List of councils (Scouting America)

Local councils of Scouting America
The Ideal Scout, a statue by R. Tait McKenzie in front of the Bruce S. Marks Scout Resource Center, the former headquarters of the Cradle of Liberty Council in Philadelphia

The program of Scouting America is administered through 248 local councils, with each council covering a geographic area that may vary from a single city to an entire state. Each council receives an annual charter from the National Council and is usually incorporated as a charitable organization. Most councils are administratively divided into districts that directly serve Scout units.

Councils previously fell into one of four regions: Western, Central, Southern, and Northeast. Each region was then subdivided into areas. The total number of councils depends on how they are counted:

  • There are 248 individual local councils.
  • Direct Service covers units outside of local councils. Although technically not a council, it is assigned a council number.
  • Greater New York Councils has five boroughs, each with an assigned council number.
  • Each of the four regions has an assigned council number.