Memorizing the 50 states is half the work. The capitals are harder because most are not the biggest city. California's capital is Sacramento — not LA. Florida's is Tallahassee — not Miami. New York's is Albany — not NYC. That's where 90% of capital-quiz mistakes happen.
This guide is structured the same way as our learn the 50 states guide: by region, with one capital per state. Once you can name the states, you only need to attach the capital. We'll flag the tricky ones.
Northeast capitals
New England (6 capitals)
- ▸Maine → Augusta
- ▸New Hampshire → Concord
- ▸Vermont → Montpelier
- ▸Massachusetts → Boston
- ▸Rhode Island → Providence
- ▸Connecticut → Hartford
Mid-Atlantic (3 capitals)
- ▸New York → Albany ⚠️
- ▸New Jersey → Trenton
- ▸Pennsylvania → Harrisburg ⚠️
South capitals
South Atlantic (8)
- ▸Delaware → Dover
- ▸Maryland → Annapolis ⚠️
- ▸Virginia → Richmond
- ▸West Virginia → Charleston
- ▸North Carolina → Raleigh
- ▸South Carolina → Columbia
- ▸Georgia → Atlanta
- ▸Florida → Tallahassee ⚠️
East South Central (4)
- ▸Kentucky → Frankfort ⚠️
- ▸Tennessee → Nashville
- ▸Alabama → Montgomery
- ▸Mississippi → Jackson
West South Central (4)
- ▸Arkansas → Little Rock
- ▸Louisiana → Baton Rouge ⚠️
- ▸Oklahoma → Oklahoma City
- ▸Texas → Austin
Midwest capitals
East North Central (5)
- ▸Wisconsin → Madison
- ▸Michigan → Lansing ⚠️
- ▸Illinois → Springfield ⚠️
- ▸Indiana → Indianapolis
- ▸Ohio → Columbus
Plains (7)
- ▸Minnesota → Saint Paul
- ▸Iowa → Des Moines
- ▸Missouri → Jefferson City ⚠️
- ▸North Dakota → Bismarck
- ▸South Dakota → Pierre ⚠️
- ▸Nebraska → Lincoln
- ▸Kansas → Topeka
West capitals
Mountain (8)
- ▸Montana → Helena
- ▸Idaho → Boise
- ▸Wyoming → Cheyenne
- ▸Nevada → Carson City ⚠️
- ▸Utah → Salt Lake City
- ▸Colorado → Denver
- ▸Arizona → Phoenix
- ▸New Mexico → Santa Fe
Pacific (5)
- ▸Washington → Olympia ⚠️
- ▸Oregon → Salem
- ▸California → Sacramento ⚠️
- ▸Alaska → Juneau ⚠️
- ▸Hawaii → Honolulu
Train your capitals daily
The Statedoku puzzle uses capitals as constraints on roughly 1 day in 4. Five minutes a day beats flashcards every time.
Play today's puzzle →Mnemonics for the 12 trickiest
- Pierre, SD — "Pierre is small like SD's population. Smallest capital city in the smallest non-Wyoming-Vermont state."
- Frankfort, KY — "Frankfort sounds German. Kentucky bourbon → German immigrants → frank → Frankfort."
- Tallahassee, FL — "Florida is huge, but its capital is tucked in the top-left panhandle. Tallahassee = 'too far' from the rest of Florida."
- Albany, NY — "Alban + y. Sounds British. The Dutch named it. Not NYC."
- Carson City, NV — "Kit Carson, the frontiersman. Not Vegas (Vegas didn't exist yet)."
- Olympia, WA — "Olympia → Olympic mountains. WA, not Seattle."
- Boise, ID — "ID = Idaho. Boise = 'Boy, See!' Bois (French for trees) — French trappers named it."
- Jefferson City, MO — "Named after Thomas Jefferson, who signed the Louisiana Purchase that included MO. Not St. Louis."
- Annapolis, MD — "Anna + polis. US Naval Academy. Not Baltimore."
- Springfield, IL — "Where Lincoln practiced law. Not Chicago. (Also: 'The Simpsons' lives there in canon.)"
- Juneau, AK — "Joe-no. As in 'Joe, no, you can't drive there.' Only capital not road-connected."
- Sacramento, CA — "Sacramento sounds Spanish (it is). Spanish missions, gold rush. Not LA, not SF."
How to drill them
The fastest way to lock these in: draw the US map blank, write states first, then add capitals. Day 1: capitals you already know (Boston, Austin, Atlanta — about 20 freebies). Day 2: the easy ones with state names that match (Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, Honolulu). Day 3-5: the trickier mismatches (Annapolis, Pierre, Tallahassee, Frankfort). Day 7: full review of all 50 on a blank map.
Then play the daily Statedoku to keep recall fresh. Capitals come up as constraints roughly once a week.
→ The full 50-states guide
→ The 4 US regions explained
→ Quick capitals quiz
→ Browse all 50 state pages