This A–Z list of U.S. states runs from Alabama to Wyoming, listing all 50 state names in alphabetical order.
If you’re filling out a form, labeling a map, or sorting notes for class, getting the order right saves time and stops tiny slip-ups from spreading across a whole page. This article gives you a clean list you can copy, print, or drop into a spreadsheet, with postal abbreviations and capitals right beside each state.
You’ll get the full list first (the part most people came for), then a set of practical ways to use it: mailing formats, sorting tips, and quick memory drills that don’t feel like a slog.
Alphabetical List Of The US States With Postal Abbreviations
The table below puts the names in A–Z order and pairs each one with the two-letter USPS code used on addresses. If you want to verify a code, use the official list in USPS Appendix B (Publication 28).
| State | USPS Abbreviation | Capital |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Saint 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 |
When An A–Z State List Saves You Time
An alphabetical list looks basic, yet it pops up everywhere: student worksheets, shipping labels, job forms, contact lists, and anything that needs a dropdown menu. Knowing where to grab a correct list means you stop hunting across tabs and stop retyping from memory.
School Work And Study Sheets
Teachers often want a neat A–Z list so students can check spelling, build flashcards, or fill in missing capitals. If you’re making a worksheet, start with the state names, then add a blank column beside them. Students can fill in abbreviations or capitals without losing the A–Z structure.
Address Books And Shipping Forms
Mailing systems like consistency. If one line says “California” and another says “CA,” sorting gets messy and filters_ml start missing entries. Pick one style per field. For mail labels, use the two-letter codes tied to ZIP Codes.
Spreadsheets, Databases, And Sorting
Sorting works best when your data is clean. Put full state names in one column. Put the abbreviation in a second column. Put capitals in a third column. That way, you can sort by any piece without breaking the rest of the row.
Small Mistakes People Make With State Names
Most errors come from names that look alike, share a word, or share a direction. A quick check at the right moment beats fixing a whole set later.
North And South Pairs
These pairs are easy to flip if you’re tired or rushing:
- North Carolina comes before North Dakota.
- South Carolina comes before South Dakota.
A handy trick: write the second word (Carolina, Dakota) in a margin note while you sort. Your eye sees it fast.
The Four “New” States
These four stay together in alphabetical order, and the second word sets the sequence:
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
H, J, M, Y. Once you lock that in, the set stays stable.
Two-Word Names Beyond “New”
Two-word names are still filed by the first word, not the second:
- Rhode Island is under R.
- West Virginia is under W, right after Washington.
If you’re building a dropdown menu, keep the full names as written. Skipping spaces or adding commas leads to odd sorting and odd search results inside the menu.
Postal Abbreviations And What They’re For
USPS abbreviations are not just classroom trivia. They’re the standard for addresses, and they keep lines short enough to fit common label formats. When a form asks for “State (2 letters),” it’s asking for these codes.
Style guides also back this format. The Government Publishing Office points readers to Postal Service two-letter abbreviations for U.S. government writing. You can see that guidance in the GPO Style Manual.
Washington Versus Washington, D.C.
Washington the state is WA. Washington, D.C. is not a state, and many “state-only” lists will not include it. If a system accepts DC, treat it as its own entry. If it does not, pick WA for the state and move on.
Codes That People Swap While Typing
A few codes get mixed up more than others, mostly due to fast typing:
- IN (Indiana) and ID (Idaho)
- IA (Iowa) and ID (Idaho)
- MS (Mississippi) and MO (Missouri)
If you’re keying data by hand, a simple rule helps: type the full state name first, then fill the code column after. It cuts down on swapped letters.
State Name Patterns That Help You Memorize The List
Memorizing 50 names as one long chain feels rough. Grouping makes it lighter. You’re learning smaller sets, then stacking them.
Practice In Short Passes
Try this five-minute loop when you want a fast drill:
- Read Alabama through Georgia out loud.
- Write the abbreviations for that set from memory.
- Check the table, fix misses, then move to Hawaii through Missouri.
Keep the pace brisk. Stop once you get sloppy, then pick it up later.
Starting-Letter Groups
Some letters show up a lot, some barely show up. This table groups states by their first letter, which is handy for checking if your list has gaps.
| Starting Letter | States | Count |
|---|---|---|
| A | Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas | 4 |
| C | California, Colorado, Connecticut | 3 |
| D | Delaware | 1 |
| F | Florida | 1 |
| G | Georgia | 1 |
| H | Hawaii | 1 |
| I | Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa | 4 |
| K | Kansas, Kentucky | 2 |
| L | Louisiana | 1 |
| M | Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana | 8 |
| N | Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota | 8 |
| O | Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon | 3 |
| P | Pennsylvania | 1 |
| R | Rhode Island | 1 |
| S | South Carolina, South Dakota | 2 |
| T | Tennessee, Texas | 2 |
| U | Utah | 1 |
| V | Vermont, Virginia | 2 |
| W | Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming | 4 |
Formatting Tips For Clean State Data
If you’re building a class handout, a quiz, or a simple database, formatting is where lists either stay neat or get messy fast. These habits keep your list tidy:
- Use one row per state and keep spelling consistent.
- Keep abbreviations in their own column, not mixed into the name field.
- Write “Saint Paul” as two words if you’re listing Minnesota’s capital.
- Store “Salt Lake City” as three words, not “SaltLakeCity.”
- Sort by the state-name column when you want A–Z order.
Alphabetical List Of The US States In Plain Words
This alphabetical list of the US states is built to be copied, printed, and reused. If you’re cleaning up a document, teaching a lesson, or studying for a quiz, the A–Z order plus USPS codes keeps your work tidy.
One last practical note: if you paste the table into a spreadsheet, paste as plain text, then set the column widths after. It keeps the rows aligned and makes sorting smooth.