Key takeaways
- There were 91,438 local governments in the U.S. in 2025, plus 50 state governments — a fragmented market no generic campaign covers well.
- 46 states start their fiscal year on July 1; local governments vary, so outreach should follow each jurisdiction's budget cycle.
- Purchases move through procurement thresholds, cooperative contracts and council or board approvals.
- KSG targets the departments that own the problem — public works, IT, finance, public safety, fleet, parks — and qualifies timing and budget.
The market at a glance
| Type of local government | Number in 2025 |
|---|---|
| Counties | 3,031 |
| Municipalities (cities, towns, villages) | 19,489 |
| Townships | 16,184 |
| Special districts | 40,199 |
| Independent school districts | 12,535 |
| Total local governments | 91,438 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Organization Summary Report: 2022 and 2025 (May 2026).
How state and local governments buy
- Budgets and fiscal years. 46 states begin their fiscal year on July 1; New York starts April 1, Texas September 1, and Alabama and Michigan October 1. Local governments set their own fiscal years. See our fiscal year calendar.
- Procurement thresholds. Small purchases can often be made with quotes or a purchasing card; larger ones require formal bids or requests for proposals. Thresholds are set by state law and local policy, so they differ from place to place.
- Cooperative contracts. Many agencies buy through contracts already competed by a cooperative or another government, saving months of procurement. Learn more in our cooperative purchasing guide.
- Approvals. Budgets and larger contracts are approved in public meetings by councils, commissions or boards — and their agendas and minutes are public buying signals.
- Grants. Federal and state grants fund many projects, with their own timelines and rules.
Who's involved
- Department heads — public works, IT, finance, police, fire, parks, utilities, fleet — who own the problem and usually start the process;
- city and county managers or administrators, who set priorities and prepare budgets;
- elected officials — councils, commissioners and supervisors — who approve budgets and larger contracts;
- procurement and purchasing staff, who run solicitations and enforce the rules; and
- end users, whose day-to-day experience often decides between finalists.
How KSG approaches SLED outreach
- Research jurisdictions. Size, budgets, capital plans, meeting minutes and bids help us prioritize where demand and timing line up.
- Find the right department and role. We go past the main line to the people who own the program.
- Start the conversation. Phone-led outreach, backed by email and LinkedIn, under your brand.
- Qualify timing and path. Budget cycle, funding, procurement route and who else is involved.
- Book the meeting. Your account executive gets the meeting and the context.
Case studies
- Geotab: outreach to state and local fleet managers across 800+ target accounts — 72 meetings and 44 pipeline opportunities in one campaign.
- Dataminr: 6,500 agencies contacted, generating hundreds of opportunities.
- Brother Mobile Solutions: 10,000+ law enforcement agencies contacted and 800+ qualified meetings.