What State has the Most Counties?
Counties are smaller parts of a state or country. They help with things like organizing elections and managing areas. Each county usually has its government to take care of services like police, schools, and roads. In this article, we will learn about what state has the most counties, the largest and the smallest counties, and much more.
State with Most Counties
Currently, the state of Texas, has the largest number of counties in the United States. The state is divided into 254 counties. In 1836, upon gaining its freedom from Spanish rule, the Republic of Texas had 23 municipalities. These municipalities, later on, became the original counties of the state. Check out this map for locating all the counties of Texas on a map: Texas County Map.
Kenedy County, with its seat at Sarita, is the newest county and was established in 1921. Brewster County is the largest county in Texas, covering an area of 6193 square miles and Rockwall County is the smallest with an area of 149 square miles. In terms of population, Harris County is the largest having a population of 4,835,125 people, while Loving County is the smallest with just 94 people, as of 2024.
How Many Counties are There in the USA?
The United States comprises a total of 3,242 counties and county equivalents. This total includes the standard counties found nationwide, and unique entities such as parishes in Louisiana, boroughs in Alaska, and independent cities in Virginia. Check out this to know more: US County Map.
Largest County in the USA
San Bernardino County, situated in California, is the largest county in the United States, in terms of land area. It spans about 20,105 square miles (52,070 square kilometers), larger than the state of Vermont.
By population, the largest county in the USA is Los Angeles County, California. Los Angeles County has a population of over 10 million people. That’s more people than in the entire state of New York.
Smallest County in the USA
Kalawao County in Hawaii is the smallest county in the United States, spanning just 53 square miles (137 square kilometers). Situated on the island of Molokai, Kalawao County is notable for its tiny population and limited local governance. As of 2022, the county had only 82 residents. The state of Hawaii manages the county’s administration, with no elected officials serving in Kalawao County.
States with Most Counties
Here is the list of 50 states of the US with the number of counties in descending order:
- Texas – 254 counties
- Georgia – 159 counties
- Virginia – 133 counties and independent cities
- Kentucky – 120 counties
- Missouri – 114 counties
- Kansas – 105 counties
- Illinois – 102 counties
- North Carolina – 100 counties
- Iowa – 99 counties
- Tennessee – 95 counties
- Nebraska – 93 counties
- Indiana – 92 counties
- Ohio – 88 counties
- Minnesota – 87 counties
- Mississippi – 82 counties
- Oklahoma – 77 counties
- Arkansas – 75 counties
- Wisconsin – 72 counties
- Pennsylvania – 67 counties
- Alabama – 67 counties
- Florida – 67 counties
- South Dakota – 66 counties
- Louisiana – 64 parishes
- Michigan – 83 counties
- Colorado – 64 counties
- New York – 62 counties
- Montana – 56 counties
- West Virginia – 55 counties
- North Dakota – 53 counties
- Washington – 39 counties
- South Carolina – 46 counties
- Oregon – 36 counties
- New Mexico – 33 counties
- Alaska – 29 boroughs/census areas
- Maryland – 23 counties
- Hawaii – 5 counties
- Massachusetts – 14 counties
- Vermont – 14 counties
- Connecticut – 8 counties
- New Hampshire – 10 counties
- New Jersey – 21 counties
- Maine – 16 counties
- Rhode Island – 5 counties
- Delaware – 3 counties
- Idaho – 44 counties
- Arizona – 15 counties
- Nevada – 16 counties
- Utah – 29 counties
- Wyoming – 23 counties
- California – 58 counties
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