Illinois has the most local governments of any U.S. state, according to preliminary data released in the 2012 Census of Governments. Hawaii has the fewest. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the Census of Governments every five years – for years ending in “2” and “7” – and is “the only uniform source of statistics for all of the nation’s state and local governments.”
Local governments fall into two broad categories: general purpose and special purpose. General purpose local governments include counties, municipalities, and towns/townships. Special purpose local governments include special districts and independent school districts.
Trends over time
The 2012 data shows a total of 89,004 local governments in the U.S. in 2012, down from 89,476 local governments in 2007. Many factors might account for this decline, including consolidation, some terminations and perhaps some redefinitions. While relatively small in number, the drop is worth noting because it could signal the reversal of a trend, as illustrated by the table below.
| Census of Government Year | # Local Governments | Change from Prior Census |
| 2012 | 89,004 | – 523 |
| 2007 | 89,527 | +3,951 |
| 2002 | 87,525 | + 72 |
| 1997 | 87,453 | +2,498 |
| 1992 | 84,955 | +1,769 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments, Historical Data
Over time, much of the growth and decline in the number of local governments can be traced to changes in the number of special purpose local governments.
“The decline in local governments over the past few decades is mostly due to consolidated school districts, while most of the increase is a result of the creation of special districts,” notes Michael Pagano, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Co-Editor of Urban Affairs Review.
The consolidation of school districts, a trend evidenced over the past 70 years, likely explains why the number of independent school districts dropped from 14,561 in 2007 to 12,884 in 2012.
The falloff in the number of general purpose local governments compared to the 2007 data is attributable almost solely to the decrease in the ’towns/township’ category, Pagano says. “It’s possible that many townships have been annexed into or absorbed by cities, thereby eliminating certain township governments.”
The Census of Governments reports that ten states had fewer townships as a result of mergers and consolidations. Kansas experienced the largest drop in townships, down from 1,353 in 2007 to 1,268 in 2012, according to the report.
Which states have the most local governments? Which have the fewest?
As illustrated in the tables that follow, Illinois leads the nation with the highest number of local governments, as it did in the 2007 Census of Governments as well. The list of the top five states with the highest number of local governments in 2012 mirrors the list of the top five in 2007 – in the same order.
States with the Most Local Governments
| State | Total # Local Governments |
| Illinois | 6,968 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,905 |
| Texas | 4,856 |
| California | 4,350 |
| Kansas | 3,806 |
The states with the fewest local governments in 2012 closely matches the list of states with the lowest number of local governments in 2007, with the exception of Delaware, which replaced Maryland in the number five position.
States with the Fewest Local Governments
| State | Total # Local Governments |
| Hawaii | 21 |
| Rhode Island | 134 |
| Alaska | 177 |
| Nevada | 190 |
| Delaware* | 338 |
*In the 2007 Census of Governments, Maryland came in fifth place, 256 local governments, but that number rose to 347 in 2012.
Which states have the most special purpose local governments? Which have the fewest?
Most of the “net change” in the number of local governments takes place in the special purpose category, which includes special districts and independent school districts. As shown in the following tables, Illinois – which has the highest number of local governments – also has the highest number of special purpose local governments and the highest number of special districts. More than half of Illinois’ local governments fall under the “special purpose” umbrella.
Special districts can be created, with state approval, to provide specific services such as fire protection, library and transit services.
States with the Most Special Districts
| State | # Special Districts |
| Illinois | 3,232 |
| California | 2,786 |
| Texas | 2,309 |
| Colorado | 2,305 |
| Missouri | 1,837 |
States with the Fewest Special Districts
| State | # Special Districts |
| Alaska | 15 |
| Hawaii | 17 |
| Rhode Island | 91 |
| Louisiana | 97 |
| New Hampshire | 97 |
Independent school districts include those not operated by a state, county, municipality or township. Texas, California, and Illinois have the most independent school districts, while Rhode Island and Tennessee have the fewest.
States with the Most Independent School Districts
| State | # Independent School Districts |
| Texas | 1,079 |
| California | 1,025 |
| Illinois | 905 |
| New York | 679 |
| Ohio | 668 |
States with the Fewest Independent School Districts
| State | # Independent School Districts |
| Rhode Island | 4 |
| Tennessee | 14 |
| Nevada | 17 |
| Connecticut | 17 |
| Delaware | 19 |
Note: Public schools in Virginia are divided into “divisions,” operated which are similar to “districts,” but are not independently operated. Dependent school districts, those operated by a state, county, municipal, town, or township government are not included in these rankings.