Editing County (United States)

{{Short description|Subdivision used by most states in the United States}}
{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Infobox subdivision type
| name = County
| alt_name = County equivalent ''([[#County equivalents|see list below]])''
| map = [[File:Usa counties large.svg|290px]]
| category = [[:Category:Second-level administrative divisions by country|Second-level]] [[administrative division]]
| territory = [[U.S. state|States]], [[District of Columbia|federal district]] and [[U.S. territories|territories]] of the [[United States of America]]
| upper_unit = [[U.S. state|State]]
| start_date = 
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| start_date2 = 
| legislation_begin = 
| legislation_begin1 = 
| legislation_begin2 = 
| legislation_end = 
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| current_number = 3,244 (including [[#County equivalents|county equivalents]] in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and the 100 county equivalents in the [[U.S. territories]])
| number_date = 
| type = 
| type1 = 
| type2 = 
| population_range = Greatest: [[Los Angeles County, California]]—10,014,009 (2020)<br />Least: [[Loving County, Texas]]—64<br />8 entities<ref group=lower-alpha>The 8 county equivalents with zero people are [[Rose Atoll|Rose Atoll (American Samoa)]], [[Northern Islands Municipality|Northern Islands Municipality (Northern Mariana Islands)]], [[Baker Island]], [[Howland Island]], [[Jarvis Island]], [[Johnston Atoll]], [[Kingman Reef]] and [[Navassa Island]]</ref> ([[#County equivalents|county equivalents]])—0 (2020)<br />Average: 104,435 (2019)<br />Median: [[Nicholas County, West Virginia]]—25,965 (2019)
| area_range = Largest: [[San Bernardino County, California]]—{{convert|20,057|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}<br /> <!--Please do not change this to North Slope Borough, as Alaskan census areas ''are'' treated as county equivalents by the Census Bureau.-->[[Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska]] ([[#County equivalents|county equivalent]])—{{convert|145,505|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}<br />Smallest: [[Kalawao County, Hawaii]]—{{convert|12|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}<br />[[Falls Church, Virginia]] ([[#County equivalents|county equivalent]])—{{convert|2|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}<br />Smallest (including territories): [[Kingman Reef]] ([[#County equivlanets|county equivalent]])—{{convert|0.01|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}<ref name="Kingman Reef"/><ref name="USMOICounties"/><br />Average: {{convert|1,208|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}
| government = Groups:
[[County commission]], [[Board of commissioners]], [[Board of supervisors]] (AZ, CA, IA, MS, VA, WI) [[County council]] (WA), [[Commissioners' court]] (TX), [[Board of County Commissioners (New Jersey)|Board of County Commissioners]] (NJ), [[Fiscal Court]] (KY), [[Police jury]] (LA)
| government1 = Individuals:
[[County executive]], [[County executive|County manager]], [[Sole commissioner]] (GA), [[County mayor]], [[County administrator]], [[County judge]]
| subdivision = [[Minor civil division]], [[Civil township|Township]], [[City (United States)|City]], [[Hundred (county division)|Hundred]] and [[Census-designated place|unincorporated place]]
}}
{{Political divisions of the United States}}

In the [[United States]], a '''county''' or '''county equivalent''' is an [[Administrative division|administrative]] subdivision of a [[U.S. state|state]] or [[territories of the United States|territory]], typically with defined geographic [[Border|boundaries]] and some level of governmental authority.<ref name=NACO>{{cite web |url = http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/Overview.aspx |title = An Overview of County Government |work = [[National Association of Counties]] |access-date = April 25, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130417063950/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/Overview.aspx |archive-date = April 17, 2013 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref> The term "[[county]]" is used in 48 states, while [[Louisiana]] and [[Alaska]] and New York City have functionally equivalent subdivisions called [[List of parishes in Louisiana|parishes]] and [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|boroughs]], respectively.<ref name=NACO/> Counties and other [[local governments in the United States|local governments]] exist as a matter of [[U.S. state law]], so the specific governmental powers of counties may vary widely between the states, with many providing some level of services to [[civil township]]s, [[Local government in the United States|municipalities]], and [[Unincorporated area#United States|unincorporated areas]]. Certain municipalities are [[List of U.S. municipalities in multiple counties|in multiple counties]]; [[New York City]] is uniquely partitioned into five counties, referred to at the city government level as [[boroughs of New York City|boroughs]]. Some municipalities have been consolidated with their county government to form [[consolidated city-county|consolidated city-counties]] or have been legally separated from counties altogether to form [[Independent city (United States)|independent cities]]. Conversely, counties in [[List of counties in Connecticut|Connecticut]] and [[List of counties in Rhode Island|Rhode Island]], [[List of counties in Massachusetts|eight of Massachusetts's 14 counties]], and Alaska's [[Unorganized Borough, Alaska|Unorganized Borough]] have no government power, existing only as geographic distinctions.

The [[United States Census Bureau]] uses the term "county equivalent" to describe places that are comparable to counties, but called by different names. Louisiana parishes, the organized boroughs of Alaska<!-- No, not the boroughs of New York City. These are coextensive with counties and are therefore by definition not county equivalents. -->, independent cities, and the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]] are equivalent to counties for administrative purposes. Alaska's Unorganized Borough is further divided into [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|11 census areas]] that are statistically equivalent to counties. In 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau began to also count [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|Connecticut's Councils of Governments]], which took over some of the regional powers from the state's former county governments, as county equivalents.

Territories of the United States do not have counties; instead, the United States Census Bureau also divides them into county equivalents. The U.S. Census Bureau counts [[American Samoa]]'s [[Administrative divisions of American Samoa|districts and atolls]] as county equivalents.<ref name="CensusT">[https://web.archive.org/web/20180807144506/https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/codes/cou.html "2010 FIPS Codes for Counties and County Equivalent Entities"]. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 6, 2018.</ref><ref name="CensusCounties2"/> American Samoa locally has places called "counties", but these entities are considered to be "[[minor civil division]]s" (not true counties) by the U.S. Census Bureau.<ref name="CensusCounties2"/>

The number of counties per state ranges from the three [[List of counties in Delaware|counties of Delaware]] to the 254 [[List of counties in Texas|counties of Texas]]. County populations also vary widely: in 2017, according to the Census Bureau, more than half the U.S. population was concentrated in just 143 of the more than 3,000 counties, or just 4.6% of all counties; the five most populous counties, ordered from most to least, are [[Los Angeles County, California]]; [[Cook County, Illinois]]; [[Harris County, Texas]]; [[Maricopa County, Arizona]]; and [[San Diego County, California]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=El Nasser|first=Haya|date=October 24, 2017|title=Big and Small America|url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2017/10/big-and-small-counties.html|access-date=2020-12-23|website=The United States Census Bureau|language=EN-US}}</ref>

{{As of|2022}}, there are 3,144&nbsp;counties and [[#County equivalents|county-equivalents]] in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.<ref name=PopEstCounties>{{cite web |url = https://www.census.gov/popest/data/counties/totals/2012/CO-EST2012-alldata.html |title = County Totals Datasets: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012 |work = 2012 Population Estimates |publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division |date = March 2013 |access-date = April 30, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130707052113/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/counties/totals/2012/CO-EST2012-alldata.html |archive-date = July 7, 2013 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref> If the 100 county equivalents in the U.S. territories are counted, then the total is 3,244 counties and county-equivalents in the United States.<ref name="tallies">{{cite web |title=2010 Census Geographic Entity Tallies by State and Type |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/tallies/all_tallies.html |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717101730/https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/tallies/all_tallies.html |archive-date=July 17, 2015 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><ref name="changes">{{cite web|title=Substantial Changes to Counties and County Equivalent Entities: 1970–Present|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/technical-documentation/county-changes.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><ref name="CensusT"/><ref name="CensusCounties2"/>{{efn|At the time of the 2010 census, 3,143 counties and equivalents were recorded in the 50 [[U.S. state|states]] and the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]], with another 100 county equivalents recorded in the [[Territories of the United States|territories]] (when the nine [[United States Minor Outlying Islands|Minor Outlying Islands]] are included). Since that time, the [[Independent city (United States)|independent city]] of [[Bedford, Virginia]], was dissolved and had its territory added to [[Bedford County, Virginia]]. Also, [[Alaska]]'s Petersburg census area was incorporated as [[Petersburg Borough, Alaska|Petersburg Borough]] and the [[Valdez–Cordova Census Area, Alaska|Valdez–Cordova Census Area]] was split into the [[Copper River Census Area, Alaska|Copper River]] and [[Chugach Census Area, Alaska|Chugach]] census areas. On June 6, 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau formally recognized [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|Connecticut's nine councils of government]] as county equivalents instead of the state's eight counties. [[List of counties in Connecticut|Connecticut's eight historical counties]] continue to exist in name only, and are no longer considered for statistical purposes.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/06/06/2022-12063/change-to-county-equivalents-in-the-state-of-connecticut |title=Change to County-Equivalents in the State of Connecticut |journal=Federal Register |date=June 6, 2022 |author=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 4, 2024}}</ref>  The net result of these changes has been the number of counties and equivalents increasing to 3,144.}}

