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Firefighters are government workers, and so are the rangers who work in state parks. The person who delivers your mail is also a government worker.

Did you know that they all work for different governments? How can this be? Let’s find out!

In the United States there are three levels of government: national, state, and local. Each level of government has its own responsibilities.
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State park rangers work for governments. There are 50 state governments: one for each of the 50 states.

The national, or federal, government is responsible for many things that help the entire country.

For example, mail delivery is handled by the national government.

There is just one national government that governs the whole country.

Here are some national government services you might recognize. Can you think of any others? The U.S. Postal Service delivers mail all over the United States.

Another level of government is state government. Each state has its own government.

A state government is responsible for things that happen only in that state.

Take a look at some things states are responsible for. See if you can name some others. Each state has a department of Transportation that is responsible for building and maintaining state roads.

Within each state, there is a system of local governments. Each town, city, or county may have its own local government.

A local government is responsible for things that happen only in that town, city, or county.

Here are a few examples of local government at work. Can you think of others?

Do you help make dinner? Do you have a special task, such as making salad?

Let’s learn about specialization.

When a person makes or grows just one type of thing, it’s called specializing. Most workers specialize Opens in modal popup windowin certain goods or services.

This woman specialize in fixing cars.