Telling the County Story
Find tools to tell the county story. Apply for a NACo Achievement Award, celebrate National County Government Month, and utilize our suite of civic engagement tools to educate our federal partners, as well as the general public.
This is the final module of Counties 101. To explore all of the previous modules, click here.
Achievement Awards
The Achievement Awards is a non-competitive awards program recognizing innovative county government programs. Award-winning programs are featured in NACo content and celebrated at NACo's Annual Conference.
County Explorer Data
Explore your county through over 1000 indicators and nearly 100 datasets.
Counties Work Game & Curriculum
NACo, together with iCivics, has created an online game and curriculum to educate students grade levels 6-12 about the important role and functions of county government.
National County Government Month
Held each April, NCGM is an annual celebration of county government. NACo equips counties with template materials, social media graphics, and more resources to kick off the month of recognition.
The Marvelous Adventures of Countyland
With county government policymakers and practitioners now facing the realities of generative artificial intelligence (AI), this book was developed with three main objectives:
- Showcase the remarkable capabilities and intricate nature of contemporary AI technologies
- Stimulate collaborative policy discussions among intergovernmental partners regarding the near limitless applications within the public sector, taking into account the possible inherent biases in AI systems, and
- Inspire the young people of America to explore the exciting and meaningful roles and responsibilities of county government officials.
Presidential Spotlight
We...
Under the leadership of NACo President James Gore, NACo is focusing on the spotlight, "We..." The three pillars of the spotlight are engagement and collaboration, research and innovation, and capacity building.
Explore Counties 101
Each module is Counties 101 dives deep on a key facet how counties function, provide critical services and work with the other branches of government in our nation's system of federalism.
What are counties?
This question is the first step in learning about county governments and our collective impact on our communities and the lives of residents. Counties are one of America’s oldest forms of government, are key partners in our nation's system of federalism and provide critical services.
County structure, authority and finances
Counties are governed by locally elected officials, including more than 19,350 county elected executives and board members responsible for counties’ budgets, policies and oversight. In general, states authorize and set the roles and responsibilities of county governments. Explore how counties differ across the nation and how that affects the delivery of critical services to our residents.
County Roles & Responsibilities
All counties share the vision of achieving health, safe and vibrant counties across America. We are responsible for maintaining roads and bridges, caring for our physical and mental health, administering elections, ensuring public safety, strengthening environmental stewardship, and so much more.
Counties and the Intergovernmental Partnership
Counties are uniquely positioned to implement and administer vital intergovernmental systems, facilitate cooperation of all levels of government, and deliver results and impact for our residents and businesses at the community level.
Telling the County Story
Find tools to highlight the ways counties touch our everyday lives and act as key intergovernmental partners.
Counties Work Game & Curriculum
NACo, together with iCivics, has created a full curriculum to educate students, grades 6 through 12, about the important role and functions of county government. The curriculum and online game assist teachers with preparing lessons on county government.