Counties impact daily life in ways often unseen, managing over 45 percent of public roads and 38 percent of bridges, while responding to health crises, housing challenges and natural disasters. Often behind the scenes, with nearly 38,000 county elected officials and a workforce of 3.6 million public servants, counties are responsible for maintaining key pieces of infrastructure, caring for our physical and mental health, administering our elections, ensuring public safety, strengthening environmental stewardship and so much more.

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The County Landscape Project

County landscape

The County Landscape Project: Maps and Stats

Counties are vital to the foundation of our communities, helping shape the places where we live, work and thrive. From maintaining critical infrastructure and delivering essential public services to fostering economic growth and ensuring public safety, county governments play a pivotal role in the daily lives of millions of Americans.

Colonial Map

The County Landscape Project: A Primer on Our History, Definitions, Structures and Authorities

An in-depth look into the history of counties, our authority and structure, key county services and responsibilities and the intergovernmental partnership

Construction workers

The County Landscape Project: Taxes and Revenues

Counties are vital to the foundation of our communities, helping shape the places where we live, work and thrive. From maintaining critical infrastructure and delivering essential public services to fostering economic growth and ensuring public safety, county governments play a pivotal role in the daily lives of millions of Americans.

Woman at voting booth

The County Landscape Project: An Overview of County-Level Election Administration

From voter registration to the final count, county governments are the foundation upon which free and fair elections stand. NACo's research brief examines the scope of responsibilities, variations in local election systems and canvassing procedures, and funding for election costs. 

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“Humans don’t need to be talked into using technology if they see a clear connection to making our own and other people’s lives better,” Amanda Bergson-Shilcock told the Community, Economic and Workforce Development Policy Steering Committee July 11. Photo by Denny Henry
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AI offers counties potential for hiring, retention

Despite employees’ concerns over the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence adoption in the job market, workforce professionals maintain optimism that the technology, still in its infancy, could lead to better services and products from the public sector.