Each of the fifty states of the United States has its own government. These governments are very similar to the national government in form, each having its own executive (headed by a governor), its own legislature and its own judiciary. State government responsibilities are quite broad, and include fields as diverse as environment, roads and vehicle licensing, public safety and corrections, business regulation and licensing. States are responsible for policing, education and public health, although in these areas the federal government also has much responsibility. Some powers are shared concurrently, but in other cases there is no clear division, and there are frequent disputes between the states and Washington, DC over jurisdiction.

State legislatures are bicameral, with houses of representatives and senates mirroring the national structure; Nebraska is unique in being unicameral. Legislators, like governors, are usually elected on a four-year term. In many states the legislatures are dominated by representatives from rural areas, who are often more conservative (and Republican) than their urban counterparts and have little interest in or affinity with issues affecting the cities. The larger cities in turn tend to seek to guard their own privileges and are reluctant to recognize the authority of the state government—New York City and Los Angeles, CA, for example, are virtually independent of state control as far as day-to-day administration goes.

State judiciaries consist of several types of trial courts and appellate courts, headed by a state supreme court. The decisions of the latter can usually be referred to the federal Supreme Court in Washington. In most states judges are elected; terms of four years are most common, but some terms are for as little as two years, and in Rhode Island and Massachusetts judges are elected for life.

States themselves are divided into various subordinate levels of government, including counties, cities, towns and townships. These are responsible for exercising various powers devolved to them by the state government, such as education, fire and police services, waste disposal and so on.

As noted previously, conflicts between state governments and the federal government are common. Most of these concern the infringement of the jurisdiction of one party by officials of the other. Many federal agencies (the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and so on) have wide-ranging powers which allow them to usurp jurisdiction from state authorities. This is often strongly resented by the latter, so also is the fact that cases concerning jurisdiction are always heard by federal courts.

Perhaps the most famous and bitter conflict in recent years was that which took place in the 1960s over the desegregation of schools. In forcing the Southern states to accept mixed-race schools, federal Attorney-General Robert Kennedy used the courts and even mobilized some elements of the armed forces to push federal policy through (see Civil Rights movement). All the protests of the state governments were ineffectual in the face of a determined effort to enforce federal policy.