County (United States) facts for kids

A county in the United States is a type of local government. It's a step below the state government. Almost all states (48 out of 50) in the U.S. use counties. For example, Louisiana calls its counties parishes, and Alaska uses boroughs. These are just different names for the same kind of local area. The United States Census Bureau lists 3,481 counties or similar areas across the country.

Some states, especially in the Midwest and Northeast, divide their counties even further into smaller areas called townships or towns. These smaller areas sometimes have their own local governments too. The main town or city where the county government offices and courts are located is called the county seat.

How Big Are Counties?

On average, a county in the United States has about 100,000 people living in it. But this can vary a lot!

• The county with the most people is Los Angeles County, California, which has about 9.8 million residents. That's a huge number!
• On the other hand, Kalawao County in Hawaii has very few people, with only about 90 residents.

The average state has about 62 counties.

• Delaware has the fewest counties, with only 3.
• Texas has the most counties, with a whopping 254!

Counties by State

Here's a list showing how many counties (or similar divisions) each state has:

• 254 – Texas
• 159 – Georgia
• 134 – Virginia
• 120 – Kentucky
• 115 – Missouri
• 105 – Kansas
• 102 – Illinois
• 100 – North Carolina
• 99 – Iowa
• 95 – Tennessee
• 93 – Nebraska
• 92 – Indiana
• 88 – Ohio
• 87 – Minnesota
• 83 – Michigan
• 82 – Mississippi
• 77 – Oklahoma
• 75 – Arkansas
• 72 – Wisconsin
• 67 – Pennsylvania
• 67 – Florida
• 67 – Alabama
• 66 – South Dakota
• 64 – Louisiana (these are called parishes, not counties)
• 64 – Colorado
• 62 – New York
• 58 – California
• 56 – Montana
• 55 – West Virginia
• 53 – North Dakota
• 46 – South Carolina
• 44 – Idaho
• 39 – Washington
• 36 – Oregon
• 33 – New Mexico
• 29 – Utah
• 27 – Alaska (these are called boroughs or census areas)
• 24 – Maryland
• 23 – Wyoming
• 21 – New Jersey
• 17 – Nevada
• 16 – Maine
• 15 – Arizona
• 14 – Vermont
• 14 – Massachusetts
• 10 – New Hampshire
• 8 – Connecticut
• 5 – Rhode Island
• 5 – Hawaii
• 3 – Delaware

Map of the United States, showing the states, divided into counties.

Images for kids

• 

  A highway sign showing the border between Nicholas and Greenbrier counties in West Virginia.

See also

In Spanish: Condados de los Estados Unidos para niños