Civic life & government

Government Structure & Who Represents Me

See how the levels of government in the United States fit together, then find the people who represent you — by state, or with your address.

Citizen Navigator is an independent information resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.

Levels of government

These aren't a simple ladder. Each level gets its powers from the Constitution or from state law, and tribal governments are separate nations.

Federal
The national government. It handles matters for the whole country.
- Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives) writes federal laws.
- The President leads the executive branch, including federal agencies like the Social Security Administration.
- Federal courts, including the Supreme Court, decide cases under federal law and the Constitution.
USA.gov: Branches of government(opens usa.gov in a new tab)
State
Each of the 50 states has its own constitution and government.
- A governor leads the state's executive branch.
- A legislature writes state laws. 49 states have two chambers; Nebraska has one.
- State agencies run things like driver licenses, unemployment benefits, and state taxes.
- State courts handle most criminal, family, and traffic cases.
Washington, D.C., and the five inhabited U.S. territories have their own governments that work differently from states.
USA.gov: State governments(opens usa.gov in a new tab)
County (or equivalent)
Most states are divided into counties. What a county does varies a lot by state.
- Common county services include courts, property records, elections, sheriffs, roads, and public health.
- Louisiana calls them parishes. Alaska has boroughs and census areas.
- Some cities are independent of any county, such as many cities in Virginia.
- In Connecticut and Rhode Island, counties no longer have their own governments.
Census Bureau: counties and county equivalents(opens census.gov in a new tab)
Municipality
A local government for a community, set up under state law.
- Depending on the state, municipalities are called cities, towns, villages, or boroughs.
- They often run local streets, police, water, trash pickup, parks, and zoning — but not always.
- Some states also have town or township governments that cover areas outside cities.
USA.gov: Local governments(opens usa.gov in a new tab)
School districts and special districts
Separate local governments created for one job or a few jobs.
- Independent school districts run public schools and usually have an elected school board.
- Special districts can provide water, sewer, fire protection, transit, libraries, hospitals, or parks.
- In some places, schools are run by a city, county, or state instead of a separate district.
Census Bureau: Census of Governments(opens census.gov in a new tab)
Tribal governments
Federally recognized tribes are sovereign nations with their own governments, laws, courts, and elected leaders.
- Tribal governments have a government-to-government relationship with the United States.
- They are not part of — or below — state or county governments.
- Tribal citizens are also U.S. citizens and citizens of the state where they live.
USA.gov: Indian tribes and resources for Native Americans(opens usa.gov in a new tab)

Boundaries overlap

Government areas overlap. One home can be inside a state, a county, a city, a school district, and several special districts all at once.
Not everyone lives in a city. Many people live in unincorporated areas, where the county (or a town or township) provides local services and there is no mayor or city council.
A geographic area isn't always a government. For example, the Census Bureau counts county equivalents in Connecticut, but those areas don't have county governments.
District lines for Congress, state legislatures, and school boards are drawn separately, so your neighbor across the street might have different representatives.

The United States by the numbers

Each number shows what it counts, where, which year, and the source we opened. These are published counts, not live totals.

Geographic areas

50
States
States of the United States, each with its own constitution and government.
Covers:
United States
Data year:
Current
Source:
USA.gov: State governments (checked November 1, 2026)
1
Federal district
Washington, D.C. (the District of Columbia). It is not a state and not part of any state.
Covers:
United States
Data year:
Current
Source:
USA.gov: State governments (checked November 1, 2026)
3,144
Counties and county equivalents
Geographic areas the Census Bureau treats as counties: counties, Louisiana parishes, Alaska boroughs and census areas, independent cities, Connecticut planning regions, and the District of Columbia. These are areas — not all of them have a county government.
Covers:
50 states and D.C. (Puerto Rico's 78 municipios are counted separately)
Data year:
2025 Census Gazetteer file
Source:
Census Bureau Gazetteer files (counties) (checked November 1, 2026)
5
Inhabited U.S. territories
American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Covers:
U.S. territories
Data year:
Current
Source:
USA.gov: State governments (checked November 1, 2026)

Parishes: Louisiana's name for its counties.
Boroughs and census areas: Alaska has organized boroughs. Areas outside them are divided into census areas for statistics only.
Independent cities: Cities not inside any county, such as Baltimore, St. Louis, Carson City, and most cities in Virginia.
Connecticut planning regions: Since 2022 the Census Bureau uses Connecticut's nine planning regions in place of its eight old counties, which stopped functioning as governments in 1960.

Government entities

50 states and D.C. Does not include the federal government, the 50 state governments, or tribal governments.

Local governments counted by the Census Bureau, 2025 and 2022
Type of local government	2025 count	2022 count
County governmentsCounties (and equivalents) that operate as a government. Fewer than the 3,144 county areas, because some areas have no county government.	3,031	3,031
Municipal governmentsCities, towns, villages, and boroughs incorporated under state law — not all of them are called cities.	19,489	19,491
Town and township governmentsTown or township governments that serve areas defined without regard to population, mostly in northeastern and midwestern states.	16,184	16,214
Independent school district governmentsSchool districts that are separate governments. Schools run by a city, county, or state are not counted here.	12,535	12,546
Special district governmentsSeparate governments for specific services, such as water, fire protection, transit, or libraries.	40,199	39,555
Total local governments	91,438	90,837

2025 counts are from the Census Bureau's yearly Government Organization series; 2022 counts are from the 2022 Census of Governments. The Census of Governments happens every five years (years ending in 2 and 7). Since 2025 the Census Bureau also publishes yearly counts. Between 2022 and 2025 the total rose by 601, mostly from new special districts in Colorado, Florida, Nebraska, and Texas.

