when Oklahoma became a State and organized 54 new counties from the Indian Territory. There were other sizable increases in county formation between 1910 and 1920, when Montana and Idaho almost doubled their number of existing counties by adding 23 and 21 new counties, respectively.
Since 1920, there have been relatively few new counties formed; in fact, only 12 States have formed new counties since then. Although Florida added 13 counties in the 1920s, few other States created more than 1 or 2 per decade; some States even lost counties as a result of mergers. Table 4-3 shows the number of counties and statistically equivalent entities at the time of the 1920 census and at the times of the six decennial censuses from 1940 through 1990. Most of the change in the number of statistically equivalent entities represents an increase in the number of independent cities in Virginia (from 20 at the time of the 1920 census to 41 for the 1980 and 1990 censuses) and the recognition of a variety of new entities statistically equivalent to counties in Alaska beginning with the 1960 census.
Table 4-3. Number of Counties and Statistically Equivalent Entities for the 1920 and the 1940 Through 1990 Decennial Censuses
| Census Year | Counties/Statistical Equivalents | Counties/Parishes | Independent Cities[4-3 1] and Other Statistically Equivalent Entities[4-3 2] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 3,064 | 3,041 | 23 |
| 1940 | 3,100 | 3,070 | 30 |
| 1950 | 3,103 | 3,070 | 33 |
| 1960 | 3,134 | 3,072 | 62 |
| 1970 | 3,141 | 3,069 | 72 |
| 1980 | 3,137 | 3,068 | 69 |
| 1990 | 3,141 | 3,070 | 71 |
- ↑ The independent cities include Baltimore city, St. Louis city, Carson City (as of 1970), and the cities of Virginia.
- ↑ Other statistically equivalent entities include the District of Columbia, the Alaska statistical areas, and that portion of Yellowstone National Park in Montana as of 1940. The entities statistically equivalent to counties in Alaska were known as election districts in 1960, census divisions in 1970, and boroughs/census areas in 1980 and 1990.
States, Counties, Equivalent Entities4-9
