How to interpret this record
U.S. Local Government Directory
Local government is a collection of institutions with different boundaries and responsibilities. A municipality, school district and special district can serve overlapping places without being the same organization.
Map the institution, not just the city name
A mailing address can sit inside several governmental boundaries. A county, municipality, school district and special-purpose body may each make different decisions. The Census of Governments provides a structured way to identify governmental units; a unit’s existence does not automatically tell you who currently holds each seat or when its next election occurs.
Distinguish a directory from a live roster
An institutional directory describes organizations. An official roster describes people connected to offices at a stated time. These sources may be published by different agencies on different schedules. Electionpedia links the institution and the person when the evidence supports a match, while preserving the distinction between the source’s reference year and the latest date the file was checked.
Read the full local government guide →Local government directory
Find a county, city, township, school system or special district.
A Census entity record establishes that a public body exists; it does not identify current officeholders.
Five source categories. No invented offices.
A Census entity establishes that a public body or system exists. It does not, by itself, establish that its board is elected or identify an officeholder.
General-purpose governments
Counties, municipalities, and townships.
40,199Special district governments
Public bodies classified by function, including fire, water, housing, libraries, parks, and other services.
12,535Independent school districts
Independent school districts and educational service agencies.
1,318Dependent school systems
School systems legally dependent on a state or local parent government.
4,485Public pension systems
Defined-benefit public employee retirement systems in the Census listing.
51 permanent state directories.
Counts preserve all five Census tabs and keep dormant records visible but clearly marked.
One hub brings together races, voting, officials, candidates, money, local governments, schools and running for office.
Government entity totals by state
| State | Records |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 1,232 |
| Alaska | 242 |
| Arizona | 743 |
| Arkansas | 1,613 |
| California | 4,660 |
| Colorado | 4,113 |
| Connecticut | 965 |
| Delaware | 359 |
| District of Columbia | 11 |
| Florida | 2,629 |
| Georgia | 1,467 |
| Hawaii | 23 |
| Idaho | 1,171 |
| Illinois | 6,972 |
| Indiana | 2,896 |
| Iowa | 1,831 |
| Kansas | 3,770 |
| Kentucky | 1,322 |
| Louisiana | 567 |
| Maine | 993 |
| Maryland | 467 |
| Massachusetts | 1,194 |
| Michigan | 3,002 |
| Minnesota | 4,045 |
| Mississippi | 975 |
| Missouri | 3,891 |
| Montana | 1,325 |
| Nebraska | 2,597 |
| Nevada | 190 |
| New Hampshire | 546 |
| New Jersey | 1,413 |
| New Mexico | 1,005 |
| New York | 3,497 |
| North Carolina | 1,148 |
| North Dakota | 2,562 |
| Ohio | 3,974 |
| Oklahoma | 1,856 |
| Oregon | 1,545 |
| Pennsylvania | 6,380 |
| Rhode Island | 198 |
| South Carolina | 665 |
| South Dakota | 1,895 |
| Tennessee | 1,067 |
| Texas | 5,782 |
| Utah | 645 |
| Vermont | 580 |
| Virginia | 687 |
| Washington | 1,935 |
| West Virginia | 702 |
| Wisconsin | 3,059 |
| Wyoming | 835 |
A map of public entities—not a simulated roster.
The Census file is a snapshot of its Governments Master Address File. Contact websites are primarily self-reported and receive limited Census quality control. County area can mean the county most served or the headquarters county, not the complete service boundary.
Open the official Census dataset ↗Do more than confirm a district exists.
Open schools, students, spending, current board holders, vacancies, and elections wherever those official layers are connected.
- School systems
- 13,853
- Operating schools
- 89,031
- Governance / leadership layers
- 2,344
About these records and sources
Counties, cities, townships, fire districts, water authorities, school systems, and thousands of public bodies are now searchable in one permanent, source-linked directory.