Governments Galore

The number of governments in the US (from the federal government to special utility districts) fell to 89,055 in ’12 from 89,527 in ‘07, a decline of 0.5% and the first decline since ’72 when the number stood at 78,269. The number of governments was as high as 155,116 in ’42. Illinois has always had the most governments; 6,969 today and 15,854 in ’42. Hawaii has just 22.