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A county of the United States is a local level of government smaller than a State and not smaller than a City or Town , in a U.S. State or territory. The word " County " is used in 48 of the 50 states, while Louisiana uses the term " Parish " and Alaska uses the word " Borough ."1 Including those, there are 3,077 counties in the US , an average of 62 counties per state. The state with the fewest counties is Delaware (three), and the state with the most is Texas (254).2 In many states, counties are subdivided into Townships or towns and may contain other independent, self-governing Municipalities . The site of a county's administration and courts is called the '' County Seat ''. The U.S. Census Bureau lists 3,141 counties or county-equivalent administrative units. The power of the county government varies widely from state to state, as does the relationship between counties and incorporated Municipal Government s.Osborne M. Reynolds, Jr., ''Handbook of Local Government Law'', 2nd ed. (St. Paul, MN: West Group, 2001), 26. COUNTY EQUIVALENTS The term ''county equivalents'' includes three additional types of administrative divisions which are different from the type of county found in most states:
CITIES AND COUNTIES In general, cities occupy a smaller area than the county which contains them. However, there are some exceptions to this rule:
STATISTICS See Also: County statistics of the United States At the 2000 U.S. Census, the Median land area of the 3,077 U.S. counties was 1,611 km&2 (622 sq. miles), which is only two-thirds of the median land area of a Ceremonial County Of England , and only a little more than a quarter of the median land area of a French '' Département ''. However, this figure hides large differences between the eastern and western United States. The land area of counties in the western United States is much larger than the land area of counties in the eastern United States. For example, the median land area of counties in Georgia it is 888 km&2 (343 sq. miles), whereas in Utah it is 6,286 km&2 (2,427 sq. miles) The largest county equivalent by (total) area is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska at 147,843 square miles (382,912 km&2), while the largest county is North Slope Borough, Alaska at 94,763 mi&2 (245,435 km&2). The smallest county-equivlant is the Independent City of Falls Church, Virginia at 2.0 square miles (5 km&2), while smallest county is Kalawao County, Hawaii at 13 mi&2 (34 km&2). The smallest self-governing County is Arlington, Virginia at 26 mi&2 (72 km&2). At the 2000 U.S. Census, only 16.7% of U.S. counties had more than 100,000 inhabitants. This reflects the essentially rural nature of U.S. counties, whose grid was designed in the 19th century, in a country still largely rural and only marginally affected by urbanization. Today, the vast majority of people in the United States are concentrated in a relatively small number of counties The most populous county equivalent is Los Angeles County, California with 10,226,506 inhabitants As Of 2005 , and the least populous county is Loving County, Texas with 60 inhabitants as of 2005. The most densely populated county (or county equivalent) is New York County, New York (coextensive with the Borough of Manhattan, and consisting primarily of Manhattan island) with 66,940 people per square mile (ppsm) as of 2000, and the least densely populated county is Lake And Peninsula Borough, Alaska with 0.0767 ppsm as of 2000. The least densely populated county equivalent is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska with 0.0449 ppsm as of 2000. Number of counties per state The list below also includes County -equivalents. Southern and Midwestern states generally tend to have more counties than Western or Northeastern states. GOVERNANCE In counties with functional governments (that is, outside of New England), they are usually governed by an elected Board Of Commissioner s or Board Of Supervisors . In many counties there is a county mayor. The position of mayor is mostly ceremonial in some states, while in others, the mayor is more powerful than the commissioners or supervisors. In many states, the board in charge of a county holds powers that transcend all three traditional branches of government. It has the legislative power to enact ordinances for the county, it has the executive power to oversee the executive operations of county government, and it has quasi-judicial power with regard to certain limited matters (like hearing appeals from the planning commission if one exists). As for the day-to-day operations of the county government, they are usually overseen by a county manager or chief administrative officer who reports to the board, the mayor, or both. In many states, the county technically has a plural executive in that several important officials are elected separately from the board of commissioners or supervisors (implying they cannot be fired by the board). Obviously, this can create tension if such officials then disagree on how to best carry out their respective functions. SCOPE OF POWER The power of county governments varies widely from state to state, as does the relationship between counties and incorporated cities. The government of the county usually resides in a municipality called the County Seat . However, some counties may have multiple seats or no seat. Minimal scope In New England , counties function at most as judicial court districts (in Connecticut and Rhode Island , they have lost those functions) and most government power below the state level is in the hands of Town s and cities. In several of Maine's sparsely populated counties, small towns rely on the county for law enforcement, and in New Hampshire several social programs are administered at the state level. In some New England states, such as Connecticut , parts of Massachusetts , and Rhode Island , counties are only geographic designations and do not have any governmental powers. All government is either done at the state level or at the municipal (town or city) level. Moderate scope Outside New England, counties typically provide, at a minimum, Public Utilities , Libraries , Hospital s, Park s, Road s, Law Enforcement , and Jail s (the American English term for short-term incarceration facilities). There is usually a county registrar, recorder, or clerk (the title varies) who collects Vital Statistics , holds elections (sometimes in coordination with a separate elections office or commission), and prepares or processes certificates of births, deaths, marriages, and dissolutions (divorce decrees). Other key county officials include the Coroner / Medical Examiner , Treasurer , Assessor , Auditor , Controller , and District Attorney . In some states, the county Sheriff is the principal law enforcement officer in the county, but his jurisdiction is generally limited to areas outside of cities and towns. In parts of the U.S., counties are "policed" by sheriffs, and cities by police departments. In other areas, county law enforcement is called "County Police" while county sheriffs provide court services. In most western states, the county controls all Unincorporated land within its boundaries. In states with a township tier, unincorporated land is controlled by the township. Residents of unincorporated land who are dissatisfied with county-level or township-level resource allocation decisions can incorporate as a City or Village . In turn, depending on the state, the city or village government can then choose to provide all its own services, or provide only some and allow the county to provide the rest. Usually, the key difference between "city" and "village" is that a city ''must'' provide all of its own services and equivalent county authorities have no jurisdiction without the city's permission; while villages (which remain subject to township governments in those states that have them), being usually rural or semi-rural jurisdictions, are typically required to provide only those services that they can, with the rest being provided by the county or township. Broad scope The largest counties provide many facilities, such as Airport s, Convention Center s, Museum s, Beaches , Harbor s, Zoo s, Clinic s, and Public Housing . They provide services such as child and family services, elder services, mental health services, veterans assistance services, Animal Control , Probation supervision, and historic preservation. They have many additional officials like Public Defender s, arts commissioners, and planning commissioners. Finally, there may also be a county fire department. SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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