Overview
This study guide lists all 50 U.S. states, their postal abbreviations, and their capitals, and includes a labeled map section for regional reference.
State Capitals and Abbreviations
- Alabama (AL) — Montgomery
- Alaska (AK) — Juneau
- Arizona (AZ) — Phoenix
- Arkansas (AR) — Little Rock
- California (CA) — Sacramento
- Colorado (CO) — Denver
- Connecticut (CT) — Hartford
- Delaware (DE) — Dover
- Florida (FL) — Tallahassee
- Georgia (GA) — Atlanta
- Hawaii (HI) — Honolulu
- Idaho (ID) — Boise
- Illinois (IL) — Springfield
- Indiana (IN) — Indianapolis
- Iowa (IA) — Des Moines
- Kansas (KS) — Topeka
- Kentucky (KY) — Frankfort
- Louisiana (LA) — Baton Rouge
- Maine (ME) — Augusta
- Maryland (MD) — Annapolis
- Massachusetts (MA) — Boston
- Michigan (MI) — Lansing
- Minnesota (MN) — St. Paul
- Mississippi (MS) — Jackson
- Missouri (MO) — Jefferson City
- Montana (MT) — Helena
- Nebraska (NE) — Lincoln
- Nevada (NV) — Carson City
- New Hampshire (NH) — Concord
- New Jersey (NJ) — Trenton
- New Mexico (NM) — Santa Fe
- New York (NY) — Albany
- North Carolina (NC) — Raleigh
- North Dakota (ND) — Bismarck
- Ohio (OH) — Columbus
- Oklahoma (OK) — Oklahoma City
- Oregon (OR) — Salem
- Pennsylvania (PA) — Harrisburg
- Rhode Island (RI) — Providence
- South Carolina (SC) — Columbia
- South Dakota (SD) — Pierre
- Tennessee (TN) — Nashville
- Texas (TX) — Austin
- Utah (UT) — Salt Lake City
- Vermont (VT) — Montpelier
- Virginia (VA) — Richmond
- Washington (WA) — Olympia
- West Virginia (WV) — Charleston
- Wisconsin (WI) — Madison
- Wyoming (WY) — Cheyenne
Regional State Groupings (by Map)
- Midwest: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio
- South: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, Arkansas
- West: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Alaska, California, Hawaii
Key Terms & Definitions
- State — A political entity within the United States.
- Capital — The city where a state’s government is based.
- Abbreviation — Two-letter postal code for each state.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Memorize the list of all state capitals and abbreviations.
- Review the regional groupings to aid map-based questions.
- Practice identifying states and capitals on a blank map.