Find which US county you're in using GPS or address search. Covers all 3,143 counties in 50 states.
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How to find what county you are in
This tool covers all 50 US states and Washington D.C., including all 3,143 counties and county-equivalents (parishes in Louisiana, boroughs in Alaska, independent cities in Virginia). It identifies your county using GPS or address lookup and returns county-level demographic data from the US Census Bureau.
1
Allow location access or search an address
Click "Find My County" to use GPS — your browser will ask permission to share your location. Alternatively, type any US address, city name, or ZIP code into the search box. You can also click directly on the map to select any point.
2
View your county information
The tool instantly identifies your US county using reverse geocoding from OpenStreetMap. The result card shows your county name, city, state, ZIP code, county seat, and demographic data including population and median household income.
3
Explore or share your result
Click elsewhere on the map to look up different counties. Each click updates the result card with the new county's information. The county name links to the full county profile page with detailed demographics and an interactive boundary map.
What people use county lookup for
Jury duty and court jurisdiction
When you receive a jury duty summons, it comes from your county court. If you've recently moved, the county name on the summons should match the county you actually reside in. Knowing your county lets you verify the correct court and contact the clerk's office if there's a mismatch.
EXAMPLE
A user in GPS location 33.749°N, 84.388°W → Fulton County, Georgia. County seat: Atlanta. Population: 1,066,710. The Fulton County Superior Court handles jury duty for all residents within the county boundary.
Property tax assessment
Property taxes in the US are assessed and collected at the county level. Your county assessor's office determines your property's taxable value and your county treasurer collects the payment. The tax rate varies significantly — from under 0.3% in some Hawaii counties to over 2.5% in parts of New Jersey and Illinois.
EXAMPLE
Address "742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, IL" → Sangamon County, Illinois. County seat: Springfield. The Sangamon County Assessor's office handles all property valuations. Sangamon County's effective property tax rate is approximately 2.1%.
Voter registration
Voter registration in the US is administered at the county level. To register, check your registration status, or find your polling place, you need to know your county name. County election boards manage ballot design, polling locations, and vote counting.
EXAMPLE
ZIP code 90210 → Los Angeles County, California. Population: 9,847,222. The LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk manages voter registration for the county's approximately 5.8 million registered voters — the largest county electorate in the nation.
Emergency services
911 dispatch centers, sheriff's offices, and county fire departments are organized by county. In unincorporated areas outside city limits, the county sheriff is the primary law enforcement authority. Knowing your county is essential when reporting emergencies in rural or unincorporated areas.
Health department services
County health departments administer vaccination programs, restaurant inspections, birth and death certificates, and public health emergency responses. During COVID-19, county-level health orders determined mask mandates, business restrictions, and vaccination eligibility timelines that often differed from neighboring counties.
Understanding US counties
The United States has 3,143 counties and county-equivalents. Texas has the most with 254 counties, while Delaware has the fewest with just 3. The largest county by area is San Bernardino County, California, at 20,105 square miles — larger than nine US states. The smallest is Kalawao County, Hawaii, at 12 square miles.
Los Angeles County, California, is the most populous with approximately 9.8 million residents — more people than 40 individual US states. Loving County, Texas, is the least populous with fewer than 100 residents.
Not all states use the term "county." Louisiana has 64 parishes, Alaska has 19 boroughs and 11 census areas, and Virginia has 38 independent cities that function as county-equivalents. This tool recognizes all county-equivalent designations in every state.
US county facts at a glance
Total US Counties
3,143
Including parishes, boroughs, and independent cities
Most Counties (State)
Texas — 254
Georgia has 159, Virginia has 133
Largest by Area
San Bernardino, CA
20,105 sq mi — larger than 9 US states
Most Populous
Los Angeles, CA
9.8 million — more than 40 US states
Least Populous
Loving County, TX
Fewer than 100 permanent residents
Newest County
Broomfield, CO
Created November 15, 2001
More ways people use county lookup
Real estate and home buying
Before purchasing property, buyers research the county to understand property tax rates, zoning laws, and building permit requirements. County property records reveal the property's deed history, liens, and assessed value. Many buyers are surprised to learn property taxes can differ 3-5x between adjacent counties.
EXAMPLE
A buyer comparing homes in the Chicago suburbs finds a property at 1234 Oak Street. County lookup reveals it's in DuPage County, Illinois (effective property tax rate ~2.3%) rather than adjacent Cook County (~2.1%), potentially saving thousands annually despite higher home prices.
