Who runs local government in United States?
The United States has more units of local government than almost any other country: the Census Bureau counted 90,837 in 2022 and 91,438 in 2025. Local governments are not mentioned in the federal Constitution; each of the 50 states creates its own counties, cities, towns, school districts and special districts and decides how much power they get. Most local offices are filled by election, and some areas of local life are also run by private homeowners' associations and by 575 federally recognised tribal nations, which have their own governments.
United States of America · Federal presidential republic · Northern America
The levels of government below the nation
| Level | How it is chosen | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| States (50) | Governor and state legislature directly elected | Hold all powers not given to the federal government (10th Amendment); create and control local governments. |
| Counties (3,031) | Usually an elected board of commissioners or supervisors; many states also elect a sheriff, prosecutor and clerk | Started as arms of the state: courts, records, elections, roads, jails, public health. Connecticut and Rhode Island have no county governments. |
| Municipalities (19,489) and townships (16,184) | Elected council; mayor elected directly or chosen by the council; in council-manager systems the council hires a professional city manager | Police, fire, local roads, zoning, water, parks. Townships exist in fewer than half the states. |
| Special-purpose governments: 12,535 independent school districts and 40,199 special districts (2025) | School boards usually elected; special district boards elected or appointed depending on state law | One job each: schools, water, fire protection, libraries, transit, drainage and so on. Special districts are now the largest category of government. |
Three questions about local power in United States
Are local leaders elected?
State governors and legislators, county boards, mayors and councils, most school boards and many sheriffs, judges and prosecutors are elected. City managers, police chiefs and many special district boards are appointed. HOA boards are elected by property owners, not by all residents.
Which laws set up local government?
All local governments exist under state constitutions and laws. Tribal governments rest on inherent sovereignty recognised in federal law and treaties. HOAs are formal in private law (contracts and state statutes) but are not public governments; neighbourhood watch groups and similar bodies are informal.
Who are local leaders accountable to?
Voters can remove local officials at elections, and many states allow recall votes. State legislatures can change local powers, merge or abolish local units, and in many states take over failing cities or school districts. Courts can strike down local laws. HOA boards answer to member votes, their governing documents and state courts.
Traditional and customary authority
The most important non-state-created authority is the 575 federally recognised American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. The federal government says they have 'inherent rights of self-government (i.e. tribal sovereignty)' and a government-to-government relationship with the United States. Tribal governments write their own constitutions, run courts and police, and decide membership; most use an elected council and chair, while some, such as several Pueblos, keep traditional forms of leadership. Their powers are limited by federal law and Congress, and states generally cannot regulate them without federal permission. Religious leaders and churches have no legal authority over residents, though congregations are important organisers in many communities.
Community and neighbourhood power
About 21.6 million of the 86.6 million owner households (roughly one in four) paid a condominium or homeowners' association (HOA) fee in 2024, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. An HOA is a private, non-profit corporation, not a government: membership comes automatically with buying a home in a development, and its powers come from recorded covenants (a contract that runs with the land) and from state law. State law sets the limits. Florida's Chapter 720, for example, lets an association levy 'reasonable fines' of up to $100 per violation and $1,000 in total for a continuing breach unless its documents say otherwise, requires notice and a chance of a hearing, and gives owners the right to attend board meetings. Cities also create advisory neighbourhood bodies, such as New York City's community boards, whose members are appointed by borough presidents. Residents' groups, block clubs and mutual-aid networks are voluntary and have no legal powers.
Points to know
- Dillon's Rule, named after an 1868 Iowa judge, says local governments have only the powers a state clearly gives them. Many states instead allow 'home rule', where a city or county adopts its own charter, but charter cities are still subject to state law.
- Most US local governments use one of two models: mayor–council (an elected mayor runs the administration) or council–manager (an elected council hires a professional manager, and the mayor may mainly chair meetings). So 'the mayor controls the city' is not always true.
- Special districts are growing: they rose from 39,555 in 2022 to 40,199 in 2025, mainly in Colorado, Florida, Nebraska and Texas.
- The Census Bureau counts only bodies with 'governmental character' and 'substantial autonomy'. HOAs are not among the five types of government it counts, even though they can fine members.
- Washington, DC, is neither a state nor in a state: it has an elected mayor and council, but Congress can review and overturn its laws.
Local terms
- Special district
- A local government set up to do one job, such as supplying water or fighting fires, with its own board and often its own tax.
- Home rule
- A system in which a state lets a city or county write its own charter and make laws on local matters without asking the state each time.
- Dillon's Rule
- A legal rule that local governments have only the powers a state clearly grants them.
- HOA (homeowners' association)
- A private, non-profit corporation that runs a housing development under recorded covenants; buying a home there makes you a member.
Sources
- Government Organization Summary Report: 2022 and 2025 (Census of Governments), U.S. Census Bureau, checked 14 October 2026
- United States of America: country profile (SNG-WOFI), OECD–UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment, checked 14 October 2026
- What is a federally recognized tribe?, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, checked 14 October 2026
- Condo or Homeowners Association Fees Topped $500 Monthly for About 3 Million Households (11 Sept 2025), U.S. Census Bureau, checked 14 October 2026
- Florida Statutes, Chapter 720: Homeowners' Associations (2026), Florida Legislature, checked 14 October 2026
- United States of America's Constitution of 1789 (rev. 1992), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
See also: United States's official statistics and leaders · the 10 levels of power.