89,404 Cities and Towns in the United States
Population size | Number of incorporated places |
---|---|
1,000,000 or more | 10 |
500,000 to 999,999 | 24 |
250,000 to 499,999 | 48 |
100,000 to 249,999 | 220 |
50,000 to 99,999 | 452 |
25,000 to 49,999 | 726 |
10,000 to 24,999 | 1,555 |
Under 10,000 | 16,470 |
Total | 19,505 |
There are a total of 19,505 incorporated cities and towns in the united States
There are over 70,000 other communites that are unincorporated
The US Census Burea states in 2012
In 2012, 89,004 local governments existed in the United States, down from 89,476 in the last census of governments conducted in 2007. Local governments included 3,031 counties (down from 3,033 in 2007), 19,522 municipalities (up from 19,492 in 2007), 16,364 townships (down from 16,519 in 2007), 37,203 special districts (down from 37,381 in 2007) and 12,884 independent school districts (down from 13,051 in 2007).
This means there are 19,522 cities in the United States. This includes everything from New York City, to Erie PA, to small cities like Mason Ohio.
3,031 Counties, are simply large governing bodies than a city and typically include several often times dozens of cities and townships.
16,364 Townships, are small unincorporated areas. Typically they are rural areas but sometimes they also includes suburban areas. They are set up primarily to maintain roads, and provide basic services such as police, fire, and EMT.
12,884 Independent School Districts would be school districts that are not run through a city. Often times these include multiple cities and or townships. They can even include multiple counties. They do not run an entire area but instead just the areas schools.
37,203 special districts are similar to independent school districts but special districts also govern just one particular thing in an area. Examples include Colorado ambulance districts which are set up as special districts that only governing purpose is to manage an areas EMT. Another example would be the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, they do not manage the entire are of NYC and New Jerset but instead just their transportation systems, they are also not involved directly with the city of New York or cities in New Jersey they are independent of both.
An accurate count is nigh impossble. Too many unincorporated, unBigBrother friendly, oriented areas in the West anyway. I drove the 48 for years, and could almost tell the county each town was in, but, the U.S. is a pretty large area, and, we do have real ghost towns, near ghost towns, boom towns, and tiny, unincorporated “communities”.
In the Eastern half of the country, the counties were divided into regularly surveyed townships, usually six by six miles, a county seat, usually the biggest town, and, most towns of any consequence are almost uniformly six miles apart. Each set aside a school section. The wild west is different. Once West of the Missouri river, there are few rules such as formerly described.
Eastern Nebraska and most of Kansas also do to a large degree try, but a disaster like a tornado or a flood can kill a town and many don’t have a hundred residents. Then there’s the Dakotas and the big empty, Montana. Drive two hours and see one farm house lit. US-2, jocularly referred to as Interstate 2, along the Northern border, is like driving across an ocean. It’s very empty country. Easiest border crossings I ’ve ever used. Just follow a gravel road. There’ll be a cattle guard on the border, and the fence is not impeding you by any means. None like that near a city, but those just aren’t nearby.
Now there are boomtowns springing up from the Bakken oil field. Stay out of those as they’re well, a bit rowdy … For many years, the two most dangerous towns in the nation were Rock Springs, Wyoming, after Point Barrow, Alaska.. just, don’t go there. The west ain’t won just yet. So, the number of Podunk cities, wild west boomtowns, and unincorporated communities changes constantly, they do the toughest act to number.
We also need to propose that your county and state officials do the same. Can you imagine the impact this would have in your state's capitol and in our nation's capitol.
I suggest that the states also celebrate the day their state ratified the Constitution. For the states who joined the Union after 1788 their ratification date will be the day they were admitted to the Union. New Hamphsire ratified the Constitution on June 21, 1788 and became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, which gave birth to the united Colonies under the Constitution,
Tags:
In order to ratify an amendment the three fourths of the state legislatures most vote in favor of the ratification. If the states have a voice in the ratification process, why is it that the states are no longer have a voice in all other legislative matters?
© 2025 Created by Keith Broaders.
Powered by