County statistics of the United States

In 48 of the 50 states of the United States, the county is used for the level of local government immediately below the state itself. Louisiana uses parishes, and Alaska uses boroughs. In several states in New England, some or all counties within states have no governments of their own; the counties continue to exist as legal entities, however, and are used by states for some administrative functions and by the United States Census bureau for statistical analysis. There are 3,142 counties and county equivalent administrative units in total, including the District of Columbia.

There are 41 independent cities in the United States. In Virginia, any municipality that is incorporated as a city legally becomes independent of any county. Where indicated, the statistics below do not include Virginia's 38 independent cities.

In Alaska, most of the land area of the state has no county-level government. Those parts of the state are divided by the United States Census Bureau into census areas, which are not the same as boroughs. The state's largest statistical division by area is the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, which is larger than any of the state's boroughs. Although Anchorage is called a municipality, it is considered a consolidated city and borough.

Although most U.S. counties were created during the 19th century, the most recent county in the United States is Broomfield County in Colorado, created in 2001.

Count

Texas has the most counties of any state

Delaware has the fewest counties of any state

Lists of counties and county equivalents by number per political division:

• Total: 3,143 (3,007 counties and 136 county equivalents)
• Average county equivalents per state (not including D.C.): 62.84

Population

Nationwide population extremes

These rankings include county equivalents, however no county equivalents are in the top or bottom ten by population.

Population per state

Area

Nationwide land area extremes

The following tables exclude county equivalents. The largest counties and county equivalents are organized boroughs and the census areas of Alaska with the top two being Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area (145,504.79 sq mi or 376,855.7 km²) and North Slope Borough (88,695.41 sq mi or 229,720.1 km²). The smallest counties and county equivalents are the independent cities of Virginia with the extreme being Falls Church (2.00 sq mi or 5.2 km²).^[2]

If independent cities are included, Falls Church becomes the smallest county in the state, and in fact the smallest county-level political subdivision in the United States, at 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²).

Smallest, largest and average area per state

This list excludes Alaskan Census Areas, but includes other county equivalents. The North Slope Borough is the largest independently incorporated county equivalent. The Unorganized Borough is substantially larger, but is an extension of the State of Alaska government and not independently incorporated.^A[›]

Population density

Most densely populated

Data presented below is based on U.S. Census department data from 2010.^[3] Calculations are made by dividing the population by the land area. All county equivalents are included.

Least densely populated

This list generated by dividing the population by the land area. All county equivalents are included. The list is dominated by just a few states: Alaska, Montana, and Texas together comprise about two-thirds of the entries. The Unorganized Borough is not included here as a unit, but its census areas (non-governmental entities) are. If the census areas were removed from the list, the Unorganized Borough would rank fourteenth with a density of 0.38 per square mile (0.15/km²).

Population density per state

Data presented below is based on U.S. Census Bureau data from 2010.^[3] Calculations are made by dividing the population by the land area. All county equivalents are included.

Excluding the census areas of Alaska, Lake and Peninsula Borough is the least densely populated county equivalent with 0.069/sq mi (0.027/km²).

See also

• Local government in the United States

Notes

References

General

• US Census Quick Facts
• For a state map showing the counties, select in http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/ the state and select "view map"; select a county to obtain data about it.*
• For a table of counties of a state, with areas, populations, densities and more (using miles), select the state in .
• Map of the US showing population density per county (pdf, see p. 6)
• 2002 Census of Governments; Volume 1, No. 1, Government Organization. U.S. Census Bureau. . Page 8 shows a chart of counties by population and by state.

External links

• Labor Statistics County Employment and Wages

United States county-related lists General Index By state Former counties Secession proposals Demographics Population African-American majority Hispanic or Latino majority Most populous county by state Most densely populated county least Economy Highest-income Lowest-income Geography By area Name origins Etymologies A–D E–I J–M N–R S–Z Most common names Less common names Named after Confederate historical figures Named after rivers Named after U.S. Presidents Named after women See also County statistics of the United States Smithsonian trinomial