![FloridaCountiesPopulation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/FloridaCountiesPopulation.png)
There are 67
counties
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, which became a
territory of the U.S. in 1821 with two counties complementing the provincial divisions retained as a Spanish territory,
Escambia to the west and
St. Johns to the east. Both counties are divided by the
Suwannee River. All of the other counties were apportioned from these two original counties. Florida became the 27th U.S. state in 1845, and its last county was created in 1925 with the formation of
Gilchrist County from a segment of
Alachua County.
Florida's counties are subdivisions of the
state government. Florida's largest county is
Miami-Dade County, the seventh largest county in the nation, with a population of 2,701,767 as of the
2020 census.
In 1968, counties gained the power to develop their own
charters.
All but two of Florida's
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
s are
incorporated municipalities: the exceptions are
Crawfordville, county seat of rural
Wakulla County
Wakulla County is a County (United States), county located in the Big Bend (Florida), Big Bend region in the North Florida, northern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 33, ...
, and
East Naples
East Naples is an unincorporated community in Collier County, Florida, United States. East Naples has been the county seat since 1962, when the Collier County Courthouse was moved from Everglades (see Old Collier County Courthouse).
East Naples is ...
, located outside
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
city limits in
Collier County
Collier County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 375,752; an increase of 16.9% since the 2010 United States Census. Its county seat is East Naples, where the county offices were moved from Ev ...
.
The names of Florida's counties reflect its diverse cultural heritage. Some are named for
Confederate political leaders and
Spanish explorers
Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians.
Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...
, marking the influence of
Spanish sovereignty, while others are named for Christian saints, Native American sites, as well as political leaders of the United States. Natural features of the region, including rivers, lakes and flora, are also commonly used for county names. Florida has counties named for participants on both sides of
Second Seminole War:
Miami-Dade County is partially named for
Francis L. Dade, a major in the U.S. Army at the time;
Osceola County is named for the war's native
Muscogee
The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands[Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...]
resistance leader
Osceola
Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Asi-yahola in Muscogee language, Creek), named Billy Powell at birth in Alabama, became an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfather was a S ...
.
[
Population figures are based on the 2021 vintage ]Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
population estimates. The population of Florida is 21,781,128, an increase of 1.1% from 2020. The average population of Florida's counties is 325,091; Miami-Dade County is the most populous (2,662,777) and Liberty County is the least (7,900). The average land area is 805 sq mi (2,085 km2). The largest county is Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County is a county located in the southeastern part of Florida and lies directly north of Broward County and Miami-Dade County. The county had a population of 1,492,191 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous county ...
(2,034 sq mi, 5,268 km2) and the smallest is Union County (240 sq mi, 622 km2). The total area of the state is 65,795 sq miles, of which the land area constitutes while the water area constitutes 11,868 sq miles.[ (2020 Census)]
The Federal Information Processing Standard
The Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) of the United States are a set of publicly announced standards that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed for use in computer systems of non-military, America ...
(FIPS) is used by the U.S. government to uniquely identify counties, and is provided for each entry. These codes link to the United States Census Bureau's "quick facts" for each county. Florida's FIPS code of 12 is used to distinguish from counties in other states. For example, Alachua County's unique nationwide identifier is 12001.[
__TOC__
]
Counties
Former counties
Fayette County was created in 1832 from the portion of Jackson County east of the Chipola River
The Chipola River is a tributary of the Apalachicola River in western Florida. It is part of the ACF River Basin watershed.
The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1 ...
, with county seat at Ochesee (now in Calhoun County Calhoun County is the name of several counties in the United States of America named after U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun:
* Calhoun County, Alabama
* Calhoun County, Arkansas
* Calhoun County, Florida
* Calhoun County, Georgia
* Calhoun Cou ...
east of Altha). In 1834 it was merged back into Jackson County.
Renamed counties
Five counties in Florida have been renamed. Most renamings occurred between 1845 and 1861, during the first sixteen years of Florida's statehood. One occurred in 1997, when Dade County changed its name to Miami-Dade County.
Proposed counties
See also
* Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
* List of municipalities in Florida
* List of places in Florida
See also
* Florida
* List of municipalities in Florida
* List of counties in Florida
References
USGS Fips55 database
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Places In Florida
Lists of places in Florida
Places
Place may refer to:
Geography
* Place (Uni ...
* List of county seats in Florida
Further reading
*
References
; Specific
; General
*''Atlas of Florida'', revised edition. Edward A. Fernald & Elizabeth D. Purdum, editors (University Press of Florida, 1996). "Evolution of Counties", pp. 98–99.
{{DEFAULTSORT:List of counties in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
Counties
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...