10 States with the Fewest Counties

Alaska

To be completely technical, two states have no counties with Alaska being one of them. Alaska, also affectionately known as The Last Frontier labels administrative subdivisions as boroughs. Currently, 18 official boroughs and one unofficial borough comprise this state, and certain points sit merely miles from Russia. It is the second-to-last to be admitted into the union, and where former 2008 Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin once governed and is native.

Louisiana

Louisiana, the home of the National Football League’s New Orleans Saints, also does not technically house any counties. The Bayou State possesses a distinctly French-influenced culture and labels governmental entities as parishes. At the present time, 64 parishes comprise Louisiana’s borders.

Delaware

Only three counties make up the State of Delaware, which holds the nickname the First State because it was the first to ratify the United States Constitution. Arguably, current President Joseph Biden holds the honor as the tiny state’s most famous resident.

Delaware’s three counties are named Kent, New Castle, and Sussex. The most populous county is New Castle, which houses more than 530,000 people. That said, slightly less than 230,000 residents call Kent County, the state’s least populated municipality home.

Hawaii

Hawaii, which holds the nickname the Aloha State, the Hawaiian word for hello and goodbye, was the last state to be admitted to the union. The place of President Barack Obama’s birth and where the famed television show Hawaii 50 was filmed, only holds five counties.

County names include Hawaii, Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, and Kalawao. Roughly a million residents call the most populated Honolulu County home. Only a few hundred reside in Kalawao, the least populous.

Rhode Island

Known as the Ocean State and Little Rhody, Rhode Island carries the distinction as the smallest state in the United States area-wise. Former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo calls Rhode Island and the state’s five counties home.

County names include Providence, Bristol, Kent, Newport, and Washington. Providence County, which houses the state capital of the same name, is the most populous with roughly 630,000 residents. However, with only about 50,000 residents, Bristol holds the tag as Rhode Island’s least populated municipality.

Connecticut

Nicknamed the Nutmeg State and home to the 2023 Men’s Basketball National Collegiate Athletic Association Champion University of Connecticut Huskies, Connecticut contains eight counties.

The state’s counties go by the names of Fairfield, Litchfield, New Haven, Hartford, Tolland, Middlesex, Windham, and New London. Hartford County, which houses the capital of the same name, holds the title of most populated with nearly 900,000 inhabitants. That said, only about 12,000 reside in Windham, the state’s least populous. Additionally, legendary actress Katherine Hepburn called Connecticut her birthplace.

New Hampshire

Historians label New Hampshire the Granite State. Moreover, famed astronaut Alan Shepherd called this original colony state with 10 counties his birthplace. The names of New Hampshire’s 10 governmental subdivisions are Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Coos, Grafton, Merrimack, Sullivan, Hillsborough, Stafford, and Rockingham.

More than 426,000 of the state’s residents live in the most populous Hillsborough County. However, tiny Coos County houses only about 31,000 individuals.

Vermont

Known as the Green Mountain State, Vermont serves as home to 14 counties. The state’s capital is Montpelier. Furthermore, Montpelier holds the distinction as the only state capital not to house a McDonald’s fast food restaurant within its city limits. Additionally, Vermont is Hall of Fame baseball player Carlton Fisk’s birthplace.

Vermont counties include Franklin, Orleans, Essex, Caledonia, Lamoille, Chittenden, Addison, Grand Isle, Orange, Washington, Rutland, Windsor, Bennington, and Windham. The largest, Chittenden, holds approximately 160,000 citizens. Only slightly more than 7,0000 call Essex County home.

Massachusetts

Labeled the Bay State, Massachusetts plays home to 14 counties. The state’s governmental subdivisions hold names such as Nantucket, Dukes, Bristol, Hampden, Hampshire, Berkshire, Franklin, Middlesex, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Barnstable.

Additionally, Massachusetts is the birthplace of the late President John F. Kennedy. Middlesex ranks as the state’s most populated county, with more than 1.5 million inhabitants. Dukes County comes in as the least populated playing host to only 17,000 individuals.

Arizona

Appropriately nicknamed the Grand Canyon State, Arizona contains 15 counties. The state, which was the last of the 48 contiguous states admitted to the union in 1912, was the home of two Republican Presidential nominees, Senators Barry Goldwater in 1964 and John McCain in 2008.

Arizona’s 15 county names include Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Greenlee, Maricopa, Gila, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yovapai, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, La Paz, Yuma, and Graham. Maricopa ranks as Arizona’s most populated municipality with more than 4 million residents. Greenlee is its least populous county with slightly more than 8,000 inhabitants.