Counties in the United States
The United States is divided into 3,143 counties and county-equivalents, the local government layer that sits between a state and a city. Below: how the system works, which states do it differently, and a fully mapped example in California.
How Counties Work
A county is the primary unit of local government below the state level, responsible for things like property records, courts, road maintenance, and local elections. Most states use the term "county," but two don't: Louisiana calls them parishes, and Alaska calls them boroughs (with unorganized areas grouped into census areas instead).
County government structure varies widely — some counties are run by an elected commission, others by an elected county executive, and a handful of consolidated city-counties (like San Francisco or Denver) merge city and county government into one.
See a Full Example
GeoMapGuide currently has a complete county-level map for California, covering all 58 counties from Los Angeles down to sparsely populated Alpine County. Every other state follows the same page template and will be filled in over time.
Counties in the United States — Quick Facts
- Total US Counties
- 3,143
- State with Most Counties
- Texas (254)
- State with Fewest Counties
- Delaware (3)
- Louisiana's Equivalent
- Parishes (64)
- Alaska's Equivalent
- Boroughs & census areas (30)
- Fully Mapped on GeoMapGuide
- California (58 of 58)