Insurance rate quotes
Auto, home, and health insurance rates vary significantly by county. Insurers use county-level data on crime rates, weather events, traffic accidents, and healthcare costs. When getting quotes, providing your correct county ensures accurate pricing and prevents claim disputes later.
EXAMPLE
A driver moving to Florida discovers that Miami-Dade County has some of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation (averaging $3,800/year), while neighboring Monroe County (the Keys) averages $2,100 — the county boundary matters for your premium.
Genealogy and ancestry research
Birth, death, marriage, and land records are maintained at the county level. Genealogists need the exact county name to request historical records, as county boundaries often changed throughout American history. A town that was in one county in 1850 may be in a different county today.
EXAMPLE
Researching ancestors in Ohio? The town of Defiance was part of Williams County until 1845, when Defiance County was created. Historical records before 1845 are filed with Williams County, even though Defiance is now the Defiance County seat.
Business licensing and permits
Many business licenses are issued at the county level, especially for contractors, food service, and home-based businesses in unincorporated areas. County zoning determines whether you can operate a business from your property and what signage restrictions apply.
EXAMPLE
A food truck operator in Texas needs a Mobile Food Unit permit. The requirements differ by county — Travis County (Austin) requires annual health inspections and a $400 permit, while Williamson County (Round Rock) has different fees and inspection schedules.
School district identification
While school districts don't always align with county boundaries, the county education office oversees district boundaries, handles transfers, and provides resources. Some states (like Maryland and Virginia) have county-based school systems where the county IS the district.
Counties by state: quick reference
How many counties does each state have? This table shows every US state ranked by number of counties, from Texas (254) to Delaware (3). States marked with an asterisk (*) use alternative names: Louisiana has parishes, Alaska has boroughs and census areas.
Texas254
Georgia159
Virginia*133
Kentucky120
Missouri115
Kansas105
Illinois102
North Carolina100
Iowa99
Tennessee95
Nebraska93
Indiana92
Ohio88
Minnesota87
Michigan83
Mississippi82
Oklahoma77
Arkansas75
Alabama67
Pennsylvania67
Louisiana*64
Montana56
West Virginia55
South Dakota66
Colorado64
Florida67
New York62
Wisconsin72
North Dakota53
Idaho44
Oregon36
Washington39
South Carolina46
California58
Maryland24
New Mexico33
Arizona15
New Jersey21
Wyoming23
Utah29
Nevada17
Vermont14
Maine16
New Hampshire10
Massachusetts14
Connecticut8
Rhode Island5
Hawaii5
Delaware3
Alaska*30
DC1
*Louisiana has parishes, Alaska has boroughs and census areas, Virginia total includes 38 independent cities. View detailed county lists for any state on our interactive county map.
How US counties got their names
County names tell the story of American history. The most common county name is Washington(31 counties), followed by Jefferson (26), Franklin (25), Jackson (24), and Lincoln (24). These names reflect the nation's founding fathers and Civil War-era presidents.
Native American names are common in many states: Cuyahoga (Ohio), Piscataquis (Maine), Okeechobee (Florida). Geographic features inspire names like Salt Lake (Utah), Grand Canyon (Arizona, proposed), and Red River (multiple states).
Some counties have unusual origins: Loving County, Texas was named for Oliver Loving, a cattle rancher. Transylvania County, North Carolinameans "across the woods" in Latin — no vampire connection. Loving County remains the least populous county in the contiguous United States.
Popular county lookups
These counties are among the most frequently searched. Each has unique characteristics that make county identification important for residents and visitors.
Los Angeles County, CA
Pop: 9.8M · Most populous US county
Cook County, IL
Pop: 5.1M · Includes Chicago
Harris County, TX
Pop: 4.7M · Includes Houston
Maricopa County, AZ
Pop: 4.5M · Includes Phoenix
San Diego County, CA
Pop: 3.3M · Border county
Orange County, CA
Pop: 3.2M · Disneyland location
Miami-Dade County, FL
Pop: 2.7M · Includes Miami
Dallas County, TX
Pop: 2.6M · Includes Dallas
King County, WA
Pop: 2.3M · Includes Seattle
Clark County, NV
Pop: 2.3M · Includes Las Vegas
San Bernardino County, CA
Pop: 2.2M · Largest by area
Tarrant County, TX
Pop: 2.1M · Includes Fort Worth
Related tools and resources
If you need to find your county for an international location, use the What City Am I In? tool, which works worldwide and identifies cities, districts, and municipalities in any country.
To see all counties in your state with population and demographic data, visit the interactive US county map — available for all 50 states with interactive maps, sortable tables, and downloadable blank maps.
