The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data tables for 2025 that detail the organization of government units across the United States. The release includes three tables: Government Units by State, Local Governments by Type and State, and Special District Governments by Function and State. Additionally, a comprehensive Organization Public Use File is now available, providing information on state and local governments as well as their major agencies.
The data are organized by several characteristics such as government type, state, population size, group, and function. There is also detailed information on school systems, distinguishing between independent and dependent districts.
These counts are part of the Census of Governments, which gathers data on state and local governments every five years in years ending in “2” and “7.” According to the Census Bureau, “The Organization Component of the Census of Governments provides the official count of active U.S. governments.” Select tables from this series will now be published annually alongside the main product series.
For those interested in accessing the new data, the Government Organization tables can be found at www.census.gov/topics/public-sector/government-organization/data/tables.html. The Organization Public Use Files are available at www.census.gov/programs-surveys/gus/data/datasets.html.
There is no accompanying news release for this product; it was distributed as a tip sheet only.
