There are 50 states in the United States. Each has its own capital city, its own government, and a two-letter postal code. Delaware was the first to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787. Hawaii was the last to join, on August 21, 1959.
The full alphabetical list is below, followed by the same 50 states ordered by the date they joined the Union, and a grid of all 50 two-letter abbreviations.
This page lists all 50 United States and their capitals in alphabetical order. Use it as a quick reference, a study aid, or a printable cheat sheet. Each state name links to a dedicated page with detailed facts, history, geography, and a map showing that state's location within the country.
Whether you're studying for a geography test, planning a road trip, or just curious about the 50 states and capitals, this is the most concise list available. The capitals of the 50 US states have been stable for over a century, California's has been Sacramento since 1854, New York's has been Albany since 1797, and so on. Memorising the 50 states and their capitals is a classic part of US education and an enduring quiz favourite.
Complete alphabetical list of the 50 US states and capitals
| # | State | Capital | Admitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (AL) | Montgomery | 1819 |
| 2 | Alaska (AK) | Juneau | 1959 |
| 3 | Arizona (AZ) | Phoenix | 1912 |
| 4 | Arkansas (AR) | Little Rock | 1836 |
| 5 | California (CA) | Sacramento | 1850 |
| 6 | Colorado (CO) | Denver | 1876 |
| 7 | Connecticut (CT) | Hartford | 1788 |
| 8 | Delaware (DE) | Dover | 1787 |
| 9 | Florida (FL) | Tallahassee | 1845 |
| 10 | Georgia (GA) | Atlanta | 1788 |
| 11 | Hawaii (HI) | Honolulu | 1959 |
| 12 | Idaho (ID) | Boise | 1890 |
| 13 | Illinois (IL) | Springfield | 1818 |
| 14 | Indiana (IN) | Indianapolis | 1816 |
| 15 | Iowa (IA) | Des Moines | 1846 |
| 16 | Kansas (KS) | Topeka | 1861 |
| 17 | Kentucky (KY) | Frankfort | 1792 |
| 18 | Louisiana (LA) | Baton Rouge | 1812 |
| 19 | Maine (ME) | Augusta | 1820 |
| 20 | Maryland (MD) | Annapolis | 1788 |
| 21 | Massachusetts (MA) | Boston | 1788 |
| 22 | Michigan (MI) | Lansing | 1837 |
| 23 | Minnesota (MN) | Saint Paul | 1858 |
| 24 | Mississippi (MS) | Jackson | 1817 |
| 25 | Missouri (MO) | Jefferson City | 1821 |
| 26 | Montana (MT) | Helena | 1889 |
| 27 | Nebraska (NE) | Lincoln | 1867 |
| 28 | Nevada (NV) | Carson City | 1864 |
| 29 | New Hampshire (NH) | Concord | 1788 |
| 30 | New Jersey (NJ) | Trenton | 1787 |
| 31 | New Mexico (NM) | Santa Fe | 1912 |
| 32 | New York (NY) | Albany | 1788 |
| 33 | North Carolina (NC) | Raleigh | 1789 |
| 34 | North Dakota (ND) | Bismarck | 1889 |
| 35 | Ohio (OH) | Columbus | 1803 |
| 36 | Oklahoma (OK) | Oklahoma City | 1907 |
| 37 | Oregon (OR) | Salem | 1859 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania (PA) | Harrisburg | 1787 |
| 39 | Rhode Island (RI) | Providence | 1790 |
| 40 | South Carolina (SC) | Columbia | 1788 |
| 41 | South Dakota (SD) | Pierre | 1889 |
| 42 | Tennessee (TN) | Nashville | 1796 |
| 43 | Texas (TX) | Austin | 1845 |
| 44 | Utah (UT) | Salt Lake City | 1896 |
| 45 | Vermont (VT) | Montpelier | 1791 |
| 46 | Virginia (VA) | Richmond | 1788 |
| 47 | Washington (WA) | Olympia | 1889 |
| 48 | West Virginia (WV) | Charleston | 1863 |
| 49 | Wisconsin (WI) | Madison | 1848 |
| 50 | Wyoming (WY) | Cheyenne | 1890 |
Capitals that surprise people
Most US state capitals are not the biggest city. This is by design, when states picked their capitals in the 18th and 19th centuries, founders often chose a smaller, more centrally located town to avoid concentrating power in commercial hubs. The result: a long list of capital-vs-largest-city mismatches that trip up almost every American adult quizzed on the spot.
The classic mismatches
- California: Sacramento (capital) vs Los Angeles (largest city)
- New York: Albany vs New York City
- Florida: Tallahassee vs Jacksonville
- Texas: Austin vs Houston
- Illinois: Springfield vs Chicago
- Nevada: Carson City vs Las Vegas
- Pennsylvania: Harrisburg vs Philadelphia
- Washington state: Olympia vs Seattle
- Louisiana: Baton Rouge vs New Orleans
- Kentucky: Frankfort vs Louisville
- Missouri: Jefferson City vs Kansas City
- Alaska: Juneau vs Anchorage (Juneau has no road access)
The capitals that are the biggest city
About 17 of 50: Phoenix (Arizona), Honolulu (Hawaii), Indianapolis (Indiana), Boston (Massachusetts), Atlanta (Georgia), Denver (Colorado), Salt Lake City (Utah), Oklahoma City (Oklahoma), Little Rock (Arkansas), Charleston (West Virginia, though Huntington competes), and a handful of smaller states where the capital is the largest by default (Cheyenne in Wyoming, Boise in Idaho, etc.).
