Our promise
Guides

How does the US government work?

The short answer

Power in the US is divided two ways: between levels of government and among three branches. The national government and each state have their own lawmakers, executives and courts, and states create local governments such as counties, cities and school districts.

  • Facts checked November 4, 2026
  • 5 sources
  • 3 min read
How much detail?
You’re seeing part of this page.

Key facts

3

Branches of the federal government

Arts. I, II and III

91,438

Local governments in the US in 2025

Census Bureau (2026)

2, 4 and 6 years

Terms of a House member, a president and a senator

Art. I, §§ 2-3; Art. II, § 1

Power is divided two ways

The splits power in two directions. First, it divides power between the national government and the states. The national government has the powers the Constitution lists. The Tenth leaves the rest to the states or the people. Second, it divides national power among three branches: Congress makes laws, the president carries them out, and the courts decide cases. Because power is split both ways, no single office runs everything.

Three levels: national, state and local

The federal government handles national matters such as defense, foreign affairs, immigration and federal law. Each state has its own constitution, legislature, governor and courts. Local governments, which are created under state law, include counties, cities, boroughs, towns, townships, school districts and special districts, such as water or fire districts. The Census Bureau counted 91,438 local governments in 2025. Their boundaries often overlap, so one home can sit inside several of them at once.

Three branches: make, carry out, decide

At the federal level, the legislative branch is Congress, made up of the House and the Senate. The executive branch is the president and the federal agencies. The judicial branch is the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts. Each branch can check the others: the president can bills, and the Senate can confirm or reject many of the president’s nominees. Courts can strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution. States divide their own power in a similar way.

Who gets the job: elected or appointed

Voters elect members of the House and the Senate directly. For president, voters in each state and in Washington, DC, choose electors, and those electors elect the president and vice president. Voters in every state elect a governor and state legislators. Many local leaders, such as county commissioners, mayors and school board members, are elected too. Other officials are appointed: the president nominates Supreme Court justices and other Article III judges, and the Senate must confirm them. Many city councils hire a professional manager to run daily operations.

When elections happen

Regular federal elections are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. All 435 voting seats in the House are filled every 2 years. About one-third of the Senate is elected every 2 years, because senators serve 6-year terms in three groups. The president is elected every 4 years, and the federal elections in between are called midterms. States and local governments set many of their own election dates, so some of them hold elections in odd-numbered years.

From the Constitution

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

U.S. Constitution · Amdt. XRead the full text

Questions people ask

Who is in charge of the US government?
No single person or body is in charge of everything. Congress makes federal laws, the president carries them out and the courts decide cases, while states and local governments run their own affairs.
Does the president control state governors?
No. Each state’s voters elect their own governor, who leads the state’s executive branch under that state’s constitution.
Are all government officials elected?
No. Voters elect members of Congress, governors, legislators and many local officials, but Supreme Court justices and other Article III judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Sources

Checked November 4, 2026. Primary sources first, then official records, then nonpartisan research.

Primary sourceNational Archives: The Constitution of the United States, a transcription
Primary sourceNational Archives: The Bill of Rights, a transcription
Official recordUSAGov: Branches of the U.S. government
Official recordU.S. Census Bureau: Government Organization Summary Report, 2022 and 2025
Official recordUSAGov: Congressional elections and midterm elections

How these facts were checked: our promise. Every substantive fix is listed on the corrections page.

Keep going

Government

What are the three branches of the US government?

Congress makes laws, the president carries them out and the courts decide cases. See what each branch does and how it can check the other two.

Explainer · 2 min read

Government

What does the federal government do?

The federal government handles national matters such as defense, money and trade between states. See how Congress, the president and courts share the work.

Explainer · 2 min read

Government

How does state government work?

Every US state has its own constitution, governor, legislature and courts. Learn what states decide and which state officials voters elect.

Explainer · 2 min read