Lists & Structure of Governments

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Special Districts

The Government Units Survey (GUS) is a part of the organizational component of the 2017 Census of Governments. The GUS is designed to collect information on the location and type of local governments and offices.

The “Individual State Descriptions” provides information about the organization of state and local governments. There is a separate summary for each state and the District of Columbia. The summaries are divided according to the five basic types of local governments. The Census Bureau established these five types for classifying government units— county, municipal, township, school district, and special district governments.


Structure of Governments

2012 Individual State Descriptions [PDF, 1,036MB]

  • Explains how each state is organized into the different types of local governments.
  • Explains how governments' responsibilities and authority vary from state to state, or within a state.

Number of Governments


2012 Census of Governments: The Many Layers of American Government [PDF, 3.5MB]


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Source: U.S. Census Bureau | Government Organization | esmd.gus.psfcb@census.gov |  Last Revised: January 18, 2017