USA States List Alphabetical | Clean Copy Table

This USA States List Alphabetical page gives you a clean A-to-Z set of all 50 states, plus the two-letter code used on mail and forms. It is built for copying into homework, spreadsheets, travel notes, shipping sheets, quiz prep, or any form where the order matters.

The list includes states only. Washington, D.C., territories, military mail codes, and freely associated states are not mixed into the table, because they are not part of the 50-state count. That separation keeps the list tidy and prevents the usual mixups that happen when a “state” field also accepts districts or territories.

How To Read This State List

Alphabetical order sounds simple until names share the same first word. North Carolina comes before North Dakota because the next word starts with C. New Hampshire comes before New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York because H comes before J, M, and Y.

Names with spaces should stay as full names when you sort them. Do not shorten “North Carolina” to “Carolina, North” unless your own database already uses that style. A clean list should match what people type into search boxes, school sheets, checkout forms, and trip notes.

Spelling also matters more than many people expect. “Massachusetts,” “Connecticut,” and “Mississippi” are frequent trouble spots. When you paste state names into a form, one typo can break a filter, split a spreadsheet group, or make a dropdown fail to match.

When Alphabetical Order Works Best

A-to-Z order is best for quick lookup tasks. It works well for quizzes, label checks, contact forms, sales territories, and copy-paste fields. It also avoids regional debates, since every state has one fixed spot from Alabama through Wyoming.

Before copying, decide whether the final file needs names or codes. A classroom list usually needs names. A shipping upload often needs codes. A report may need both, which is why the table below keeps them side by side instead of placing separate lists on the page. That small choice saves edits later.

Use the full state name when the field asks for a name. Use the two-letter code when the field asks for a postal code. The United States Postal Service publishes the approved two-letter set in USPS Appendix B, which is the safest reference for mailing labels and data cleanup.

What This Page Includes

• All 50 states in strict A-to-Z order.
• USPS two-letter codes for each state.
• Census region and division labels for sorting by area.
• Plain wording so the list works for students, writers, admins, and spreadsheet users.

What This Page Leaves Out

The table does not list counties, capitals, ZIP Codes, or governors. Those details change the task and make a clean state list harder to scan. If you need official state sites, the federal state government directory gives direct pages for each state and territory.

For region work, the Census Bureau’s regions and divisions map is the source behind the labels used below. Census groupings are handy for reports, sales sheets, classroom maps, and any table where A-to-Z order is not enough.

USA States List Alphabetical With Codes And Regions

This table is meant to be pasted, checked, or skimmed without extra cleanup. The third column keeps each state tied to its Census region and division, which helps when you need both the alphabet and a geographic grouping.

State	USPS Code	Census Region / Division
Alabama	AL	South / East South Central
Alaska	AK	West / Pacific
Arizona	AZ	West / Mountain
Arkansas	AR	South / West South Central
California	CA	West / Pacific
Colorado	CO	West / Mountain
Connecticut	CT	Northeast / New England
Delaware	DE	South / South Atlantic
Florida	FL	South / South Atlantic
Georgia	GA	South / South Atlantic
Hawaii	HI	West / Pacific
Idaho	ID	West / Mountain
Illinois	IL	Midwest / East North Central
Indiana	IN	Midwest / East North Central
Iowa	IA	Midwest / West North Central
Kansas	KS	Midwest / West North Central
Kentucky	KY	South / East South Central
Louisiana	LA	South / West South Central
Maine	ME	Northeast / New England
Maryland	MD	South / South Atlantic
Massachusetts	MA	Northeast / New England
Michigan	MI	Midwest / East North Central
Minnesota	MN	Midwest / West North Central
Mississippi	MS	South / East South Central
Missouri	MO	Midwest / West North Central
Montana	MT	West / Mountain
Nebraska	NE	Midwest / West North Central
Nevada	NV	West / Mountain
New Hampshire	NH	Northeast / New England
New Jersey	NJ	Northeast / Middle Atlantic
New Mexico	NM	West / Mountain
New York	NY	Northeast / Middle Atlantic
North Carolina	NC	South / South Atlantic
North Dakota	ND	Midwest / West North Central
Ohio	OH	Midwest / East North Central
Oklahoma	OK	South / West South Central
Oregon	OR	West / Pacific
Pennsylvania	PA	Northeast / Middle Atlantic
Rhode Island	RI	Northeast / New England
South Carolina	SC	South / South Atlantic
South Dakota	SD	Midwest / West North Central
Tennessee	TN	South / East South Central
Texas	TX	South / West South Central
Utah	UT	West / Mountain
Vermont	VT	Northeast / New England
Virginia	VA	South / South Atlantic
Washington	WA	West / Pacific
West Virginia	WV	South / South Atlantic
Wisconsin	WI	Midwest / East North Central
Wyoming	WY	West / Mountain

Copy Tips For Forms And Spreadsheets

If you are pasting this into a spreadsheet, place state names in one column and codes in another. Sorting the state column will keep the A-to-Z order intact. Sorting the code column will not match the same order, because codes were made for mail systems, not alphabet drills.

Data entry gets cleaner when the format stays steady. Write “North Carolina” and “North Dakota” in full when names are required. Use NC and ND only when the field asks for the postal code. The same rule helps with New Mexico and New York, West Virginia and Wisconsin, and any state pair that looks close in a long dropdown.

Common List Mistakes

• Adding Washington, D.C. to a 50-state list.
• Mixing territories into a table meant for states only.
• Sorting by code when the task asks for state names.
• Writing “Calif.” or “Penn.” where a two-letter postal code is required.
• Forgetting that Alaska and Hawaii are in the Census West region.

Regional Sorting After The Alphabetical List

Alphabetical order is best when readers need to find one state by name. Region order is better when the task is about geography, sales territories, school maps, or travel planning. The Census layout below keeps the 50 states in four large groups and nine divisions.

Census Region	Division	States In This Group
Northeast	New England; Middle Atlantic	CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT; NJ, NY, PA
Midwest	East North Central; West North Central	IL, IN, MI, OH, WI; IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD
South	South Atlantic; East South Central; West South Central	DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV; AL, KY, MS, TN; AR, LA, OK, TX
West	Mountain; Pacific	AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY; AK, CA, HI, OR, WA

Clean Use Notes Before You Paste

For a plain list, copy the state column from the first table. For shipping, copy the USPS code beside the state name and check the ZIP Code in your own system. For a class handout, the Census region column adds a clean second layer without turning the page into a map lesson.

A state list works best when it stays narrow. Add capitals only if the assignment asks for them. Add populations only if the page is about size or rank. Add governors only when the page will be checked and refreshed often. A tidy state list is easier to trust, easier to paste, and easier to reuse.