==History==
The idea of counties originated with the [[counties of England]]. [[Kingdom of England|English]] (after 1707, [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]]) colonists brought to their colonies in [[North America]] a political subdivision that they already used in the British [[metropole]]: the counties. Counties were among the earliest units of [[Local government in the United States|local government]] established in the [[Thirteen Colonies]] that would become the United States. [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia]] created the first counties in order to ease the administrative workload in [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]]. The [[House of Burgesses]] divided the colony first into four "incorporations" in 1617 and finally into [[Shires of Virginia|eight shires]] (or counties) in 1634: [[James City Shire|James City]], [[Henrico Shire|Henrico]], [[Charles City Shire|Charles City]], [[Charles River Shire|Charles River]], [[Warrosquyoake Shire|Warrosquyoake]], [[Accomac Shire|Accomac]], [[Elizabeth City Shire|Elizabeth City]], and [[Warwick River Shire|Warwick River]].<ref name="Virginia">{{cite book |last = Harch |first = Charles E. |title = The First Seventeen Years, Virginia, 1607–1624 |publisher = Jamestown 350th Anniversary Historical |year = 1957 |pages = 20, 75–76 |url = http://www.virginiaplaces.org/vacount/howstart.html }}</ref> America's oldest intact county court records can be found at [[Eastville, Virginia]], in [[Northampton County, Virginia|Northampton (originally Accomac) County]], dating to 1632.<ref name="Eastville">{{cite web|url = https://www.co.northampton.va.us/visitors/tourism/free_things_to_see_and_do/free_history_lessons/historic_court_green_eastville| website= Northampton County, Virginia|title =Historic Court East Greenville}}</ref> [[Province of Maryland|Maryland]] established its first county, [[St. Mary's County, Maryland|St. Mary's]] in 1637.  In 1639, the [[Province of Maine]] founded [[York County, Maine|York County]].  [[Massachusetts Bay Colony|Massachusetts]] followed in 1643. [[Province of Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]] and [[Province of New York|New York]] delegated significant power and responsibility from the colony government to county governments and thereby established a pattern for most of the United States, although counties remained relatively weak in [[New England]].<ref name= "Reynolds">{{cite book | first = Osborne M. Jr. |last = Reynolds |title = Local Government Law |edition = 3rd |location = St. Paul |publisher = West |year = 2009 |page = 19 }}</ref>

When [[Independence Day (United States)|independence]] came, the [[framers of the Constitution]] left the matter to the states. Subsequently, state constitutions conceptualized county governments as arms of the state.<ref name="naco"/> Louisiana instead adopted the local divisions called ''[[Parish (administrative division)|parishes]]'' that dated back to both the [[Louisiana (New Spain)|Spanish colonial]] and [[Louisiana (New France)|French colonial periods]] when the land was dominated by the [[Catholic Church]].<ref name="Bryansite">{{cite web |last=Tabor |first=B. |title=Louisiana parishes |url=http://www.bryansite.com/countyLA.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020075822/http://www.bryansite.com/countyLA.htm |archive-date=Oct 20, 2022 |website=Bryansite}}</ref> In the twentieth century, the role of local governments strengthened and counties began providing more services, acquiring [[Home rule in the United States|home rule]] and [[county commission]]s to pass [[local ordinance]]s pertaining to their [[unincorporated area]]s.<ref name="naco">{{cite web |title = Learn About What Counties Do |url = http://www.naco.org/counties/learn-about-what-counties-do |work = National Association of Counties |access-date = November 20, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151122091339/http://www.naco.org/counties/learn-about-what-counties-do |archive-date = November 22, 2015 |url-status = dead }}</ref> In 1955, delegates to the [[Alaska Constitutional Convention]] wanted to avoid the traditional county system and adopted their own unique model with different types of ''boroughs'' varying in powers and duties.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.akhistorycourse.org/governing-alaska/local-government/|title=Local Government|work=Alaska Humanities Forum|access-date=November 4, 2021|archive-date=November 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105013431/https://www.akhistorycourse.org/governing-alaska/local-government/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In some states, these powers are partly or mostly devolved to the counties' [[minor civil division|smaller divisions]] usually called [[Civil township|townships]], though in New York, New England and Wisconsin they are called "towns". The county may or may not be able to override its townships on certain matters, depending on state law.

The newest county in the United States is the city and county of [[Broomfield, Colorado]], established in 2001 as a [[consolidated city-county]], previously part of four counties.<ref name="Broomfield's 50 year history">{{cite web |url = http://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/ci_19610648 |title = Broomfield 50th anniversary: Success in first 50 years stemmed from bold actions |last = Rubino |first = Joe |date = December 24, 2011 |work = Broomfield Enterprise |access-date = July 13, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="Broomfield's History">{{cite web |url = http://www.broomfield.org/history/ |title = Broomfield History |publisher = City and County of Broomfield |access-date = July 13, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120329042558/http://www.broomfield.org/history/ |archive-date = March 29, 2012 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref> The newest county equivalents are the Alaskan census areas of [[Chugach Census Area, Alaska|Chugach]] and [[Copper River Census Area, Alaska|Copper River]], both established in 2019,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Changes to Counties and County Equivalent Entities: 1970-Present |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/technical-documentation/county-changes.2010.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319091356/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/technical-documentation/county-changes.2010.html |archive-date=Mar 19, 2021 |access-date=2021-05-21 |website=The United States Census Bureau |language=EN-US}}</ref> and the Alaskan boroughs of [[Petersburg Borough, Alaska|Petersburg]] established in 2013, [[Wrangell, Alaska|Wrangell]] established in 2008, and [[Skagway, Alaska|Skagway]] established in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.alaskapublic.org/2013/01/03/petersburg-becomes-19th-borough-in-alaska |title = Petersburg Becomes 19th Borough In Alaska |first = Joe |last = Viechnicki |publisher = Alaska Public Media |date = January 3, 2013 }}</ref>

==County variations==

===Consolidated city-counties===
{{main|Consolidated city-county}}
A consolidated city-county is simultaneously a city, which is a [[municipality]] (municipal corporation), and a county, which is an [[administrative division]] of a state, having the powers and responsibilities of both types of entities. The [[City limits|city limit]] or jurisdiction is synonymous with the county line, as the two administrative entities become a non-dichotomous single entity. For this reason, a consolidated city-county is officially remarked as ''name of city – name of county'' (i.e., [[Augusta, Georgia|Augusta–Richmond County]] in Georgia). The same is true of the [[boroughs of New York City]], each of which is coextensive with a county of New York State. For those entities in which the city uses the same name as the county, ''city and county of name'' may be used (i.e., [[Denver|City and County of Denver]] in Colorado).

Similarly, some of [[Alaska]]'s boroughs have merged with their principal cities, creating unified city-boroughs. Some such consolidations and mergers have created cities that rank among the geographically largest cities in the world, though often with population densities far below those of most urban areas.

There are 40 consolidated city-counties in the U.S.,<ref name=NACO/> including Augusta–Richmond County; the City and County of Denver, Colorado; the [[Honolulu|City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii]]; [[Indianapolis|Indianapolis–Marion County, Indiana]]; [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville–Duval County, Florida]]; [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville–Jefferson County, Kentucky]]; [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington–Fayette County, Kentucky]]; [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City–Wyandotte County, Kansas]]; [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville–Davidson County, Tennessee]]; [[New Orleans|New Orleans–Orleans Parish, Louisiana]]; the [[Philadelphia|City and County of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]; [[San Francisco|City and County of San Francisco, California]]; and [[Lynchburg, Tennessee|Lynchburg-Moore County, Tennessee]]

A consolidated city-county may still contain independent municipalities maintaining some governmental powers that did not merge with the rest of the county. For example, the [[Government of Jacksonville|government of Jacksonville–Duval County, Florida]], still provides county-level services to the four independent municipalities within its borders: [[Atlantic Beach, Florida|Atlantic Beach]], [[Baldwin, Florida|Baldwin]], [[Jacksonville Beach, Florida|Jacksonville Beach]], and [[Neptune Beach, Florida|Neptune Beach]].

