Local government statistics at a glance
Local government in the United States is larger and more layered than most people realize. The 2022 Census of Governments shows a system made up of tens of thousands of units, with different layers serving different roles across states and communities.
For anyone trying to understand how local authority is organized, this dataset gives a clean way to compare the national structure with the state-by-state spread.
Quick facts
- The United States had 90,837 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- Of those, 52,101 were special-purpose local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- The United States had 38,736 general-purpose local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- County governments totaled 3,031 in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- Municipal governments totaled 19,491 in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- Township governments totaled 16,214 in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- Special district governments totaled 39,555 in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- Independent school district governments totaled 12,546 in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
Contents
- National structure
- General-purpose vs special-purpose units
- State variation
- Largest and smallest state totals
- What the numbers say about local administration
National structure of local government
The most important headline in the dataset is the scale of the local system itself. The United States had 90,837 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State). That total is not just a single layer of cities or counties. It reflects a multi-tier system with both broad-purpose and narrow-purpose institutions.
The data also splits the national total into 38,736 general-purpose local government units and 52,101 special-purpose local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State). That split matters because it shows that most local units are not broad municipal-style governments. Instead, the system leans toward specialized service delivery.
The main local government types
The dataset identifies several major types of local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State):
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| County governments | 3,031 |
| Municipal governments | 19,491 |
| Township governments | 16,214 |
| Special district governments | 39,555 |
| Independent school district governments | 12,546 |
This table shows how the structure is distributed. Special districts are the largest category in the dataset, with 39,555 units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State). Municipal governments are the largest broad-purpose category listed here, with 19,491 units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
A useful way to read the totals
The counts do not mean all units do the same thing. They point to a system where broad general governments coexist with a much larger group of specialized entities. That helps explain why local government in the United States can feel dense even in places with relatively modest population.
The count of 3,031 county governments in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State) provides a reminder that counties remain a core layer, but they are numerically much smaller than special districts and municipalities. Township governments numbered 16,214 in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State), which shows that some states rely on this layer heavily while others do not.
General-purpose and special-purpose units
The split between 38,736 general-purpose local government units and 52,101 special-purpose local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State) is one of the most informative parts of the dataset. It suggests that local public administration is often fragmented into service-specific units rather than concentrated in one all-purpose body.
Why the special-purpose count is higher
Special-purpose governments outnumber general-purpose governments in the dataset. The United States had 52,101 special-purpose local government units in 2022, compared with 38,736 general-purpose local government units (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
That difference is important because it signals that many public functions are organized through narrower institutions. Special district governments alone totaled 39,555 in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State), which means one major special-purpose category accounts for a very large share of the entire local system.
What the broad-purpose side looks like
Among the broad-purpose units, municipal governments are the largest listed category at 19,491 in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State). Township governments followed at 16,214, and county governments were 3,031 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
That breakdown matters because it shows how broad governance is spread across different forms. In some places, municipalities may be the dominant local layer. In others, townships or counties may carry more responsibility. The dataset does not assign functions, but the counts make the institutional structure visible.
State variation in local government units
The state totals show how unevenly local government is distributed across the country. Some states have very large numbers of local government units, while others have relatively few.
States with the largest totals
The highest state total in the dataset is Illinois, with 6,930 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State). Texas followed with 5,533, and California had 4,494 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
A compact comparison of the higher totals helps show the scale gap:
| State | Local government units |
|---|---|
| Illinois | 6,930 |
| Texas | 5,533 |
| California | 4,494 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,851 |
| Ohio | 3,939 |
| Missouri | 3,796 |
| Colorado | 3,715 |
| Minnesota | 3,629 |
| New York | 3,447 |
| Wisconsin | 3,062 |
Pennsylvania also stood out with 4,851 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State). Ohio had 3,939, Missouri had 3,796, Colorado had 3,715, Minnesota had 3,629, and New York had 3,447 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
That concentration at the top is a strong signal that local administration is not evenly structured across the map. A few states account for very large unit counts, while many others remain far lower.
