List All United States | 50 States With USPS Codes

If you need to list all united states for a class handout, a form, a dataset, or a shipping label, you want clean names you can trust. This page gives the 50 states in A–Z order with the two-letter USPS code and the state capital, plus quick notes that help you format entries without redoing work.

List All United States By Name And USPS Code

The table below is built for fast scanning. Keep one column for the full state name and one for the two-letter code, then copy what you need.

State	USPS Code	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

How This List Was Built

The state names follow the standard spellings used in U.S. government writing. The two-letter codes match the postal codes used for mail, drawn from USPS Publication 28 Appendix B. Capitals match the current state capitals used in general reference and classroom materials.

If you’re copying into a spreadsheet, keep the code in its own field. That small step saves time later when you sort, filter, or run a lookup.

Rules For Writing State Names And Two-Letter Codes

Most mix-ups come from formatting, not from the list itself. These rules keep entries tidy across forms, labels, and schoolwork.

Use Uppercase For Codes

Postal codes are two letters in uppercase. Skip periods. Write “CA,” not “C.A.” When you paste from a sheet, scan for stray spaces before or after the code.

Keep Names And Codes In Separate Fields

In a form with one box, you might type a full state name. In a dataset, split the state name and code into two columns. Then you can sort by name, group by code, and run clean filters.

Pick One Style For Capitals With Punctuation

Some capitals and state names include spaces, like “Salt Lake City” or “Rhode Island.” Keep spacing consistent. In the rare case your class sheet asks for abbreviations like “St.”, set that style once and use it across the page.

Watch For Look-Alike Pairs

Some codes share letters in a way that’s easy to swap when you’re in a hurry. AL and AK, AR and AZ, or MN and MS can blur together in a quick scan. A second pass on the code column alone catches most slips.

Fast Ways To Use The State List In Class, Forms, And Data

The same state list shows up in lots of places: quizzes, maps, dropdown menus, and data entry. A little structure up front keeps the work smooth.

Making A Clean Alphabet List For Notes

If you’re writing by hand, copy the state names in A–Z order and leave a blank space next to each one. Then you can add capitals, codes, or a region tag later without rewriting the whole page.

Building A Dropdown For A Website Form

For a simple form, store the full state name as the visible label and the two-letter code as the stored value. That keeps the user view readable and keeps your data consistent.

Sorting And Matching In A Spreadsheet

Put state name, code, and capital in separate columns. Use a single header row. Then sort A–Z on the state name column. If you need to match a code back to a name, a lookup function can pull the right value with fewer copy mistakes.

Checking Spelling With A Quick Scan

When you paste a long list into a sheet, scan for doubles like “New” or “North” entries. Make sure you have both “North Carolina” and “North Dakota,” plus both “South Carolina” and “South Dakota.” This catches the common missing-one error.

Common Mix-Ups People Make With U.S. States

Even with a clean table, a few spots trip people up. These are the ones that show up a lot in worksheets and data entry.

Washington Vs. Washington, D.C.

Washington is one of the 50 states. Washington, D.C. is a federal district, not a state. In postal codes, the district uses “DC,” which sits outside the 50-state set.

Two-Word And Three-Word Names

Several states use two words, and one uses three. Keep spacing and spelling consistent, since small changes can break matching in a dataset.

• New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York
• North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota
• Rhode Island
• West Virginia

Saint Paul Vs. St. Paul

Minnesota’s capital is written as “Saint Paul” in many references. Some people write “St. Paul” out of habit. If your form needs one style, pick it and stick to it across the file.

States, Territories, And Other U.S. Areas

This page is a 50-state list. The U.S. also has areas like Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Many forms include them in a longer menu. Postal standards list codes for these areas as well, along with military “AE,” “AA,” and “AP” for overseas mail.

If you need that longer set, start with the official postal reference on USPS state abbreviations, then pull only the entries your form accepts.

Ways To Confirm You Have All 50 States

Let’s be real: the mistake that stings is skipping one state and not noticing until the teacher, the form, or the data check bounces it back. A few quick checks make that far less likely.

Do A Straight Count

If your list is in a spreadsheet, count the rows in the state column and look for 50 unique names. If it’s on paper, number the lines from 1 to 50 as you copy. You don’t need fancy tricks; a plain count catches a missing entry fast.

Check The “New,” “North,” And “South” Groups

These prefixes are where people drop a state. Make sure all four “New” states are present, both “North” states are present, and both “South” states are present. Then look at “West Virginia,” since it’s easy to misfile under “Virginia.”

Use A Letter Sweep

Scan your list for a few letters that have only one state: Iowa (I), Maine (M has more, but ME is a single code), Utah (U), and Wyoming (W has two, but WY stands alone). A quick glance at these lone spots helps you spot gaps without rereading the full list.

Quick Table For Picking The Right Format

Use this chart when you’re stuck between a full name and a code, or when you need a clean field layout.

Task	What To Use	Small Check
School worksheet	Full state name	Keep A–Z order
Shipping label	Two-letter code	Uppercase, no periods
Spreadsheet list	Name + code in separate columns	Trim extra spaces
Database field	Two-letter code as stored value	Validate against the table
Essay or report	Full state name	Use the same spelling each time
Map labeling	Code for tight space	Avoid look-alike pairs
Mail merge	Code in its own field	Lock field length to 2
Quiz study sheet	Name + capital	Mark two-word names
Dropdown menu	Full name shown, code stored	Keep one source list
Data cleanup	Standardize to one format	Fix “Saint/St.” once

Copy-Paste List Of The 50 States

This block is handy when a form asks for a plain list and you don’t want to rebuild it. Check the form’s rules on commas or line breaks, then paste as needed.

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Simple Study Plan For States, Codes, And Capitals

If this list is for a quiz, don’t try to cram all 50 in one sitting. Use short rounds, then repeat. It feels slower, but your recall gets sharper with less stress.

Start With Names, Then Add Codes

First, read down the state column and say each name out loud. Next, cover the code column with your hand and try to say the two letters from memory. When you miss one, pause and write it once. Then move on.

Group The Tricky Pairs

Put look-alike codes in a mini set and drill just those: AL/AK, AR/AZ, MI/MN/MS/MO, and NC/ND. It’s a quick win because you’re fixing the spots that cause the most slips.

Use Capitals As A Second Pass

Capitals are easier when you link them to a state you already know. Run the table again and quiz yourself on the capital column. If a capital has two words, write it the same way each time. That helps when your teacher checks spelling.

Last tip: don’t mix study formats in the same round. Do names only, then codes only, then capitals only. Your brain gets a cleaner signal, and you’ll spend less time second-guessing.

Mini Checks Before You Hand In Your Work

A last sweep can save a redo. Run through these items before you submit a sheet, print a handout, or send a file.

• Count your entries: you should have 50 unique state names.
• Scan the “New,” “North,” and “South” lines for missing partners.
• Keep codes as two uppercase letters with no extra marks.
• Keep state name spelling consistent across the whole file.
• Store names and codes in separate fields when you can.

On a worksheet, write the state names on one side and leave the codes blank. Fill the codes from memory, then compare with the table. Repeat once. That second pass usually cuts errors in half.

If you came here to list all united states without second-guessing spelling or codes, the big table near the top is your clean source. Copy from it, keep one format, and you’ll be set.