===County equivalents===
The term ''county equivalents'' is used by the [[United States Census Bureau]] to describe divisions that are comparable to counties but called by different names:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/help/en/county_and_equivalent_entity.htm|title=County and equivalent entity|website=factfinder.census.gov|access-date=March 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322003032/https://factfinder.census.gov/help/en/county_and_equivalent_entity.htm|archive-date=March 22, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|Alaska boroughs]]: The state adopted the term "borough" instead of "county" to reflect Alaska's system with different classes of boroughs varying in governmental powers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.akhistorycourse.org/governing-alaska/local-government/|title=Local Government|work=Alaska Humanities Forum|access-date=2022-06-25|archive-date=November 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105013431/https://www.akhistorycourse.org/governing-alaska/local-government/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|Alaska census areas]]: Nearly half of the land area of Alaska is not contained within any of Alaska's 19 organized boroughs. This vast area, larger than [[France]] and [[Germany]] combined, is officially referred to by the Alaska state government as the ''[[Unorganized Borough, Alaska|Unorganized Borough]]'' and outside of other incorporated borough limits, has no independent "county" government, although several incorporated city governments exist within its boundaries; the majority of it is governed and run by the State of Alaska as an extension of state government.{{refn| The [[Unorganized Borough, Alaska|Unorganized Borough]] formed by the ''Borough Act of 1961'' is a legal entity, run by the Alaska state government as an extension of State government.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Alaska Statutes Title 29 Chapter 03. The Unorganized Borough |date = August 18, 1998 |publisher = Local Government On-Line, Division of Community and Regional Affairs, [[Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development]] |url = http://www.commerce.alaska.gov/dca/LOGON/pubs/29_03.htm |access-date = July 17, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090415065256/http://commerce.alaska.gov/dca/LOGON/pubs/29_03.htm |archive-date = April 15, 2009 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref> It and the independently incorporated Unified, Home Rule, First Class and Second Class boroughs roughly correspond to parishes in Louisiana and to counties in the other 48 states.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Local Government in Alaska |date = February 2001 |publisher = Local Boundary Commission, [[Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development]] |url = http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/lbc/pubs/Local_Gov_AK.pdf |access-date = July 17, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080718230624/http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/lbc/pubs/Local_Gov_AK.pdf |archive-date = July 18, 2008 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref>|group=lower-alpha}} The United States Census Bureau, in cooperation with the Alaska state government for census and electoral districting purposes, has divided the Unorganized Borough into 11 census areas for statistical purposes only.<ref group=lower-alpha>These 11 statistical areas are used solely by the [[United States Census Bureau]] to tabulate population and other census statistics within the Unorganized Borough; they have no legal basis in Alaska state or federal law other than for electoral representation and federal financial assistance purposes.</ref>
* [[List of parishes in Louisiana|Louisiana parishes]]: The usage of the term "[[parish]]" for a territorial entity or local government in Louisiana dates back to both the [[Louisiana (New Spain)|Spanish colonial]] and [[Louisiana (New France)|French colonial periods]] when the land was dominated by the [[Catholic Church]]. [[New Orleans]] is a consolidated city-parish. 
* [[Independent city (United States)|Independent cities]]: These are cities that legally belong to no county. They differ from consolidated city-counties in that in the case of a consolidated city-county, the county at least nominally exists, whereas in the case of an independent city, no county even nominally exists.<ref>[https://www.nlc.org/resource/cities-101-consolidations Cities 101 – Consolidations], from [[National League of Cities]]</ref> There are 41 such cities in the United States: [[Baltimore|Baltimore, Maryland]]; [[Carson City, Nevada]]; [[St. Louis|St. Louis, Missouri]]; and all 38 cities in [[Virginia]], where any area incorporated as a city is outside of the county jurisdiction.<ref name="VaPop">{{cite web |url = http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/CommissiononLocalGovernment/PDFs/Locality-Populations.pdf |title = Population and Area of All Virginia Local Governments, 1790–2010 |publisher = Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development |date = April 19, 2012 |access-date = January 25, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170525022119/http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/CommissiononLocalGovernment/PDFs/Locality-Populations.pdf |archive-date = May 25, 2017 |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.census.gov/geo/www/cob/co_metadata.html |title = County & County Equivalent Areas |work = [[United States Census Bureau]] |date = April 19, 2005 |access-date = December 8, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071128044354/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cob/co_metadata.html |archive-date = November 28, 2007 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref>
* [[Washington, D.C.]],<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |title=2010 FIPS Code Files for Counties and County Equivalent Entities |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/codes/cou.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628232229/https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/codes/cou.html |archive-date=Jun 28, 2017 |access-date=November 2, 2017 |website=US Census Bureau}}</ref> outside the jurisdiction of any state, has a special status. The City of Washington comprises the entirety of the District of Columbia, which, in accordance with Article 1, Section 8 of the [[Constitution of the United States|U.S. Constitution]], is under the jurisdiction of the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]]. When founded in 1801, the District consisted of two counties and three cities. In 1846, Alexandria County (which now forms [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington County]] and a portion of the independent city of [[Alexandria, Virginia|Alexandria]])—including the then City of Alexandria—was [[District of Columbia retrocession|given back to Virginia]]. In 1871, the three remaining entities—the City of Washington, [[Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)|City of Georgetown]], and [[Washington County, D.C.|Washington County]] (which was coterminous with the district)—were merged into a consolidated government of District of Columbia by an act of Congress. Georgetown was abolished as a city by another act in 1895.
* [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|Connecticut councils of governments]] (beginning in 2024): County governments were abolished in Connecticut in 1960. Regional councils of governments (COGs) have since been developed as a means of cooperation and coordination between municipalities. Application for the COGs to be considered county equivalents for statistical purposes was made to the Census Bureau in 2019, approved in 2022, and was fully implemented by 2024.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2022/06-2022/Governor-Lamont-Announces-Census-Bureau-Approves-Proposal-for-Planning-Regions |title=Governor Lamont Announces U.S. Census Bureau Approves Proposal for Connecticut's Planning Regions To Become County Equivalents |publisher=The Office of Governor Ned Lamont |date=June 6, 2022 |access-date=July 21, 2022}}</ref>

[[Consolidated city-county|Consolidated city-counties]] are not designated county equivalents for administrative purposes; since both the city and the county at least nominally exist, they are properly classified as counties in their own right. Likewise, the [[boroughs of New York City]] are coextensive with counties and are therefore by definition also not county equivalents.

====Territories====

There are technically no counties in U.S. territories. [[American Samoa]] has [[Administrative divisions of American Samoa|its own counties]], but the U.S. Census Bureau does not treat them as counties (instead, the U.S. Census Bureau treats American Samoa's [[Districts of American Samoa|three districts and two atolls]] as county equivalents).<ref name="CensusT"/><ref name="CensusCounties2"/> American Samoa's counties are treated as minor civil divisions.<ref name="CensusCounties2"/> Most territories are directly divided into municipalities or similar units, which are mostly treated as equivalent of counties for statistical purposes:<ref name="CensusT"/><ref name= "USMOICounties">{{cite web |url=http://www.statoids.com/uum.html |title=Territories of United States Minor Outlying Islands |website=Statoids.com |access-date=July 6, 2018}}</ref><ref name="CensusCounties2"/><ref>{{cite web|url =http://www.hl7.org/fhir/valueset-fips-county.html |website = FHIR|title = US counties and county equivalent entities codes|author= US Realm Taskforce Work Group|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180707093410/http://www.hl7.org/fhir/valueset-fips-county.html |archive-date = 7 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/ansi.html#par_statelist|website= U.S. Census Bureau|title = Census Bureau Code Lists: American National Standards Institute (ANSI)|date = 23 April 2019}}</ref>

* The 78 [[municipalities of Puerto Rico]]
* The 2 [[Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands|districts of the United States Virgin Islands]], or the 3 main [[List of islands of the United States Virgin Islands|islands of the United States Virgin Islands]]
* The 4 [[Northern Mariana Islands#Administrative divisions|municipalities of the Northern Mariana Islands]]
* The 3 [[Administrative divisions of American Samoa|districts of American Samoa]]
* The 2 [[Administrative divisions of American Samoa|atolls of American Samoa]]
* The 9 islands of the [[U.S. Minor Outlying Islands]]

The U.S. Census Bureau counts all of [[Guam]] as one county equivalent (with the FIPS code 66010),<ref name="CensusT"/><ref name="CensusCounties2">{{cite web |title=States, Counties, and Statistically Equivalent Entities (Chapter 4) |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/GARM/Ch4GARM.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/GARM/Ch4GARM.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |access-date=July 6, 2018 |website=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref> while the [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] counts [[List of populated places in Guam|Guam's election districts (villages)]] as county equivalents.<ref name="USGSCounties">{{cite web|url = https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-many-counties-are-there-united-states|title = How many counties are there in the United States?|website = USGS.gov|access-date = July 7, 2018|archive-date = September 7, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180907033534/https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-many-counties-are-there-united-states|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/metroarea/stcbsa_pg/Feb2013/cbsa2013_GU.pdf|title = Guam &ndash; Election Districts|website= Census.gov|date = 2012}}</ref> The U.S. Census Bureau counts the 3 main islands in the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] as county equivalents, while the USGS counts the [[Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands|districts of the U.S. Virgin Islands]] (of which there are 2) as county equivalents.<ref name="CensusT"/><ref name="USGSCounties"/>

==Names and etymologies==
{{see also|Lists of U.S. county name etymologies}}
Common sources of county names are names of people, geographic features, places in other states or countries, and animals. Quite a few counties bear names of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], French, or Spanish origin.<ref name="Kane 2004 vii-xii">{{cite book |title = The American Counties: Origins of County Names, Dates of Creation, and Population Data, 1950-2000 |last1 = Kane |first1 = Joseph Nathan |first2 = Charles Curry |last2 = Aiken |year = 2004 |publisher = Scarecrow Press |isbn = 978-0-8108-5036-1 |page = vii-xii |url =https://archive.org/details/americancounties0000kane|url-access = registration }}<!--|access-date=September 23, 2009--></ref>

Counties are most often named for people, often political figures or early settlers, with over 2,100 of the 3,144 total so named. The most common county name, with 31, is [[Washington County (disambiguation)|Washington County]], for America's first president, [[George Washington]]. Up until 1871, there was a [[Washington County, District of Columbia|Washington County]] within the [[District of Columbia]], but it was dissolved by the [[District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871|District of Columbia Organic Act]]. [[Jefferson County (disambiguation)|Jefferson County]], for [[Thomas Jefferson]], is next with 26. The most recent president to have [[Harding County, New Mexico|a county]] named for him was [[Warren G. Harding]], reflecting the slowing rate of county creation since [[New Mexico]] and [[Arizona]] became states in 1912. The most common names for counties not named after a president are [[Franklin County (disambiguation)|Franklin]] (25), [[Clay County (disambiguation)|Clay]] (18), and [[Montgomery County (disambiguation)|Montgomery]] (18).

