there were 51,296 special districts and 38,779 general-purpose governments nationwide in the United States.
Every five years, the Census Bureau classifies each government in the nation as part of the Census of Governments.
All counties, cities, municipalities, townships, villages, and other entities acting as the local government at the local level are referred to as general purpose governments.
School districts, water authorities, parks districts, and other public organisations with more specialised functions are examples of special districts.
Local Authorities per Population Based on the information above and population projections from the 2017 Census, the following table displays the number of governments per capita per state.
North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming are the states with the most total governmental units per resident.
In the United States, local government refers to governmental jurisdictions that are below the state level.
Municipalities and counties make up the minimum two levels of local governance in the majority of states and territories.
Regarding what the U.S.
Census Bureau refers to the county equivalents in both states, Louisiana and Alaska using the parish and borough of the name, respectively.
Twenty states, predominantly in the Northeast and Midwest, employ civil townships or towns as county subdivisions.
