Which state has the highest # of Counties?

Texas has the highest # of Counties, at 254, followed by Georgia (159) and Virginia (133).

Which state has the lowest # of Counties?

District of Columbia has the lowest # of Counties, at 1.

What is the median # of Counties across US states?

The median is 62 across the 51 US states with data.

Where does this states with the most counties data come from?

Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: List of U.S. States And Number of Counties In Each - The Fact File; List of Countries in United States; List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska - Wiki.

State rankings

States with the Most Counties

Name: States with the Most Counties
Creator: Rankodex

Texas has the highest # of Counties (254), followed by Georgia (159) and Virginia (133). District of Columbia has the lowest (1).

Geography Politics & Government51 states · 2 metricsUpdated Nov 3, 2025Original page

3 sources

Showing# of CountiesBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →

51 of 51 states

Compare this metric Add to combined ranking Open full map

# of Counties

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median

Middle half 23.5 – 87.5

Average

61.63

51 states

Highest

254

Texas

Lowest

District of Columbia

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

51 states · # = rank by # of Counties

#
1	Texas	254	Texas has more counties than any other state.
2	Georgia	159	—
3	Virginia	133	The Commonwealth of Virginia is divided into 95 counties and 38 independent cities, which are considered county equivalents.
4	Kentucky	120	—
5	Missouri	115	114 counties and 1 independent city (Saint Louis City).
6	Kansas	105	—
7	Illinois	102	—
8	North Carolina	100	—
9	Iowa	99	—
10	Tennessee	95	—
11	Nebraska	93	—
12	Indiana	92	—
13	Ohio	88	—
14	Minnesota	87	—
15	Michigan	83	—
16	Mississippi	82	—
17	Oklahoma	77	—
18	Arkansas	75	—
19	Wisconsin	72	—
20	Florida	67	—
20	Pennsylvania	67	—
20	Alabama	67	—
23	South Dakota	66	—
24	Colorado	64	—
24	Louisiana	64	Louisiana uses parishes instead of counties.
26	New York	62	—
27	California	58	—
28	Montana	56	—
29	West Virginia	55	—
30	North Dakota	53	—
31	South Carolina	46	—
32	Idaho	44	—
33	Washington	39	—
34	Oregon	36	—
35	New Mexico	33	—
36	Alaska	30	Alaska is divided into 19 organized boroughs and one Unorganized Borough divided into 11 census areas, which add up to 30 county equivalents.
37	Utah	29	—
38	Maryland	24	23 counties and 1 independent city (Baltimore City).
39	Wyoming	23	—
40	New Jersey	21	—
41	Nevada	17	16 counties and 1 independent city (Carson City).
42	Maine	16	—
43	Arizona	15	—
44	Massachusetts	14	—
44	Vermont	14	—
46	New Hampshire	10	—
47	Connecticut	8	—
48	Hawaii	5	—
48	Rhode Island	5	—
50	Delaware	3	Delaware has fewer counties than any other state.
51	District of Columbia	1	—

What correlates with # of Counties?

Pearson r against 2,096 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher # of Counties tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

# of CountiesStates Without Counties
r = +0.99 · very strong · n = 48
Plot
# of FarmsFarm Count by State
r = +0.87 · very strong · n = 50
Plot
# of PrisonsPrisons by State
r = +0.85 · very strong · n = 50
Plot
# of Natural Disasters 1980-2026Natural Disasters by State
r = +0.82 · very strong · n = 50
Plot
Climate and Weather DisastersOff-Grid Living Legal States
r = +0.82 · very strong · n = 50
Plot
Extreme Weather Events 2007-2016Best Weather by State
r = +0.81 · very strong · n = 49
Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher # of Counties tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

Off Grid Via Kuhl Safety ScoreOff-Grid Living Legal States
r = −0.77 · very strong · n = 50
Plot
Emergency Preparedness Rank WalletHubSafest States in the USA rank: rank 1 is the best
r = +0.69 · strong · n = 50
Plot
Culture and Diversity RankBest States to RetireA rank: rank 1 is the best
r = +0.60 · strong · n = 50
Plot
COLI Misc. Costs IndexLeast Expensive States
r = −0.55 · strong · n = 51
Plot
Avg Rent: 3 BdrmsAverage Rent by State
r = −0.55 · strong · n = 51
Plot
Assisted Living Community AMCNursing Home Costs by State
r = −0.55 · strong · n = 51
Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest # of Counties?: Texas has the highest # of Counties, at 254, followed by Georgia (159) and Virginia (133).
Which state has the lowest # of Counties?: District of Columbia has the lowest # of Counties, at 1.
What is the median # of Counties across US states?: The median is 62 across the 51 US states with data.
Where does this states with the most counties data come from?: Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: List of U.S. States And Number of Counties In Each - The Fact File; List of Countries in United States; List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska - Wiki.