After people, the next most common source of county names are geographic features and locations, with some counties even being named after counties in other states, or for places in other countries, such as the United Kingdom (the latter is most common in the area of the original [[Thirteen Colonies]] in the case of the United Kingdom, or in places which had a large number of immigrants from a particular area for other countries). The most common geographic county name is [[Lake County (disambiguation)|Lake]]. Words from Native American languages, as well as the names of Native American leaders and tribes, lend their names to many counties.<ref>[[William Bright|Bright, William]] (2004). ''Native American Placenames of the United States''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. {{ISBN|080613576X}}</ref> Quite a few counties bear names of French or Spanish origin, such as [[Marquette County (disambiguation)|Marquette County]] being named after French missionary [[Jacques Marquette|Father Jacques Marquette]].<ref name="Kane 2004 vii-xii" />

The county's equivalent in the state of Louisiana, the [[Parish (administrative division)|parish]] (Fr. ''paroisse civile'' and Sp. ''parroquia'') took its name during the state's French and Spanish colonial periods. Before the [[Louisiana Purchase]] and granting of statehood, government was often administered in towns where major church [[parish]]es were located. Of the original 19 civil parishes of Louisiana that date from statehood in 1807, nine were named after the Roman Catholic parishes from which they were governed.

==County government==

=== Organization ===
The structure and powers of a county government may be defined by the general law of the state or by a [[charter]] specific to that county. States may allow only general-law counties, only charter counties, or both. Generally, general-law local governments have less autonomy than chartered local governments.<ref>[https://ballotpedia.org/General_law_local_government#Total_charter_counties_by_state General law local government], from [[Ballotpedia]]</ref>

Counties are usually governed by an elected body, variously called the [[county commission]], [[board of supervisors]], [[commissioners' court]], [[county council]], [[county court]], or [[Administrative divisions of New York#County|county legislature]]. In cases in which a [[consolidated city-county]] or [[Independent city (United States)|independent city]] exists, a [[city council]] usually governs city/county or city affairs. In some counties, day-to-day operations are overseen by an elected [[county executive]] or by a chief administrative officer or [[county administrator]] who reports to the board, the mayor, or both.

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 laws 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 (such as hearing appeals from the planning commission if one exists).

In many states, several important officials are elected separately from the board of commissioners or supervisors and cannot be fired by the board. These positions may include [[Clerk (municipal official)|county clerk]], county [[treasurer]], county surrogate, [[Sheriffs in the United States|sheriff]], and others.

[[District attorney]]s or state attorneys are usually state-level as opposed to county-level officials, but in many states, counties and state judicial districts have coterminous boundaries.

The site of a county's administration, and often the county [[courthouse]], is generally called the [[county seat]] ("parish seat" in Louisiana, "borough seat" in Alaska, or "[[shire town]]" in several New England counties). The county seat usually resides in a municipality. However, some counties may have multiple seats or no seat. In some counties with no incorporated municipalities, a large settlement may serve as the county seat.

===Scope of power===
The power of county governments varies widely from state to state, as does the relationship between counties and incorporated cities.

The powers of counties arise from state law and vary widely.<ref>{{cite book|title=Handbook of Local Government Law|last=Reynolds| first=Osborne M. Jr. |publisher=West Group|year=2001|edition=2nd|location=St. Paul|page=26}}</ref>
In [[List of counties in Connecticut|Connecticut]] and [[List of counties in Rhode Island|Rhode Island]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392376|title=Connecticut State Register and Manual, Section VI: Counties|publisher=[[Secretary of the State of Connecticut|Connecticut Secretary of the State]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127033757/http://www.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392376|archive-date=November 27, 2011|access-date=January 23, 2010|quote=There are no county seats in Connecticut. County government was abolished effective October 1, 1960; counties function only as geographical subdivisions.|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ri.gov/facts/trivia.php|title=Facts & History|access-date=January 23, 2010|quote=Rhode Island has no county government. It is divided into 39 municipalities each having its own form of local government.}}</ref>
counties are geographic entities, but not governmental jurisdictions. At the other extreme, [[List of counties in Maryland|Maryland counties]] and the county equivalent [[Baltimore|City of Baltimore]] handle almost all services, including [[public education]], although the state retains an active oversight authority with many of these services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msde.maryland.gov/MSDE/schoolsystems/|title=Direct links to all 24 Maryland Local Education Agencies' web sites|access-date=January 22, 2011}}</ref> [[List of counties in Hawaii|Counties in Hawaii]] also handle almost all services since there is no formal level of government (municipality, public education, or otherwise) existing below that of the county in the state.<ref name="osman">{{cite web|url=http://osman1.com/hi-facts.html|title=Hawaii State: Facts & Figures – Des Osman Realty|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121218185321/http://osman1.com/hi-facts.html|archive-date=December 18, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In most Midwestern and Northeastern states, counties are further subdivided into [[Civil township|townships]] or [[New England town|towns]], which sometimes exercise local powers or administration. Throughout the United States, counties may contain other independent, self-governing [[municipality|municipalities]].

====Minimal scope====
In New England, counties function at most as judicial court districts and [[Sheriffs in the United States|sheriff's departments]] (presently, in [[Connecticut]] only as judicial court districts—and in [[Rhode Island]], they have lost both those functions and most others but they are still used by the [[United States Census Bureau]] and some other federal agencies for some federal functions), and most of the governmental authority below the state level is in the hands of [[New England town|towns and cities]]. 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. In Connecticut, Rhode Island, and parts of Massachusetts, counties are now only geographic designations, and they do not have any governmental powers. All government is either done at the state level or at the municipal level. In Connecticut and parts of Massachusetts, regional councils have been established to partially fill the void left behind by the abolished county governments.<ref group=lower-alpha>Unlike in Massachusetts, [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|Connecticut's regional councils]] do not conform to the old county lines, but rather, they are composed of towns that share the same geographic area and have similar demographics.</ref> The regional councils' authority is limited compared with a county government—they have authority only over infrastructure and [[land use planning]], distribution of state and federal funds for infrastructure projects, emergency preparedness, and limited law enforcement duties.

====Moderate scope====
In the [[Mid-Atlantic states|Mid-Atlantic]] and [[Midwest]], counties typically provide, at a minimum, courts, [[public utility|public utilities]], libraries, hospitals, [[public health]] services, parks, roads, law enforcement, and jails. There is usually a county registrar, recorder, or clerk (the exact title varies) who collects [[Vital statistics (government records)|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). The county recorder normally maintains the official record of all real estate transactions. Other key county officials include the [[coroner]]/[[medical examiner]], [[treasurer]], [[assessor (property)|assessor]], [[auditor]], [[comptroller]], and [[district attorney]].

In most states, the [[Sheriffs in the United States|county sheriff]] is the chief law enforcement officer in the county. However, except in major emergencies where clear chains of command are essential, the county sheriff normally does not directly control the police departments of city governments, but merely cooperates with them (e.g., under [[Mutual aid (emergency services)|mutual aid]] pacts). Thus, the most common interaction between county and city law enforcement personnel is when city police officers deliver suspects to sheriff's deputies for detention or incarceration in the county jail.

In most states, the [[State court (United States)|state courts]] and local law enforcement are organized and implemented along county boundaries, but nearly all of the substantive and procedural law adjudicated in state trial courts originates from the state legislature and state appellate courts. In other words, most criminal defendants are prosecuted for violations of state law, not local ordinances, and if they, the district attorney, or police seek reforms to the criminal justice system, they will usually have to direct their efforts towards the state legislature rather than the county (which merely implements state law).

