How Many Counties Are in Each US State?
The United States has 3,105 counties and county-equivalents spread across 50 states and the District of Columbia. The term "county-equivalent" covers Louisiana's parishes, Alaska's boroughs and census areas, and Virginia's independent cities.
Counties are the primary administrative division below the state level. They determine your tax jurisdiction, school district boundaries, court system, voter registration, and emergency services. Knowing your county is essential for jury duty notices, property taxes, building permits, and insurance quotes.
Top 10 states by county count
| Rank | State | Counties | Population | Avg pop/county |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 254 | 30.3M | 119,147 |
| 2 | Georgia | 159 | 10.9M | 68,808 |
| 3 | Kentucky | 120 | 4.5M | 37,695 |
| 4 | Missouri | 115 | 6.2M | 53,843 |
| 5 | Kansas | 105 | 2.9M | 28,067 |
| 6 | Illinois | 102 | 12.7M | 124,458 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 100 | 10.7M | 107,305 |
| 8 | Iowa | 99 | 3.2M | 32,434 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 95 | 7.1M | 74,504 |
| 10 | Virginia | 95 | 8.6M | 90,802 |
Texas's 254 counties reflect its history as an independent republic that subdivided land for local governance. Georgia (159) and Virginia (133, including independent cities) round out the top three. See the full county boundaries on our interactive US county map.
States with the fewest counties
| State | Counties | Population | Avg pop/county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine | 16 | 1.3M | 83,009 |
| Arizona | 15 | 7.4M | 496,644 |
| Massachusetts | 14 | 7.0M | 503,141 |
| Vermont | 14 | 647K | 46,222 |
| New Hampshire | 10 | 1.5M | 145,454 |
| Connecticut | 8 | 3.6M | 453,064 |
| Hawaii | 5 | 1.4M | 289,047 |
| Rhode Island | 5 | 1.1M | 220,370 |
| Delaware | 3 | 1.0M | 340,535 |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 1.1M | 1,112,471 |
Delaware's three counties — New Castle, Kent, and Sussex — make it the simplest state for county-level analysis. Hawaii has just 4 counties (one per main island group), while Rhode Island has 5 but does not use them for local government.
Complete list: all 50 states
| State | Abbr | Counties | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | TX | 254 | 30.3M |
| Georgia | GA | 159 | 10.9M |
| Kentucky | KY | 120 | 4.5M |
| Missouri | MO | 115 | 6.2M |
| Kansas | KS | 105 | 2.9M |
| Illinois | IL | 102 | 12.7M |
| North Carolina | NC | 100 | 10.7M |
| Iowa | IA | 99 | 3.2M |
| Tennessee | TN | 95 | 7.1M |
| Virginia | VA | 95 | 8.6M |
| Nebraska | NE | 93 | 2.0M |
| Indiana | IN | 92 | 6.9M |
| Ohio | OH | 88 | 11.8M |
| Minnesota | MN | 87 | 5.7M |
| Michigan | MI | 83 | 10.1M |
| Mississippi | MS | 82 | 2.9M |
| Oklahoma | OK | 77 | 4.0M |
| Arkansas | AR | 75 | 3.0M |
| Wisconsin | WI | 72 | 5.9M |
| Alabama | AL | 67 | 5.1M |
| Florida | FL | 67 | 22.4M |
| Pennsylvania | PA | 67 | 13.0M |
| South Dakota | SD | 66 | 897K |
| Colorado | CO | 64 | 5.9M |
| Louisiana | LA | 64 | 4.6M |
| New York | NY | 62 | 19.8M |
| California | CA | 58 | 39.3M |
| Montana | MT | 56 | 1.1M |
| West Virginia | WV | 55 | 1.8M |
| North Dakota | ND | 53 | 784K |
| South Carolina | SC | 46 | 5.3M |
| Idaho | ID | 44 | 1.8M |
| Washington | WA | 39 | 7.8M |
| Oregon | OR | 36 | 4.2M |
| New Mexico | NM | 33 | 2.1M |
| Alaska | AK | 30 | 735K |
| Utah | UT | 29 | 3.3M |
| Maryland | MD | 24 | 6.2M |
| Wyoming | WY | 23 | 578K |
| New Jersey | NJ | 21 | 9.3M |
| Nevada | NV | 17 | 3.2M |
| Maine | ME | 16 | 1.3M |
| Arizona | AZ | 15 | 7.4M |
| Massachusetts | MA | 14 | 7.0M |
| Vermont | VT | 14 | 647K |
| New Hampshire | NH | 10 | 1.5M |
| Connecticut | CT | 8 | 3.6M |
| Hawaii | HI | 5 | 1.4M |
| Rhode Island | RI | 5 | 1.1M |
| Delaware | DE | 3 | 1.0M |
| District of Columbia | DC | 1 | 1.1M |
Why do county counts vary so much?
County boundaries are a product of history, not a federal standard. States created in the colonial era (the original 13) generally have fewer, larger counties. States carved from western territories in the 19th century — like Texas and Georgia — subdivided land more aggressively so that every resident could reach the county seat within a day's horseback ride.
Some states have consolidated or merged counties over time. Connecticut abolished county government in 1960, though the 8 county boundaries still exist for census and judicial purposes. Alaska's boroughs don't cover the entire state — the remainder is the "Unorganized Borough."
What are county-equivalents?
- Parishes — Louisiana uses 64 parishes instead of counties, a legacy of French and Spanish colonial administration.
- Boroughs — Alaska has 19 organized boroughs, plus the Unorganized Borough covering the rest of the state.
- Independent cities — Virginia has 38 cities that are not part of any county. Baltimore, St. Louis, and Carson City (NV) also operate independently.
- Census areas — Alaska has 11 census areas in the Unorganized Borough for statistical purposes.
- The District of Columbia — functions as a single county-equivalent for census and federal data.
How to find your county
Use our free What County Am I In? tool. It uses your GPS or an address search to identify your county instantly. You can also look up any address with the Address to County Lookup, or explore county boundaries visually on the interactive county map.
Data source
County counts and populations are derived from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey via the SimpleMaps dataset. County boundary geometry comes from the Census Bureau's TIGER/Line shapefiles.