In the US, public companies are traded on stock exchange. There are state-owned corporations. The federally owned ones are a mix of semi-independent like Amtrak

In the US, public companies are traded on stock exchange. There are state-owned corporations. The federally owned ones are a mix of semi-independent like Amtrak and USPS, and ones that should be governement agencies. Municpally owned corporations tend to be independent but are owned by states or cities. Municipal utilities are pretty common but work best for small ones like water. The US has whole categories of 503c non-profit organizations, with 503c3 tax-exempt charities the most well known. I can't tell if there category for non-profit utilities. I think there should be room for companies between government-owned and for-profit, companies that do a service without making money.