A typical criminal defendant will be arraigned and subsequently indicted or held over for trial before a trial court in and for a particular county where the crime occurred, kept in the county jail (if he is not granted bail or cannot make bail), prosecuted by the county's district attorney, and tried before a jury selected from that county. But long-term incarceration is rarely a county responsibility, execution of [[Capital punishment in the United States|capital punishment]] is never a county responsibility, and the state's responses to prisoners' appeals are the responsibility of the [[state attorney general]], who has to defend before the state appellate courts the prosecutions conducted by locally elected district attorneys in the name of the state. Furthermore, county-level trial court judges are officers of the judicial branch of the state government rather than county governments.

In many states, the county controls all [[unincorporated area|unincorporated lands]] within its boundaries. In states with a township tier, unincorporated land is controlled by the townships. Residents of unincorporated land who are dissatisfied with county-level or township-level resource allocation decisions can attempt to vote to incorporate as a [[city]], [[town]], or [[village (United States)|village]].

A few counties directly provide [[public transport]]ation themselves, usually in the form of a simple bus system. However, in most counties, public transportation is provided by one of the following: a [[Special district (United States)|special district]] that is coterminous with the county (but exists separately from the county government), a multi-county regional transit authority, or a state agency.

====Broad scope====
In [[Western United States|western]] and [[Southern United States|southern]] states, more populated counties provide many facilities, such as airports, [[convention center]]s, museums, [[Community centre|recreation centers]],
beaches, harbors, zoos, clinics, [[law library|law libraries]], and [[public housing]]. They provide services such as child and family services, elder services, mental health services, welfare services, veterans assistance services, [[Animal control officer|animal control]], [[probation]] supervision, historic preservation, food safety regulation, and environmental health services. They have many additional officials like [[public defender]]s, arts commissioners, human rights commissioners, and planning commissioners.

There may be a county fire department and a county police department – as distinguished from fire and police departments operated by individual cities, special districts, or the state government. For example, [[Gwinnett County, Georgia]], and its county seat, the city of [[Lawrenceville, Georgia|Lawrenceville]], each have their own police departments. (A separate county sheriff's department is responsible for security of the county courts and administration of the county jail.) In several southern states, [[Public school (government funded)|public school]] systems are organized and administered at the county level.

==Statistics==
{{Main|County statistics of the United States}}
{{Further|List of United States counties and county equivalents}}

{{as of|2024|07|01|alt=As of 2024}}, there were 2,999 counties, [[List of parishes in Louisiana|64 Louisiana parishes]], [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|19 organized boroughs]] and [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|11 census areas]] in Alaska, [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|9 Councils of Government]] in Connecticut, [[Independent city (United States)|41 independent cities]],{{#tag:ref|Prior to July 1, 2016, there were 42 independent cities. At that time, [[Bedford, Virginia]], gave up its city status and became a town within [[Bedford County, Virginia|Bedford County]].<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/article_5dcbc886-e1e9-11e2-a412-001a4bcf6878.html |title = Bedford reversion to town becomes official today |newspaper = The News & Advance |location = Lynchburg, VA |date = July 1, 2013 |access-date = July 22, 2013 |first = Justin |last = Faulconer |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170801044750/http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/article_5dcbc886-e1e9-11e2-a412-001a4bcf6878.html |archive-date = August 1, 2017 |url-status = dead }}</ref>|group=lower-alpha}} and the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]] for a total of 3,144 counties and [[#County equivalents|county equivalents]] in the 50 states and District of Columbia.<ref name="PopEstCounties" /> There are an additional 100 county equivalents in the [[territories of the United States]].<ref name="CensusT" /><ref name="CensusCounties2" /><ref name="USMOICounties" /> The average number of counties per state is 62, with a range from the [[List of counties in Delaware|three counties]] of [[Delaware]] to the [[List of counties in Texas|254 counties]] of [[Texas]].

[[Southern United States|Southern]] and [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] states generally tend to have more counties than [[Western United States|Western]] or [[Northeastern United States|Northeastern]] states, as many Northeastern states are not large enough in area to warrant a large number of counties, and many Western states were sparsely populated when counties were created by their respective state legislatures. The [[List of counties in Rhode Island|five counties]] of [[Rhode Island]] and [[List of counties in Massachusetts|eight of the 14 counties]] of [[Massachusetts]] no longer have functional county governments, but continue to exist as legal and census entities. [[Connecticut]] abolished county governments in 1960, leaving its [[List of counties in Connecticut|eight counties]] as mere legal and census entities. In 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau recognized the state's [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|nine Councils of Governments]] as replacement for the state's eight legacy counties for all statistical purposes; full implementation was completed in 2024.