Printable list of 50 states and capitals
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The header navigation, ads (none), and footer will be hidden automatically, only the list, table, and key sections will be printed. This page is a one-stop reference for memorising the 50 US states and capitals, perfect for students, teachers, parents homeschooling, geography quiz prep, or anyone who wants a clean printable copy.
50 states and capitals, quick memory tricks
- Group by region. Northeast (9), South (16), Midwest (12), West (13). Learn the region first, then fill in the states.
- Spot the capital traps. The 12 trickiest: Pierre (SD), Frankfort (KY), Annapolis (MD), Tallahassee (FL), Carson City (NV), Albany (NY), Olympia (WA), Boise (ID), Jefferson City (MO), Springfield (IL), Juneau (AK), Sacramento (CA).
- Use the state quarter (1999,2008). Each US state quarter shows a state-specific design and the abbreviation, handy memory anchor.
- Spaced repetition. Five minutes a day for two weeks beats one hour every Saturday. Try the daily puzzle below.
Memorize all 50 states and capitals in under a week
Use our region-by-region method, then drill with the daily puzzle. Five minutes a day, no flashcards needed.
Read the full capitals guide →The 50 states in order of statehood
The same 50 states, ordered by the day they joined the Union rather than alphabetically. The first 13 entries are the original colonies, in the order they ratified the US Constitution. Everything from Vermont onward was admitted by an act of Congress.
| # | State | Capital | Date of statehood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware (DE) | Dover | December 7, 1787 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania (PA) | Harrisburg | December 12, 1787 |
| 3 | New Jersey (NJ) | Trenton | December 18, 1787 |
| 4 | Georgia (GA) | Atlanta | January 2, 1788 |
| 5 | Connecticut (CT) | Hartford | January 9, 1788 |
| 6 | Massachusetts (MA) | Boston | February 6, 1788 |
| 7 | Maryland (MD) | Annapolis | April 28, 1788 |
| 8 | South Carolina (SC) | Columbia | May 23, 1788 |
| 9 | New Hampshire (NH) | Concord | June 21, 1788 |
| 10 | Virginia (VA) | Richmond | June 25, 1788 |
| 11 | New York (NY) | Albany | July 26, 1788 |
| 12 | North Carolina (NC) | Raleigh | November 21, 1789 |
| 13 | Rhode Island (RI) | Providence | May 29, 1790 |
| 14 | Vermont (VT) | Montpelier | March 4, 1791 |
| 15 | Kentucky (KY) | Frankfort | June 1, 1792 |
| 16 | Tennessee (TN) | Nashville | June 1, 1796 |
| 17 | Ohio (OH) | Columbus | March 1, 1803 |
| 18 | Louisiana (LA) | Baton Rouge | April 30, 1812 |
| 19 | Indiana (IN) | Indianapolis | December 11, 1816 |
| 20 | Mississippi (MS) | Jackson | December 10, 1817 |
| 21 | Illinois (IL) | Springfield | December 3, 1818 |
| 22 | Alabama (AL) | Montgomery | December 14, 1819 |
| 23 | Maine (ME) | Augusta | March 15, 1820 |
| 24 | Missouri (MO) | Jefferson City | August 10, 1821 |
| 25 | Arkansas (AR) | Little Rock | June 15, 1836 |
| 26 | Michigan (MI) | Lansing | January 26, 1837 |
| 27 | Florida (FL) | Tallahassee | March 3, 1845 |
| 28 | Texas (TX) | Austin | December 29, 1845 |
| 29 | Iowa (IA) | Des Moines | December 28, 1846 |
| 30 | Wisconsin (WI) | Madison | May 29, 1848 |
| 31 | California (CA) | Sacramento | September 9, 1850 |
| 32 | Minnesota (MN) | Saint Paul | May 11, 1858 |
| 33 | Oregon (OR) | Salem | February 14, 1859 |
| 34 | Kansas (KS) | Topeka | January 29, 1861 |
| 35 | West Virginia (WV) | Charleston | June 20, 1863 |
| 36 | Nevada (NV) | Carson City | October 31, 1864 |
| 37 | Nebraska (NE) | Lincoln | March 1, 1867 |
| 38 | Colorado (CO) | Denver | August 1, 1876 |
| 39 | North Dakota (ND) | Bismarck | November 2, 1889 |
| 40 | South Dakota (SD) | Pierre | November 2, 1889 |
| 41 | Montana (MT) | Helena | November 8, 1889 |
| 42 | Washington (WA) | Olympia | November 11, 1889 |
| 43 | Idaho (ID) | Boise | July 3, 1890 |
| 44 | Wyoming (WY) | Cheyenne | July 10, 1890 |
| 45 | Utah (UT) | Salt Lake City | January 4, 1896 |
| 46 | Oklahoma (OK) | Oklahoma City | November 16, 1907 |
| 47 | New Mexico (NM) | Santa Fe | January 6, 1912 |
| 48 | Arizona (AZ) | Phoenix | February 14, 1912 |
| 49 | Alaska (AK) | Juneau | January 3, 1959 |
| 50 | Hawaii (HI) | Honolulu | August 21, 1959 |
Two pairs joined on the same day. North Dakota and South Dakota were both admitted on November 2, 1889, and President Benjamin Harrison shuffled the signed papers so no one would know which came first. They are listed alphabetically by convention, which is how North Dakota ended up as number 39.
All 50 state abbreviations
The two-letter codes below are the official USPS abbreviations, standardised in 1963 so that state names would fit on a punch card alongside the new ZIP code. They are the codes you write on an envelope, and the ones crossword puzzles ask for.