For finding all ZIP codes within a specific distance, our Find ZIP Codes in Radius tool combines radius drawing with US Census data to list every ZIP code, city, and county within your chosen distance.
To look up counties for multiple addresses at once, the Address to County Lookup tool supports bulk input — paste a list of addresses and get the county for each.
Frequently asked questions
A county is an administrative division of a US state. The United States has 3,143 counties and county-equivalents (including Louisiana's parishes, Alaska's boroughs, and Virginia's independent cities). Counties handle local government functions like property taxes, courts, elections, and emergency services.
The tool gets your coordinates via GPS (browser Geolocation API) or address search (Photon geocoder), then sends those coordinates to Nominatim — OpenStreetMap's reverse geocoding service — which returns the county, city, state, and other administrative boundaries for that location.
No. Counties are a US-specific administrative division. For international locations, use our What City Am I In tool, which works worldwide and identifies cities, districts, and administrative regions in any country.
Your county determines which local government handles your property taxes, voter registration, jury duty, courts, and public health services. Insurance rates, school districts, and emergency services are also organized at the county level.
The tool uses your precise GPS coordinates or the exact location you searched for. If you're very close to a county line, moving a few hundred feet could change the result. For definitive boundary questions, consult your county clerk's office or the US Census Bureau's TIGER/Line shapefiles.
GPS accuracy depends on your device and environment. Modern smartphones are typically accurate to within 5-10 meters outdoors. Indoors, accuracy may decrease to 20-50 meters. For county identification, even 50 meters of error is rarely enough to cross a county boundary.
Yes. Type any US address into the search box — the autocomplete will find it. You can also enter just a city name or ZIP code. The tool will identify the county for any location in the United States.
No. GPS coordinates are processed entirely in your browser. Address searches go through Photon (by Komoot) and Nominatim (by OpenStreetMap) — both open-source services. We never store, track, or share any location data.
The result card shows your county name, city, state, ZIP code, county seat, population, median household income, land area, and time zone. Demographic data comes from the US Census Bureau via SimpleMaps, aggregated from ZIP-code-level statistics.
Louisiana uses 'parish' instead of 'county' — they function identically as administrative divisions. Alaska uses 'boroughs' and 'census areas.' This tool recognizes all US county-equivalents regardless of their local name.
Texas has the most counties with 254, followed by Georgia (159), Virginia (133 including independent cities), Kentucky (120), and Missouri (115). Delaware has the fewest with just 3 counties, followed by Hawaii (5) and Rhode Island (5).
San Bernardino County, California is the largest county by land area at 20,105 square miles — larger than nine US states. By population, Los Angeles County, California is the largest with approximately 9.8 million residents.
Kalawao County, Hawaii is the smallest by land area at just 12 square miles. By population, Loving County, Texas is the smallest with fewer than 100 permanent residents.
Yes. Enter any 5-digit US ZIP code into the search box. The tool will identify the county that contains that ZIP code. Note that some ZIP codes span multiple counties — the tool returns the primary county for the ZIP code centroid.
The county seat (also called county town) is shown in the result card after you look up any location. The county seat is the town or city that serves as the administrative center where county government offices, courthouses, and records are located.
Virginia has 38 independent cities that are not part of any county — they function as their own county-equivalents. Baltimore, Maryland; St. Louis, Missouri; and Carson City, Nevada are also independent cities. This tool correctly identifies these as county-level jurisdictions.
Search for the hospital or city where you were born. The result will show the county name. Birth certificates are filed with and maintained by the county where the birth occurred, regardless of where the parents lived.
County boundaries are generally stable but can change through state legislation. The most recent county creation was Broomfield County, Colorado in 2001. Boundary adjustments between existing counties are rare but do occur, typically through voter referendums.
A county is a geographic subdivision of a state, while a city is an incorporated municipality within a county. Most cities exist within counties, but some large cities span multiple counties (e.g., New York City spans 5 counties/boroughs). In Virginia, independent cities exist outside any county.
After finding your county with this tool, search for "[County Name] county government" or "[County Name] county clerk" to find official contact information. County websites typically end in .gov and provide phone numbers, addresses, and online services for taxes, records, and permits.
Data sources & methodology
County identification uses Nominatim reverse geocoding with OpenStreetMap boundary data. Address autocomplete uses the Photon geocoder by Komoot. County demographic data (population, income, education) is aggregated from ZIP-code-level US Census data via SimpleMaps. County boundaries on the map use the US Atlas TopoJSON dataset derived from US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles. Map rendering uses MapLibre GL JS with OpenFreeMap tiles.