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+<big>The counties and county equivalents of the United&nbsp;States of America, by state or territory</big><br /><br />
! rowspan=2 | [[U.S. state|State]], [[Washington, D.C.|federal district]]<br> or [[U.S. territories|territory]]
! colspan=2 | Total
! colspan=3 | Subdivisions<ref name=PopEstCounties/>
! colspan=2 | Average
|-
! 2024 population<ref name="QuickFacts">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts|title=Census Quick Facts|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division |access-date=January 26, 2025}}</ref>{{Efn|Estimates have not been made available for the territories of American Samoa; Guam; the Northern Mariana Islands; the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands; and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Currently, outdated 2019 estimates have been kept in place for the named.}}
! Land area<ref name=Area>{{cite web |url = https://www.census.gov/popest/data/counties/totals/2012/CO-EST2012-alldata.html |title = Table 358. Land and Water Area of States and Other Entities: 2008 |work = Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012 |publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]] |date = May 1, 2008 |access-date = April 30, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130707052113/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/counties/totals/2012/CO-EST2012-alldata.html |archive-date = July 7, 2013 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref>
!data-sort-type=number| Counties
!data-sort-type=number|Equivalents
!data-sort-type=number|Total
!Population
!Land area
|-
|{{flagicon|Alabama}} [[List of counties in Alabama|Alabama]]
|align=right|5,157,699
|align=center|{{sort|30|50,645 sq&nbsp;mi<br />131,171 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|67
|align=right|—
|align=right|67
|align=right|76,981
|align=center|{{sort|33|756 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,958 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Alaska}} [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|Alaska]]
|align=right|740,133
|align=center|{{sort|57|570,641 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,477,953 km<sup>2</sup>}}
| align="right" | —
| style="background: #EEEEEE;" align=right|30<ref group=lower-alpha>Alaska has 19 [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|organized boroughs]] and one [[Unorganized Borough, Alaska|Unorganized Borough]] divided into [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|11 census areas]].</ref>
|align=right|30
|align=right|24,671
|align=center|{{sort|57|19,677 sq&nbsp;mi<br />50,964 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Arizona}} [[List of counties in Arizona|Arizona]]
|align=right|7,582,384
|align=center|{{sort|52|113,594 sq&nbsp;mi<br />294,207 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|15
|align=right|—
|align=right|15
|align=right|505,492
|align=center|{{sort|56|7,573 sq&nbsp;mi<br />19,614 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Arkansas}} [[List of counties in Arkansas|Arkansas]]
|align=right|3,088,354
|align=center|{{sort|31|52,035 sq&nbsp;mi<br />134,771 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|75
|align=right|—
|align=right|75
|align=right|41,178
|align=center|{{sort|31|694 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,797 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|California}} [[List of counties in California|California]]
|align=right|39,431,263
|align=center|{{sort|55|155,779 sq&nbsp;mi<br />403,466 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|58
|align=right|—
|align=right|58
|align=right|679,849
|align=center|{{sort|51|2,686 sq&nbsp;mi<br />6,956 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Colorado}} [[List of counties in Colorado|Colorado]]
|align=right|5,957,493
|align=center|{{sort|50|103,642 sq&nbsp;mi<br />268,431 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|64
|align=right|—
|align=right|64
|align=right|93,086
|align=center|{{sort|45|1,619 sq&nbsp;mi<br />4,194 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Connecticut}} [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|Connecticut]]
|align=right|3,675,069
|align=center|{{sort|10|4,842 sq&nbsp;mi<br />12,542 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|—
|style="background: #EEEEEE;" align=right|9<ref group=lower-alpha>On June 6, 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau formally recognized [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|Connecticut's nine councils of governments]] as county equivalents instead of the state's eight counties. Connecticut's county governments were disbanded in 1960, and the councils of governments took over some of the local governmental functions. [[List of counties in Connecticut|Connecticut's eight historical counties]] continue to exist in name only, and are no longer considered for statistical purposes.</ref>
|align=right|9
|align=right|408,341
|align=center|{{sort|24|605 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,568 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Delaware}} [[List of counties in Delaware|Delaware]]
|align=right|1,051,917
|align=center|{{sort|08|1,949 sq&nbsp;mi<br />5,047 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|3
|align=right|—
|align=right|3
|align=right|350,639
|align=center|{{sort|25|650 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,682 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|District of Columbia}} [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]]
|align=right|702,250
|align=center|{{sort|02|61 sq&nbsp;mi<br />158 km<sup>2</sup>}}
| align="right" | —
| style="background: #EEEEEE;" align=right|1<ref group=lower-alpha>The U.S. Census Bureau and the [[Office of Management and Budget]] consider the entire District of Columbia to be a county equivalent.</ref>
|align=right|1
|align=right|702,250
|align=center|{{sort|06|61 sq&nbsp;mi<br />158 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Florida}} [[List of counties in Florida|Florida]]
|align=right|23,372,215
|align=center|{{sort|32|53,625 sq&nbsp;mi<br />138,887 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|67
|align=right|—
|align=right|67
|align=right|348,839
|align=center|{{sort|36|800 sq&nbsp;mi<br />2,073 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Georgia (U.S. state)}} [[List of counties in Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|align=right|11,180,878
|align=center|{{sort|37|57,513 sq&nbsp;mi<br />148,959 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|159
|align=right|—
|align=right|159
|align=right|70,320
|align=center|{{sort|12|362 sq&nbsp;mi<br />937 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Hawaii}} [[List of counties in Hawaii|Hawaii]]
|align=right|1,446,146
|align=center|{{sort|11|6,423 sq&nbsp;mi<br />16,635 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|5
|align=right|—
|align=right|5
|align=right|289,229
|align=center|{{sort|43|1,285 sq&nbsp;mi<br />3,327 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Idaho}} [[List of counties in Idaho|Idaho]]
|align=right|2,001,619
|align=center|{{sort|47|82,643 sq&nbsp;mi<br />214,045 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|44
|align=right|—
|align=right|44
|align=right|45,491
|align=center|{{sort|47|1,878 sq&nbsp;mi<br />4,865 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Illinois}} [[List of counties in Illinois|Illinois]]
|align=right|12,710,158
|align=center|{{sort|34|55,519 sq&nbsp;mi<br />143,793 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|102
|align=right|—
|align=right|102
|align=right|124,609
|align=center|{{sort|19|544 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,410 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Indiana}} [[List of counties in Indiana|Indiana]]
|align=right|6,924,275
|align=center|{{sort|20|35,826 sq&nbsp;mi<br />92,789 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|92
|align=right|—
|align=right|92
|align=right|75,264
|align=center|{{sort|13|389 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,009 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Iowa}} [[List of counties in Iowa|Iowa]]
|align=right|3,241,488
|align=center|{{sort|35|55,857 sq&nbsp;mi<br />144,669 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|99
|align=right|—
|align=right|99
|align=right|32,742
|align=center|{{sort|21|564 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,461 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Kansas}} [[List of counties in Kansas|Kansas]]
|align=right|2,970,606
|align=center|{{sort|45|81,759 sq&nbsp;mi<br />211,754 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|105
|align=right|—
|align=right|105
|align=right|28,291
|align=center|{{sort|35|779 sq&nbsp;mi<br />2,017 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Kentucky}} [[List of counties in Kentucky|Kentucky]]
|align=right|4,588,372
|align=center|{{sort|21|39,486 sq&nbsp;mi<br />102,269 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|120
|align=right|—
|align=right|120
|align=right|38,236
|align=center|{{sort|10|329 sq&nbsp;mi<br />852 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Louisiana}} [[List of parishes in Louisiana|Louisiana]]
|align=right|4,597,740
|align=center|{{sort|25|43,204 sq&nbsp;mi<br />111,898 km<sup>2</sup>}}
| align="right" | —
|style="background: #EEEEEE;" align=right|64<ref group=lower-alpha>Louisiana has [[List of parishes in Louisiana|64 parishes]] instead of counties.</ref>
|align=right|64
|align=right|71,840
|align=center|{{sort|29|675 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,748 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Maine}} [[List of counties in Maine|Maine]]
|align=right|1,405,012
|align=center|{{sort|19|30,843 sq&nbsp;mi<br />79,883 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|16
|align=right|—
|align=right|16
|align=right|87,813
|align=center|{{sort|48|1,928 sq&nbsp;mi<br />4,993 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Maryland}} [[List of counties in Maryland|Maryland]]
|align=right|6,263,220
|align=center|{{sort|16|9,707 sq&nbsp;mi<br />25,142 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|23
|style="background: #EEEEEE;" align=right|1<ref group=lower-alpha>[[Baltimore|Baltimore, Maryland]] is an [[Independent city (United States)|independent city]].</ref>
|align=right|24
|align=right|260,968
|align=center|{{sort|14|404 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,048 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Massachusetts}} [[List of counties in Massachusetts|Massachusetts]]
|align=right|7,136,171
|align=center|{{sort|13|7,800 sq&nbsp;mi<br />20,202 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|14
|align=right|—
|align=right|14
|align=right|509,727
|align=center|{{sort|20|557 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,443 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Michigan}} [[List of counties in Michigan|Michigan]]
|align=right|10,140,459
|align=center|{{sort|36|56,539 sq&nbsp;mi<br />146,435 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|83
|align=right|—
|align=right|83
|align=right|122,174
|align=center|{{sort|30|681 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,764 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Minnesota}} [[List of counties in Minnesota|Minnesota]]
|align=right|5,793,151
|align=center|{{sort|44|79,627 sq&nbsp;mi<br />206,232 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|87
|align=right|—
|align=right|87
|align=right|66,588
|align=center|{{sort|40|915 sq&nbsp;mi<br />2,370 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Mississippi}} [[List of counties in Mississippi|Mississippi]]
|align=right|2,943,045
|align=center|{{sort|27|46,923 sq&nbsp;mi<br />121,531 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|82
|align=right|—
|align=right|82
|align=right|35,891
|align=center|{{sort|22|572 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,482 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Missouri}} [[List of counties in Missouri|Missouri]]
|align=right|6,245,466
|align=center|{{sort|40|68,742 sq&nbsp;mi<br />178,040 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|114
|style="background: #EEEEEE;" align=right|1<ref group=lower-alpha>[[St. Louis|St. Louis, Missouri]] is an [[Independent city (United States)|independent city]].</ref>
|align=right|115
|align=right|54,308
|align=center|{{sort|23|598 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,548 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Montana}} [[List of counties in Montana|Montana]]
|align=right|1,137,233
|align=center|{{sort|54|145,546 sq&nbsp;mi<br />376,962 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|56
|align=right|—
|align=right|56
|align=right|20,308
|align=center|{{sort|49|2,599 sq&nbsp;mi<br />6,731 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Nebraska}} [[List of counties in Nebraska|Nebraska]]
|align=right|2,005,465
|align=center|{{sort|43|76,824 sq&nbsp;mi<br />198,974 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|93
|align=right|—
|align=right|93
|align=right|21,564
|align=center|{{sort|37|826 sq&nbsp;mi<br />2,140 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Nevada}} [[List of counties in Nevada|Nevada]]
|align=right|3,267,467
|align=center|{{sort|51|109,781 sq&nbsp;mi<br />284,332 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|16
|style="background: #EEEEEE;" align=right|1<ref group=lower-alpha>[[Carson City, Nevada]] is an [[Independent city (United States)|independent city]].</ref>
|align=right|17
