How many counties are in each state?

The United States has 3,144 counties and county-equivalents: 2,999 counties plus 64 parishes in Louisiana, 41 independent cities, 30 boroughs and census areas in Alaska, 9 planning regions in Connecticut and the District of Columbia. Texas has the most (254), Delaware the fewest (3).

Counties and equivalents: 3,144
Most counties: Texas 254
Second most: Georgia 159
Fewest: Delaware 3
Average per state: 62.9
Median per state: 63
States with 100 or more: 8

Number of counties by state

Ranked by count. Click a column to sort, or a state to open its county map.

Rank	State	Counties	Avg. size (sq mi)	Avg. population
1	Texas	254	1,029	124,842
2	Georgia	159	363	71,086
3	Virginia	133 counties and independent cities	297	66,768
4	Kentucky	120	329	38,391
5	Missouri	115	598	54,526
6	Kansas	105	779	28,354
7	Illinois	102	544	124,697
8	North Carolina	100	486	111,980
9	Iowa	99	564	32,711
10	Tennessee	95	434	77,001
11	Nebraska	93	826	21,699
12	Indiana	92	389	75,797
13	Ohio	88	464	135,233
14	Minnesota	87	915	67,016
15	Michigan	83	682	122,023
16	Mississippi	82	572	36,026
17	Oklahoma	77	891	53,549
18	Arkansas	75	693	41,531
19	Wisconsin	72	752	82,955
20	Alabama	67	756	77,509
20	Florida	67	801	350,187
20	Pennsylvania	67	668	194,917
23	South Dakota	66	1,149	14,168
24	Colorado	64	1,619	93,946
24	Louisiana	64 parishes	675	72,159
26	New York	62	760	322,620
27	California	58	2,687	678,540
28	Montana	56	2,599	20,441
29	West Virginia	55	437	32,112
30	North Dakota	53	1,302	15,082
31	South Carolina	46	654	121,093
32	Idaho	44	1,878	46,130
33	Washington	39	1,704	205,154
34	Oregon	36	2,667	118,711
35	New Mexico	33	3,676	64,409
36	Alaska	30 boroughs and census areas	19,047	24,576
37	Utah	29	2,848	122,031
38	Maryland	24	405	261,056
39	Wyoming	23	4,221	25,598
40	New Jersey	21	350	454,677
41	Nevada	17	6,462	193,070
42	Maine	16	1,928	88,430
43	Arizona	15	7,577	508,255
44	Massachusetts	14	557	511,006
44	Vermont	14	658	46,047
46	New Hampshire	10	895	141,534
47	Connecticut	9 planning regions	538	409,833
48	Hawaii	5	1,285	286,564
48	Rhode Island	5	207	222,904
50	Delaware	3	650	353,317
–	District of Columbia	1 county-equivalent	61	693,645

Questions and answers

How many counties are in the United States?: 3,144 counties and county-equivalents in the 50 states and the District of Columbia (U.S. Census Bureau, 2025). The count includes Louisiana's parishes, Alaska's boroughs and census areas, Virginia's independent cities and Connecticut's planning regions, which the Census Bureau treats like counties.
Which state has the most counties?: Texas, with 254. Georgia is second with 159, then Virginia (133) and Kentucky (120). Texas drew small counties so that every resident could ride to the county seat and back in a day; Georgia kept creating counties into the 1920s.
Which state has the fewest counties?: Delaware has 3 (Kent, New Castle and Sussex), followed by Hawaii with 5 and Rhode Island with 5. The District of Columbia is a single county-equivalent.
Which states don't have counties?: Louisiana has parishes and Alaska has boroughs; both are counted as county-equivalents. Connecticut and Rhode Island have counties on the map but no county government: Connecticut abolished it in 1960 and has used nine planning regions in Census data since 2022.
What is an independent city?: A city that belongs to no county and acts as its own county-equivalent. Virginia has 38; the others are Baltimore, St. Louis and Carson City, Nevada.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2025 county boundaries and Vintage 2025 population estimates; land area from the 2026 Gazetteer files.