Number of County Equivalents Per State
There are on average 62.8 counties per state, and median of 62 counties per state as well (including DC), with New York and its 62 counties representing the median for the U.S. (50% of the US states above and below New York's 62 county number). The state with the fewest counties is Delaware (3), though it is unique among the United States in that each Delaware county is divided into units called "hundreds". The state with the most is Texas (254).
Southern and Midwestern states generally tend to have more counties than Western or Northeastern states, as many Northeastern states are not large enough in area to warrant a large number of counties, and many Western states were sparsely populated when counties were created. Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island have abolished county governments in whole or in part, though the former county territories may be observed in the three states' state-level administrative districts.
| Number of Counties | State | Average County Population Approximately |
|---|---|---|
| 254 | Texas | 101,081 |
| 159 | Georgia | 61,731 |
| 134 | Virginia (95 counties and 39 cities), | 60,422 |
| 120 | Kentucky | 36,411 |
| 115 | Missouri (114 counties and one city) | 52,267 |
| 105 | Kansas | 27,345 |
| 102 | Illinois | 126,169 |
| 100 | North Carolina | 96,564 |
| 99 | Iowa | 30,932 |
| 95 | Tennessee | 67,404 |
| 93 | Nebraska | 19,813 |
| 92 | Indiana | 70,836 |
| 88 | Ohio | 131,193 |
| 87 | Minnesota | 61,435 |
| 83 | Michigan | 118,990 |
| 82 | Mississippi | 36,323 |
| 77 | Oklahoma | 49,240 |
| 75 | Arkansas | 39,173 |
| 72 | Wisconsin | 79,330 |
| 67 | Pennsylvania | 190,192 |
| 67 | Florida | 284,441 |
| 67 | Alabama | 71,683 |
| 66 | South Dakota | 12,486 |
| 64 | Louisiana (parishes) | 71,482 |
| 64 | Colorado | 79,950 |
| 62 | New York | 313,955 |
| 58 | California | 649,861 |
| 56 | Montana | 17,825 |
| 55 | West Virginia | 33,734 |
| 53 | North Dakota | 12,904 |
| 46 | South Carolina | 101,722 |
| 44 | Idaho | 36,022 |
| 39 | Washington | 175,129 |
| 36 | Oregon | 107,552 |
| 33 | New Mexico | 63,098 |
| 29 | Utah | 97,146 |
| 24 | Maryland (23 counties and one city) | 242,845 |
| 23 | Wyoming | 24,703 |
| 21 | New Jersey | 420,055 |
| 18 | Alaska (boroughs) | 40,151 |
| 17 | Nevada (16 counties and one city) | 160,195 |
| 16 | Maine | 83,012 |
| 15 | Arizona | 432,167 |
| 14 | Vermont | 44,745 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | 470,538 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 131,819 |
| 8 | Connecticut | 447,589 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | 210,260 |
| 5 | Hawaii | 274,962 |
| 3 | Delaware | 302,378 |
| 1 | District of Columbia | 617,996 |
Source:
Read more about this topic: County (United States)
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