|align=right|192,204
|align=center|{{sort|55|6,458 sq&nbsp;mi<br />16,725 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|New Hampshire}} [[List of counties in New Hampshire|New Hampshire]]
|align=right|1,409,032
|align=center|{{sort|14|8,953 sq&nbsp;mi<br />23,187 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|10
|align=right|—
|align=right|10
|align=right|140,903
|align=center|{{sort|39|895 sq&nbsp;mi<br />2,319 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|New Jersey}} [[List of counties in New Jersey|New Jersey]]
|align=right|9,500,851
|align=center|{{sort|12|7,354 sq&nbsp;mi<br />19,047 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|21
|align=right|—
|align=right|21
|align=right|452,421
|align=center|{{sort|11|350 sq&nbsp;mi<br />907 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|New Mexico}} [[List of counties in New Mexico|New Mexico]]
|align=right|2,130,256
|align=center|{{sort|53|121,298 sq&nbsp;mi<br />314,161 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|33
|align=right|—
|align=right|33
|align=right|64,553
|align=center|{{sort|53|3,676 sq&nbsp;mi<br />9,520 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|New York}} [[List of counties in New York|New York]]
|align=right|19,867,248
|align=center|{{sort|28|47,126 sq&nbsp;mi<br />122,057 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|62
|align=right|—
|align=right|62
|align=right|320,439
|align=center|{{sort|34|760 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,969 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|North Carolina}} [[List of counties in North Carolina|North Carolina]]
|align=right|11,046,024
|align=center|{{sort|29|48,618 sq&nbsp;mi<br />125,920 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|100
|align=right|—
|align=right|100
|align=right|110,460
|align=center|{{sort|18|486 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,259 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|North Dakota}} [[List of counties in North Dakota|North Dakota]]
|align=right|796,568
|align=center|{{sort|41|69,001 sq&nbsp;mi<br />178,711 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|53
|align=right|—
|align=right|53
|align=right|15,030
|align=center|{{sort|44|1,302 sq&nbsp;mi<br />3,372 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Ohio}} [[List of counties in Ohio|Ohio]]
|align=right|11,883,304
|align=center|{{sort|23|40,861 sq&nbsp;mi<br />105,829 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|88
|align=right|—
|align=right|88
|align=right|135,038
|align=center|{{sort|17|464 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,203 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Oklahoma}} [[List of counties in Oklahoma|Oklahoma]]
|align=right|4,095,393
|align=center|{{sort|39|68,595 sq&nbsp;mi<br />177,660 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|77
|align=right|—
|align=right|77
|align=right|53,187
|align=center|{{sort|38|891 sq&nbsp;mi<br />2,307 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Oregon}} [[List of counties in Oregon|Oregon]]
|align=right|4,272,371
|align=center|{{sort|48|95,988 sq&nbsp;mi<br />248,608 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|36
|align=right|—
|align=right|36
|align=right|118,677
|align=center|{{sort|50|2,666 sq&nbsp;mi<br />6,906 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Pennsylvania}} [[List of counties in Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]]
|align=right|13,078,751
|align=center|{{sort|26|44,743 sq&nbsp;mi<br />115,883 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|67
|align=right|—
|align=right|67
|align=right|195,205
|align=center|{{sort|28|668 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,730 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Rhode Island}} [[List of counties in Rhode Island|Rhode Island]]
|align=right|1,112,308
|align=center|{{sort|07|1,034 sq&nbsp;mi<br />2,678 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|5
|align=right|—
|align=right|5
|align=right|222,462
|align=center|{{sort|07|207 sq&nbsp;mi<br />536 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|South Carolina}} [[List of counties in South Carolina|South Carolina]]
|align=right|5,478,831
|align=center|{{sort|18|30,061 sq&nbsp;mi<br />77,857 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|46
|align=right|—
|align=right|46
|align=right|119,105
|align=center|{{sort|26|653 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,693 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|South Dakota}} [[List of counties in South Dakota|South Dakota]]
|align=right|924,669
|align=center|{{sort|42|75,811 sq&nbsp;mi<br />196,350 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|66
|align=right|—
|align=right|66
|align=right|14,010
|align=center|{{sort|42|1,149 sq&nbsp;mi<br />2,975 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Tennessee}} [[List of counties in Tennessee|Tennessee]]
|align=right|7,227,750
|align=center|{{sort|24|41,235 sq&nbsp;mi<br />106,798 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|95
|align=right|—
|align=right|95
|align=right|76,082
|align=center|{{sort|15|434 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,124 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Texas}} [[List of counties in Texas|Texas]]
|align=right|31,290,831
|align=center|{{sort|56|261,232 sq&nbsp;mi<br />676,587 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|254
|align=right|—
|align=right|254
|align=right|123,192
|align=center|{{sort|41|1,028 sq&nbsp;mi<br />2,664 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Utah}} [[List of counties in Utah|Utah]]
|align=right|3,503,613
|align=center|{{sort|46|82,170 sq&nbsp;mi<br />212,818 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|29
|align=right|—
|align=right|29
|align=right|120,814
|align=center|{{sort|52|2,833 sq&nbsp;mi<br />7,339 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Vermont}} [[List of counties in Vermont|Vermont]]
|align=right|648,493
|align=center|{{sort|15|9,217 sq&nbsp;mi<br />23,871 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|14
|align=right|—
|align=right|14
|align=right|46,321
|align=center|{{sort|27|658 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,705 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Virginia}} [[List of counties in Virginia|Virginia]]
|align=right|8,811,195
|align=center|{{sort|22|39,490 sq&nbsp;mi<br />102,279 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|95
|style="background: #EEEEEE;" align=right|38<ref group=lower-alpha>Virginia has [[List of cities in Virginia|38 independent cities]].</ref>
|align=right|133
|align=right|66,250
|align=center|{{sort|09|416 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,077 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Washington}} [[List of counties in Washington|Washington]]
|align=right|7,958,180
|align=center|{{sort|38|66,456 sq&nbsp;mi<br />172,119 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|39
|align=right|—
|align=right|39
|align=right|204,056
|align=center|{{sort|46|1,704 sq&nbsp;mi<br />4,413 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|West Virginia}} [[List of counties in West Virginia|West Virginia]]
|align=right|1,769,979
|align=center|{{sort|17|24,038 sq&nbsp;mi<br />62,259 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|55
|align=right|—
|align=right|55
|align=right|32,181
|align=center|{{sort|16|437 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,132 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Wisconsin}} [[List of counties in Wisconsin|Wisconsin]]
|align=right|5,960,975
|align=center|{{sort|33|54,158 sq&nbsp;mi<br />140,268 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|72
|align=right|—
|align=right|72
|align=right|82,791
|align=center|{{sort|32|752 sq&nbsp;mi<br />1,948 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Wyoming}} [[List of counties in Wyoming|Wyoming]]
|align=right|587,618
|align=center|{{sort|49|97,093 sq&nbsp;mi<br />251,470 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|23
|align=right|—
|align=right|23
|align=right|25,549
|align=center|{{sort|54|4,221 sq&nbsp;mi<br />10,933 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-class=sortbottom style="background:#fbfbbb"
|[[List of United States counties and county equivalents|United States]]<br> (50 states and the District of Columbia)
|align=right|340,110,988
|align=center|{{sort|99|3,531,905 sq&nbsp;mi<br />9,147,592 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|2,999
|align=right|145
|align=right|3,144
|align=right|108,178
|align=center|{{sort|99|1,124 sq&nbsp;mi<br />2,910 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|American Samoa}} [[Administrative divisions of American Samoa|American Samoa]]{{efn|Although American Samoa has 15 counties,<ref>[https://new.asbar.org/revised-constitution-of-american-samoa/ Revised Constitution of American Samoa] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607074235/https://new.asbar.org/revised-constitution-of-american-samoa |date=June 7, 2020 }}, American Samoa Bar Association.</ref><ref>[https://new.asbar.org/code-annotated/2-0202-districts/ 2.0202 Districts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607034033/https://new.asbar.org/code-annotated/2-0202-districts/ |date=June 7, 2020 }}, Code Annotated, American Samoa Bar Association.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200729020135/https://new.asbar.org/code-annotated/6-0102-definitions/ 6.0102 Definitions], Code Annotated, American Samoa Bar Association.</ref> they are not counted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Bureau instead counts American Samoa's [[Administrative divisions of American Samoa|3 districts and 2 atolls]] as county equivalents.<ref name="ASamoaCounties">[http://www.statoids.com/yas.html "Counties of American Samoa"]. Statoids.com. Retrieved July 6, 2018.</ref><ref name="CensusT"/>}}
|align=right|51,504
|align=center|{{sort|03|77 sq&nbsp;mi<br />199 km<sup>2</sup>}}
| align="right" | —
|style="background: #EEEEEE;" align=right|5
|align=right|5
|align=right|11,104
|align=center|{{sort|02|15 sq&nbsp;mi<br />40 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-class=sortbottom style="background:#fbfbbb"
|-
|{{flagicon|Guam}} [[List of populated places in Guam|Guam]]<ref group=lower-alpha>Guam does not have counties. All of Guam is counted as one county equivalent by the U.S. Census Bureau.</ref>
|align=right|162,742
|align=center|{{sort|06|210 sq&nbsp;mi<br />540 km<sup>2</sup>}}
| align="right" | —
|style="background: #EEEEEE;" align=right|1
|align=right|1
|align=right|162,742
|align=center|{{sort|08|210 sq&nbsp;mi<br />540 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Mariana Islands}} [[Northern Mariana Islands#Administrative divisions|Northern Mariana Islands]]<ref group=lower-alpha>The Northern Mariana Islands do not have counties. The U.S. Census Bureau counts the 4 municipalities of the Northern Mariana Islands as county equivalents.</ref>
|align=right| 52,263
|align=center|{{sort|05|179 sq&nbsp;mi<br />464 km<sup>2</sup>}}
| align="right" | —
|style="background: #EEEEEE;" align=right|4
|align=right|4
|align=right|13,066
|align=center|{{sort|04|45 sq&nbsp;mi<br />116 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Puerto Rico}} [[Municipalities of Puerto Rico|Puerto Rico]]<ref group=lower-alpha>Puerto Rico does not have counties. The U.S. Census Bureau counts Puerto Rico's [[Municipalities of Puerto Rico|78 municipalities]] as county equivalents.</ref>
|align=right|3,203,295
|align=center|{{sort|09|3,515 sq&nbsp;mi<br />9,104 km<sup>2</sup>}}
| align="right" | —
|style="background: #EEEEEE;" align=right|78
|align=right|78
|align=right|41,068
|align=center|{{sort|05|45 sq&nbsp;mi<br />116 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|United States}} [[U.S. Minor Outlying Islands]]<ref group=lower-alpha>The U.S. Minor Outlying Islands do not have counties. The U.S. Census Bureau counts each of the 9 island groups in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands as county equivalents.</ref><ref group=lower-alpha>The Minor Outlying Islands have no permanent residents. All reported population consists of temporary military and scientific habitation.</ref>
|align=right|160
|align=center|{{sort|01|13 sq&nbsp;mi<br />34 km<sup>2</sup>}}
| align="right" | —
| style="background: #EEEEEE;" align=right|9
|align=right|9
|align=right|18
|align=center|{{sort|01|1 sq&nbsp;mi<br />4 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-
|{{flagicon|U.S. Virgin Islands}} [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]]<ref group=lower-alpha>The U.S. Virgin Islands do not have counties. The U.S. Census Bureau counts the 3 main islands ([[Saint Croix]], [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]] and [[Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint John]]) as county equivalents.</ref>
|align=right| 104,901
|align=center|{{sort|04|134 sq&nbsp;mi<br />346 km<sup>2</sup>}}
| align="right" | —
|style="background: #EEEEEE;" align=right|3
|align=right|3
|align=right|34,967
|align=center|{{sort|03|45 sq&nbsp;mi<br />115 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|-class=sortbottom style="background:#fbfbbb"
|[[List of United States counties and county equivalents|United States]]<br> (50 states, the District of Columbia,<br> and territories)
|align=right|330,744,054
|align=center|{{sort|-|3,535,948 sq&nbsp;mi<br />9,158,064 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|align=right|2,999
|align=right|245
|align=right|3,244
|align=right|101,987
|align=center|{{sort|-|1,091 sq&nbsp;mi<br />2,825 km<sup>2</sup>}}
|}