About 1,300 school systems are run by another government (for example a city or county) and are not counted as separate governments.

Census Bureau: Government Organization Summary Report, 2022 and 2025 Census Bureau: 2022 Census of Governments, organization tablesChecked November 1, 2026

Federal elected offices

1
President
Head of the executive branch, elected every four years.
Covers:
Nationwide
Data year:
Current
Source:
The White House: The Administration (checked November 1, 2026)
1
Vice President
Elected with the President. Serves as President of the Senate and may cast a vote only to break a tie.
Covers:
Nationwide
Data year:
Current
Source:
The White House: The Administration (checked November 1, 2026)
100
U.S. Senate seats
Two senators for each state, elected statewide for six-year terms.
Covers:
50 states
Data year:
119th Congress
Source:
U.S. Senate: Senators (checked November 1, 2026)
435
Voting U.S. House seats
Representatives elected by district for two-year terms. Seats are divided among states by population.
Covers:
50 states
Data year:
119th Congress
Source:
Office of the Clerk: House members (checked November 1, 2026)
535
Total voting seats in Congress
Senate seats plus voting House seats. The President and Vice President are not members of Congress.
Covers:
50 states
Data year:
119th Congress
Source:
U.S. House of Representatives (house.gov) (checked November 1, 2026)
6
Nonvoting House members
Five delegates (D.C., American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands) and one resident commissioner (Puerto Rico). They can't vote on final passage of bills in the full House.
Covers:
D.C. and territories
Data year:
119th Congress
Source:
Office of the Clerk: House members (checked November 1, 2026)

State elected offices

50
State governors
One elected governor per state. Territorial governors and D.C.'s mayor are not included.
Covers:
50 states
Data year:
Current
Source:
USA.gov: State governments (checked November 1, 2026)
1,973
State senate seats
Seats in state senates, including all 49 seats in Nebraska's one-chamber legislature.
Covers:
50 states
Data year:
2026
Source:
NCSL: 2026 legislative races by state and chamber (checked November 1, 2026)
5,413
Lower-chamber seats
Seats in state houses of representatives, assemblies, and houses of delegates.
Covers:
49 states (Nebraska has no lower chamber)
Data year:
2026
Source:
NCSL: 2026 legislative races by state and chamber (checked November 1, 2026)
7,386
Total state legislative seats
All state legislative seats. Not the same as the number of people serving, because seats can be vacant.
Covers:
50 states
Data year:
2026
Source:
NCSL: 2026 legislative races by state and chamber (checked November 1, 2026)
99
State legislative chambers
49 states have two chambers and Nebraska has one.
Covers:
50 states
Data year:
2026
Source:
NCSL: 2026 legislative races by state and chamber (checked November 1, 2026)

49 states have two legislative chambers. Nebraska has one chamber, and its members are called senators.
The lower chamber's name differs: House of Representatives in most states, Assembly in California, Nevada, New York, and Wisconsin, General Assembly in New Jersey, and House of Delegates in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.
These counts don't include territorial legislatures or the Council of the District of Columbia.
Seat counts aren't the same as the number of people serving right now, because of vacancies.

NCSL (the National Conference of State Legislatures) is a membership organization for state legislatures — not a federal agency.

Mayors and other local officials

Mayors
City and town council members
County commissioners, supervisors, executives, and similar offices
School board members
Special-district board members (for example water, fire, or transit boards)

Local structures and titles vary. A verified nationwide mayor count is not currently available in this directory. The number of municipalities is not the number of mayors — many municipalities have no mayor, and titles vary.

Browse by place

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State, D.C., or territory

Choose a state or territory, or enter an address, to see who represents you.

Whom should I contact?

Responsibilities vary by place. Check which organization is actually responsible before you reach out.

A problem with a federal agency (Social Security, passports, veterans benefits, IRS)
Contact the agency first. If you're stuck, your U.S. representative's or senators' office may help with "casework."
Congressional offices can ask an agency about your case, but they can't change the agency's decision or the law.
A state agency (driver license, unemployment, state taxes)
The state agency first, then your state legislator's office if you need help.
State legislators handle state issues; members of Congress generally can't help with state agencies.
Streets, trash pickup, local police, parks, or permits
Your city, town, or village government — or your county if you live outside city limits.
Who runs these services depends on where you live. Check before assuming it's the city.
County services (property records, county courts, elections, sheriff)
The responsible county department or office.
County services differ from state to state.
Public school rules, budgets, or policies
Your school district office or school board.
For a problem with one class or teacher, start with the school itself.
Water, sewer, or transit service
The actual provider — it may be a city department, a special district, or a private utility.
Your bill usually shows who provides the service.

We only link to official contact pages. This site never sends a message or submits a request for you.

Serving now, candidate, or winner?

Current officeholder: The person serving in the office today. This page lists only current officeholders.
Candidate: Someone running for an office. Candidates appear on your sample ballot, not here.
Member-elect or winner: Someone who won an election but hasn't started the term. They aren't listed until they take office.
Vacant: No one holds the seat right now — for example after a resignation or death — until a special election or appointment fills it.

This directory is neutral: it doesn't rank representatives or endorse candidates.

More state, county, city, and tribal government links are in the Official Resources directory, including State Governments Directory.

Citizen Navigator is an independent educational resource. Government structures and officeholders can change. Confirm information with the relevant official source.