Report Title Issue Government Organization 1997 Issued August 1999 GC97(1)-1 1997 Census of Governments Volume 1, Government Organization U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. CENSUS BUREAU ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report was prepared in the Govern- ments Division by the Census of Govern- ments Staff, headed by Henry S. Wulf. Donna A. Hirsch directed planning and preparation of this report. Laura Aneckstein, Paul Clark, John Curry, Meredith DeHart, Gretchen Dickson, Thomas Hamann, Christo- pher Marston, Stephen Owens, and Ben Shelak performed legislative research for this report and updated the Governments Integrated Directory File under the direc- tion of Robert McArthur, Chief of Pro- gram Evaluation Branch. The staff of the Administrative and Cus- tomer Services Division, Walter C. Odom, Chief, performed publication planning, design, composition, editorial review, and printing planning and procurement for publications, Internet products, and report forms. Frances B. Scott provided publica- tion coordination and editing. Special acknowledgment is also due the many state and local government officials whose cooperation has contributed to the publication of these data. For information regarding data in this report, please contact Henry S. Wulf or Robert McArthur, Governments Division, Bureau of the Census, Washington, DC 20233-6800, or phone toll free 1-800-242- 2184. Report Title Issue Government Organization 1997 Issued August 1999 GC97(1)-1 1997 Census ofConsumer Governments Income Volume 1, Government Organization U.S. Department of Commerce William M. Daley, Secretary Robert L. Mallett, Deputy Secretary Economics and Statistics Administration Robert J. Shapiro, Under Secretary for Economic Affairs U.S. CENSUS BUREAU Kenneth Prewitt, Director ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS ADMINISTRATION Economics and Statistics Administration Robert J. Shapiro, Under Secretary for Economic Affairs U.S. CENSUS BUREAU Kenneth Prewitt, Director William G. Barron, Deputy Director Paula J. Schneider, Principal Associate Director for Programs Frederick T. Knickerbocker, Associate Director for Economic Programs Thomas L. Mesenbourg, Assistant Director for Economic Programs Gordon W. Green, Chief, Governments Division CONTENTS Government Organization Introduction ................................... V TABLES 1. Government Units by State: Census Years 1952 to 1997 ....... 1 2. Summary of County-Type Areas by Number of Governments and State: 1997 ............................... 2 3. Local Governments and Public School Systems by Type and State: 1997 .................................. 3 4. General Purpose Local Governments by State: Census Years 1952 to 1997 .................................. 4 5. Special Purpose Local Governments by State: Census Years 1952 to 1997 .................................. 6 6. County Governments by Population Size and State: 1997 ....... 7 7. Subcounty General Purpose Governments by Population Size and State: 1997 ............................... 9 8. Population of Subcounty General Purpose Governments by Population Size and State: 1997 .................... 11 9. Special District Governments by Function and State: 1997 ...... 13 10. Public School Systems by Type of Organization and State: 1997 ... 15 11. Independent School Districts by System Size and State: 1997..... 16 12. Independent School Districts by Enrollment Size and State: 1997... 17 13 Local Governments in Individual County Areas: 1997 ......... 18 APPENDIXES A. Individual State Descriptions ...................... A-1 B. Definitions ................................ B-1 C. County-Type Areas Without County Governments ........... C-1 Publication Program (Inside back cover) GOVERNMENTS—GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION III Census of Governments INTRODUCTION Changes in Content A census of governments is taken at 5-year intervals as This edition of volume 1 reflects a few changes in con- required by law under Title 13, United States Code, Sec- tent since the 1992 publication. The number of tables and tion 161. This 1997 census, similar to those taken since content of some tables have been reduced due to resource 1957, covers three major subject fields, government orga- constraints. All data formerly in this report will be nization, public employment, and government finances. released in a data file through the Internet. Volume 1, No. 1 ‘‘Government Organization,’’ is the first volume of the 1997 Census of Governments to be SCOPE released. This report contains the official counts of the number of state and local governments. It also includes Governmental Units tabulations of governments by state, type of government, size, and county location. There were 87,504 governmental units in the United The Government Organization phase of the census, States as of June 1997. In addition to the Federal Govern- which provides these data also produces a universe list of ment and the 50 state governments, there were 87,453 governmental units, classified according to type of gov- units of local government. Of these, 39,044 are general ernment, for use in the remaining phases of the census. purpose local governments — 3,043 county governments and 36,001 subcounty general purpose governments. The ORGANIZATION OF THIS REPORT remainder, more than half the total number, are special- purpose local governments, including 13,726 school dis- This introductory text describes the nature of Census trict governments and 34,683 special district govern- Bureau statistics on government organization. It also ments. The total of 87,453 local governments in 1997 was explains the data and notes the limitations of the data as 2,498 more than that reported for the 1992 census, an well as their relationship to data in other reports. overall increase of 2.9 percent. Virtually all of the increase Following this introductory text are 13 statistical tables. is in special district governments, which increased 9.9 per- Tables 1- 5 provide summary data on the number of gov- cent over the 5-year period. ernments by type and state in 1997 and in prior census The following paragraphs summarize the characteris- years. tics for each of the five major types of local governments. Tables6-12provide data on the numbers and charac- See ‘‘Criteria for Classifying Governments,’’ on page IX, for teristics of specific types of governments: general-purpose a statement of the criteria used for the classification of governments (i.e., counties, municipalities, and towns or governments in census statistics on governments. See townships) in Tables6-8,special district governments in Appendix A for an application of these criteria to the local Table 9, and public school systems (both school district governmental structure in each state. governments and dependent school systems) in Tables 10 - 12. County Governments Table 13 gives the number of local governments in each of the 3,136 county or county-type geographic areas. Organized county governments are found throughout Following the tables is Appendix A, ‘‘Individual State the Nation except in Connecticut, Rhode Island, the Dis- Descriptions,’’ which briefly describes the various local trict of Columbia, and limited portions of other states governments authorized in each of the 50 states and the where certain county areas lack a distinct county govern- District of Columbia. This section is prefaced by an expla- ment (see Appendix C for a listing of county-type areas nation of the procedures used to develop the descriptions without county government). In Louisiana, the county gov- and an outline of their content and organization. ernments are officially designated as ‘‘parish’’ govern- Appendix B contains definitions of various concepts ments, and the ‘‘borough’’ governments in Alaska used in this report, including definitions of the various resemble county governments in other states. Both are types of governments. Appendix C contains a list of classified as county governments for census statistics on county-type areas without county governments. governments. GOVERNMENTS—GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION CENSUS OF GOVERNMENTS V U.S. Census Bureau Not all geographic areas known as counties have municipal governments in this report excludes places that county governments. Where municipal and county govern- are currently governmentally inactive. ments have been consolidated, or substantially merged, The number of municipal governments per state varies the composite units are counted as municipal govern- widely. Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Texas each has more ments in census statistics on governments. Moreover, the than 1,000, while at the other extreme, there are eight cities of Baltimore and St. Louis are outside the areas of states with fewer than 50 municipal governments each: adjacent counties, and a similar situation exists among 40 Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New independent cities in Virginia. Since these exceptional Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Six of these eight areas also include New York City, Philadelphia, and several states are in New England, where a town government other of the most populous cities (or composite city- often provides urban services provided by municipal gov- counties) in the Nation, almost 10 percent of the total ernments in other states. United States population is not served by a county govern- In the United States, nearly 164 million people live in ment. areas with municipal governments, and about 69 million The number of county governments per state ranges of these municipal residents live in cities of at