===Population===
[[File:County population map.webp|thumb|County population map <br> 2022 Census data]]
The average U.S. county population was 104,435 in 2019, while the median county, which is [[Nicholas County, West Virginia]], had a population of 25,965 in 2019. The most populous county is [[Los Angeles County, California]], with 10,014,009 residents in 2020. This number is greater than the populations of 41 U.S. states, and is only slightly smaller than the combined population of the 10 least populous states and Washington, D.C. It also makes the population of Los Angeles County 17.4 times greater than that of the least populous state, Wyoming.

The second most populous county is [[Cook County, Illinois]], with a population of 5,275,541.<ref name="USCensus2015">{{cite web |title=American FactFinder |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=PEP_2015_PEPANNRES&src=pt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214010228/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=PEP_2015_PEPANNRES&src=pt |archive-date=February 14, 2020 |access-date=December 27, 2016 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> Cook County's population is larger than that of 28 individual [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|U.S. states]] and the combined populations of the six smallest states.<ref name=USCensus2015 />

The least populous county is [[Loving County, Texas]], with 64 residents in 2020. Eight county equivalents in the [[Territories of the United States|U.S. territories]] have no human population: [[Rose Atoll]], [[Northern Islands Municipality]], [[Baker Island]], [[Howland Island]], [[Jarvis Island]], [[Johnston Atoll]], [[Kingman Reef]], and [[Navassa Island]].<ref name="USMOICounties"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statoids.com/ump.html |title=Municipalities of Northern Mariana Islands |website=Statoids.com |access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statoids.com/uas.html |title=Districts of American Samoa |website=Statoids.com |access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> The remaining three islands in the [[U.S. Minor Outlying Islands]] ([[Midway Atoll]], [[Palmyra Atoll]] and [[Wake Island]]) have small non-permanent human populations. The county equivalent with the smallest non-zero population counted in the census is [[Swains Island|Swains Island, American Samoa]] (17 people),<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Swains-Island |title=Swains Island |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |edition=Online |access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> although since 2008 this population has not been permanent either.<ref>[http://npshistory.com/publications/noaa/unlocking-secrets-swains-island.pdf Unlocking the Secrets of Swains Island] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719004908/http://npshistory.com/publications/noaa/unlocking-secrets-swains-island.pdf |date=July 19, 2017 }}, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, September 2013.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200728235650/https://mtp.travel/users/1/posts/1575 Swains Island], Charles A. Veley, 27 November 2008.</ref><ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301667226_Assessment_of_the_Birds_of_Swains_Island_American_Samoa Assessment of the Birds of Swains Island, American Samoa], Andrew Titmus, Nicola Arcilla, and Christopher Lepczyk, ''The Wilson Journal of Ornithology'', March 2016.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200728231315/https://www.staradvertiser.com/2014/09/20/hawaii-news/atoll-envisioned-as-a-model-for-sustainability/ Atoll envisioned as a model for sustainability], Star Advertiser, 20 September 2014.</ref>

The most densely populated county or county equivalent is [[Manhattan|New York County, New York]] (coextensive with the [[New York City]] Borough of Manhattan), with {{convert|72,033|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|persons&nbsp;|persons}} in 2015. The [[Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska]], is both the most extensive and the least densely populated county or county equivalent with {{convert|0.0380|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|persons&nbsp;|persons}} in 2015.<ref name=USCensus2015 />

In the 50 states (plus the District of Columbia), a total of 981 counties have a population over 50,000; 592 counties have a population over 100,000; 137 counties have a population over 500,000; 45 counties have a population over 1,000,000; and 14 counties have a population over 2,000,000. At the other extreme, 35 counties have a population under 1,000; 307 counties have a population under 5,000; 709 counties have a population under 10,000; and 1,492 counties have a population between 10,000 and 50,000.<ref name=USCensus2015 />

===Area===
[[File:NicholasCountySignWV.jpg|right|thumb|A highway sign designating the border between [[Nicholas County, West Virginia|Nicholas]] and [[Greenbrier County, West Virginia|Greenbrier]] counties in [[West Virginia]] along a secondary road]]

At the [[2000 U.S. census]], the [[median]] land area of U.S. counties was {{convert|622|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}, which is two-thirds of the median land area of a [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county of England]], and a little more than a quarter of the median land area of a French ''[[département]]''. Counties in the western United States typically have a much larger land area than those in the eastern United States. For example, the median land area of counties in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] is {{convert|343|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}, whereas in [[Utah]] it is {{convert|2,427|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}.

The most extensive county or county equivalent is the [[Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska]], with a land area of 145,505&nbsp;square&nbsp;miles (376,856&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>). All nine of the most extensive county equivalents are in Alaska. The most extensive county is [[San Bernardino County, California]], with a land area of 20,057&nbsp;square&nbsp;miles (51,947&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>). The least extensive county is [[Kalawao County, Hawaii]], with a land area of 11.991&nbsp;square&nbsp;miles (31.058&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>). The least extensive county equivalent in the 50 states is the [[independent city (United States)|independent city]] of [[Falls Church, Virginia]], with a land area of 1.999&nbsp;square&nbsp;miles (5.177&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>).<ref name=NACO/> If U.S. territories are included, the least extensive county equivalent is [[Kingman Reef]], with a land area of 0.01&nbsp;square&nbsp;miles (0.03&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>).<ref name="Kingman Reef">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kingman-Reef |title=Kingman Reef |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |edition=Online |access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref>

==Geographic relationships between cities and counties==
In some states, a municipality may be in only one county and may not annex territory in adjacent counties, but in the majority of states, the state constitution or state law allows municipalities to extend across county boundaries. At least 32 states include [[List of U.S. cities in multiple counties|municipalities in multiple counties]]. [[Dallas]], for example, contains portions of five counties, while numerous other cities comprise portions of four counties. [[New York City]] is an unusual case because it encompasses multiple entire counties in one city. Each of those counties is coextensive with one of the five [[Boroughs of New York City|boroughs]] of the city: [[Manhattan]] (New York County), [[The Bronx]] (Bronx County), [[Queens]] (Queens County), [[Brooklyn]] (Kings County), and [[Staten Island]] (Richmond County).

==See also==
*[[Index of U.S. counties]]
*[[Lists of counties in the United States]]
**[[List of United States counties and county equivalents]]
***[[Consolidated city-county]]
***[[List of former United States counties]]
***[[List of highest counties in the United States]]
***[[List of highest U.S. county high points]]
***[[List of the most common U.S. county names]]
*[[Federal Information Processing Standard state code|List of FIPS codes]]
*[[Census geographic units of Canada]]
*[[Municipalities of Mexico]]
*[[Districts of Russia]]

== Explanatory notes ==
{{Reflist|30em|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Counties of the United States}}
* ''[https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/GARM/GARMcont.pdf Geographic Areas Reference Manual]'' (November 1994) by the [[United States Census Bureau]]
* [http://www.naco.org/ National Association of Counties]
* [http://www.newberry.org/ahcbp/ Atlas of Historical County Boundaries] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707124709/http://www.newberry.org/ahcbp/ |date=July 7, 2010 }})
* [https://www.forbes.com/2010/06/04/migration-moving-wealthy-interactive-counties-map.html Where Americans are moving, by county, in 2010]
* [https://www.uscountymaps.com/ Entire list of county maps in the United States]

{{U.S. Counties}}
{{USCountyLists}}
{{United States topics}}
{{USCensus Geography}}
{{Articles on second-level administrative divisions of North American countries}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Counties of the United States| ]]
[[Category:Administrative divisions in North America|United States 2]]
[[Category:Second-level administrative divisions by country|Counties, United States]]