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Local Government in the USLocal governments in the United States employ over 20 million people—nearly seven times the federal workforce—and spend more than $2T annually. These governments are responsible for everything, including K-12 education, roads, police and fire protection, and water and other local utility services.
Unlike the federal government and the states, local governments lack inherent constitutional authority. Because of this, they operate at the discretion of state legislatures and vary widely in structure—and in some states, a legislature could technically dissolve all of its cities overnight.
The 2022 Census of Governments counted 90,837 local government units across the country, which include 3,031 counties, 35,705 townships and municipalities, 12,546 independent school districts, and 39,555 special-purpose governments. Despite their significance, local elections consistently have the lowest voter turnout of any level of government, typically below 15%.Explore Local Government in the US
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Police spending is one of the largest budget items for local governmentsLocal governments finance most of the costs for police in the US. Total state and local criminal justice spending—covering police, courts, and corrections—reaches hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Urban InstituteHawaii is the only US state with no incorporated municipalitiesUnlike every other state, Hawaii has no cities or towns. Its four county governments manage all local services—the functions that municipalities provide elsewhere in the US—across the entire state. State of HawaiiOne in seven US tax dollars is collected by local governmentsLocal governments collect about $886B each year to support education, infrastructure, and public health. Roughly three-quarters of this funding comes from property taxes, with the rest sourced from sales, excise, and income taxes. Institute of Taxation and Economic PolicyCalibrate to the U.S. government's official clock, synchronized to the atomic standardThe site displays the current time across all American time zones—corrected for network delay—and shows whether your device's clock has drifted. Computer clocks rely on quartz crystals that drift slightly with temperature and age, requiring alignment with atomic clocks (which are so stable that seconds are defined by them). NISTThe Bill of Rights spent more than a century largely ignored by the courtsWhen ratified in 1791, the Bill of Rights applied only to the federal government, which exercised little direct control over daily life. It played a limited role in early constitutional law until the 20th century, when legal advocates began using it to challenge state and local laws. US Courts'The digital colonization of flyover states': how datacenters are tearing small-town America apart the GuardianPaul Robeson was the Harlem Renaissance's chief renaissance manRobeson played many roles throughout his life: He was an All-American football player who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, earned a law degree while playing in the NFL, starred in numerous films and Broadway shows, and became an outspoken advocate for labor and civil rights. His vocal criticism of US involvement in the Korean War led to his passport being voided and a protracted struggle with the US government. Rutgers UniversityWhy some US cities pay thousands of dollars for a single public trash canThe rationale supposes high-end, heavy-duty trash cans reduce litter and maintenance costs, justifying per-unit costs of close to $3,000 in some municipalities. But results are mixed, and some experiments using cheap 55-gallon drums were similarly effective. The HustleReporting food poisoning aids in limiting outbreaksIf you suspect you were sickened by meat or poultry or by other food products (or your pet was sickened), the US has different voluntary online reporting forms and hotlines you can call. There’s even one for concerns about potentially contaminated pet food products. If you were potentially sickened at a restaurant, however, you report that directly to state and local health departments, not the federal government. US Department of Health & Human ServicesThe federal government sent roughly $1.1T to state and local governments in 2024Federal grants support a large portion of state and local budgets, funding Medicaid, infrastructure, education, and housing. In FY 2024, these transfers made up about 16% of total federal spending. USAFactsSelection of wind farm sites considers wildlife impacts and wind resource potentialEnvironmental impact studies, wind energy maps, anemometer data, and local, state, and federal regulations factor into wind farm projects, including offshore farms. Wind projects on public lands require additional permitting. US Department of EnergyRoughly $5T of stimulus money flooded the economy during the pandemicRecessions can last anywhere from months to years. To encourage economic growth, governments use policy levers such as lowering interest rates or introducing a stimulus. Economists credit massive stimulus funds for helping the economy quickly recover from a recession during the COVID-19 pandemic. The New York TimesRanchos were large land grants in California to Spanish, Mexican leading familiesThey were typically given to leading families or retired soldiers as means of settling the land with loyal people. The hundreds of ranchos have since shaped land-use policy in the area, determining plots of major cities and ranches today. History MapsMermaid tears are a lasting and hazardous form of ocean plastic pollutionAlso known as nurdles, these tiny plastic pellets are extremely difficult to remove once spilled. Their chemical composition, which enhances absorption, causes them to contain higher concentrations of certain toxins than the surrounding environment. NewsweekExplore the nearly 1,000 laws, regulations, and provisions the court has held unconstitutional since Marbury v. MadisonOver more than two centuries, the Supreme Court has struck down nearly 1,000 federal, state, and local measures—exercising its authority to invalidate laws that conflict with the Constitution and shaping civil rights, the separation of powers, and the scope of government authority. US CongressThe most common types of bankruptcy filings are Chapter 7, Chapter 11, and Chapter 13However, there are actually six types in practice today. These less-common options can be lifelines for foreign businesses operating in the US, local governments, and farms and fisheries. Investopedia
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