Question of the Month
January
2004
How
many local governments do Midwestern states have, and how do the
figures compare to states in other regions?
According to the 2002 U.S. Census of
Governments, nearly every Midwestern state has more governmental units
than the national average, whether rankings are based on the actual
number of jurisdictions or are adjusted to consider a state’s
population totals. Illinois continues to have the most
governmental units in the nation. When the number of local
jurisdictions are calculated per 100,000 residents, the results
indicate that North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska
have the nation’s highest number of governmental units per
capita.
These results are not surprising. Areas
of the country with low population densities (such as the Midwest’s
Plains States) tend to require more governmental units per capita. For
example, special ambulance or fire protection districts may be needed
in sparsely populated areas in order to provide necessary services to
the residents of several small towns. Other factors play a part in the
differences as well, including the disparate ways in which states were
settled, the kind of tax restrictions that states impose on local
governments, and the traditions and preferences that have evolved
within a state.
In a 2003 guest newspaper column
discussing Kansas’ relatively large number of local
governments, state Sen. John Vraitl wrote: "Kansans, by
tradition, have wanted government to occur at the lowest possible
level." However, this value can sometimes conflict with the
desire to improve government efficiency, especially at a time when
state and local government budgets are so tight. States have recently
considered legislation that either encourages (often through financial
incentives) or mandates the consolidation of local governments.
The consolidation of rural school
districts is one of the more common, and one of the more
controversial, types of governmental reorganizations. Over the past 50
years, the number of school district governments in the United States
has steadily declined. Between 1997 and 2002, Nebraska saw its number
of school districts decrease by 106, the country’s largest drop over
that time period.
Local
Governments in the Midwest*
| State |
Local governments |
Rank |
Governments per 100,000 people |
Rank |
| Illinois |
6,903 |
1 |
55.6 |
15 |
| Indiana |
3,085 |
10 |
50.7 |
17 |
| Iowa |
1,975 |
15 |
67.5 |
10 |
| Kansas |
3,887 |
5 |
144.6 |
5 |
| Michigan |
2,804 |
12 |
28.2 |
29 |
| Minnesota |
3,482 |
7 |
70.8 |
9 |
| Nebraska |
2,791 |
13 |
163.1 |
3 |
| North Dakota |
2,735 |
14 |
425.9 |
1 |
| Ohio |
3,636 |
6 |
32.0 |
27 |
| South Dakota |
1,866 |
17 |
247.2 |
2 |
| Wisconsin |
3,048 |
11 |
56.8 |
14 |
| United States |
87,525 |
— |
31.1 |
— |
* Totals include state government but
not U.S. government
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (Figures
based on 2002 U.S. Census of Governments and 2000 U.S. Census Bureau
population figures)
For
more information on this or any other public policy issue, please call
630-925-1922 or complete the online
form for research services.
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