States in the middle range
The middle of the distribution is still sizable. Indiana had 2,648 local government units in 2022, North Dakota had 2,570, Nebraska had 2,541, Michigan had 2,860, and Washington had 1,890 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
Other midrange totals include Florida at 1,947, Tennessee at 902, South Dakota at 1,900, and Oklahoma at 1,840 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State). These figures matter because they show that even states outside the top tier still manage substantial local-government complexity.
States with lower totals
The low end of the dataset is just as telling. Hawaii had 21 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State). The District of Columbia had 2 local government units, and Rhode Island had 127 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
Other low totals include Nevada with 187, Alaska with 181, Delaware with 334, Maryland with 342, and Connecticut with 629 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
That spread shows how strongly state structure influences local-government count. A state can have a very large population or economic footprint and still have a relatively low number of local units if its governance model is more centralized. The data do not spell out the governance design, but they clearly show the numerical outcome.
State-by-state snapshots
A few examples make the variation easier to grasp.
- Alabama had 1,208 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- Arizona had 674 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- Arkansas had 1,562 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- Georgia had 1,379 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- Kansas had 3,768 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- Louisiana had 534 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- New Jersey had 1,328 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- North Carolina had 965 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- Utah had 632 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
- Virginia had 522 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).
The same pattern appears throughout the full state list. Some states sit in the hundreds, many sit in the low thousands, and a few reach the upper end of the distribution. That spread is the clearest signal in the dataset.
What the counts imply about administration
Even without assigning functions beyond the category labels, the numbers point to several practical realities.
1. Local government is highly fragmented
With 90,837 local government units nationwide in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State), the local level is not a small administrative layer. It is a large, distributed network of institutions.
That fragmentation is especially visible in the special-purpose total of 52,101 units (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State). A system with that many specialized bodies requires coordination, clear boundaries, and distinct responsibilities.
2. Broad-purpose governments are only part of the picture
The United States had 38,736 general-purpose local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State). That is a major number, but it is still smaller than the special-purpose side. So if someone only thinks in terms of cities and counties, they are missing a big part of the local landscape.
3. Special districts are central, not peripheral
Special district governments totaled 39,555 in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State). That figure is large enough that special districts are not an edge case. They are one of the main building blocks of the local system.
4. State structure shapes the count dramatically
The difference between Illinois at 6,930 local government units and Hawaii at 21 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State) is enormous. That gap alone shows that local-government count is not just about size or population. Institutional design matters.
Reading the data carefully
This dataset is useful because it gives a single view of the local-government landscape in 2022, but it should be read with care.
Count is not the same as capacity
A state with more local government units is not automatically more effective or less effective than a state with fewer. The dataset counts units, not budgets, staffing, or performance. So the right use of the numbers is structural comparison, not quality ranking.
Categories matter
County governments, municipal governments, township governments, special district governments, and independent school district governments are different kinds of local institutions (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State). Their counts can be compared, but the figures do not mean the same thing operationally.
State totals can hide internal variety
A total like Texas at 5,533 local government units or Pennsylvania at 4,851 local government units in 2022 (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State) is informative, but it compresses many kinds of local bodies into one number. For deeper analysis, the category breakdown is just as important as the total.
A practical way to use these numbers
If you are working with public administration, policy, civic data, or regional planning, this dataset gives you a useful baseline.
- Use the national totals to understand the overall scale of local government.
- Use the category split to see whether a place leans more toward general-purpose or special-purpose governance.
- Use the state totals to compare how decentralized local administration appears to be across states.
- Use the high and low totals to spot outliers that may deserve deeper research.
The main takeaway is straightforward: local government in the United States is broad, layered, and unevenly distributed. The 2022 Census of Governments numbers make that pattern visible at both the national and state level (2022 Census of Governments, Table 2: Local Governments by Type and State).