US State Abbreviations
51 abbreviations · part of Geography & Place Abbreviations
The 50 US states and the District of Columbia each have a two-letter postal code introduced by the Post Office Department in 1963, the year ZIP codes arrived. Postal codes are written in capitals without periods and belong in mailing addresses, forms and databases; edited prose that follows AP style uses traditional forms such as Calif. or Mass. in datelines and party labels, or spells the name out, and AP never abbreviates Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas or Utah. Chicago style generally prefers the postal codes whenever a state is abbreviated.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| AK | Alaska | Largest US state by area at about 665,000 square miles, bought from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million and admitted on January 3, 1959, as the 49th state. |
| AL | Alabama | Deep South state on the Gulf of Mexico, admitted as the 22nd state on December 14, 1819. |
| AR | Arkansas | Southern state admitted as the 25th state on June 15, 1836, nicknamed the Natural State. |
| AZ | Arizona | The Grand Canyon State became the 48th state on February 14, 1912, the last of the contiguous 48 to join. |
| CA | California | Most populous US state, with about 39 million residents, admitted on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state shortly after the Gold Rush began. |
| CO | Colorado | Admitted on August 1, 1876, a month after the nation's 100th birthday, which gives Colorado its Centennial State nickname. |
| CT | Connecticut | New England state and one of the 13 original colonies, which ratified the Constitution on January 9, 1788, as the fifth state. |
| DC | District of Columbia | Federal district that serves as the US capital and is not part of any state. |
| DE | Delaware | The First State: Delaware ratified the Constitution on December 7, 1787, ahead of the other 12 original states. |
| FL | Florida | Spain ceded Florida to the United States in 1821, and it became the 27th state on March 3, 1845. |
| GA | Georgia | Southeastern state named after King George II, which ratified the Constitution on January 2, 1788, as the fourth state. |
| HI | Hawaii | The only US state made up entirely of islands, about 2,400 miles from California. |
| IA | Iowa | Admitted on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state, Iowa lies between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. |
| ID | Idaho | The Gem State joined the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state. |
| IL | Illinois | Midwestern state admitted as the 21st state on December 3, 1818. |
| IN | Indiana | Midwestern state admitted as the 19th state on December 11, 1816, and known as the Hoosier State. |
| KS | Kansas | The Sunflower State sits near the geographic center of the contiguous United States and entered the Union on January 29, 1861, as the 34th state, just before the Civil… |
| KY | Kentucky | Kentucky, officially a commonwealth and nicknamed the Bluegrass State, was carved from Virginia and became the 15th state on June 1, 1792. |
| LA | Louisiana | Acquired in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase and admitted on April 30, 1812, as the 18th state. |
| MA | Massachusetts | Massachusetts, officially a commonwealth and called the Bay State, ratified the Constitution on February 6, 1788, as the sixth state. |
| MD | Maryland | Mid-Atlantic state that ratified the Constitution on April 28, 1788, as the seventh state and later ceded the land that became Washington, D.C. |
| ME | Maine | The northeasternmost US state, separated from Massachusetts and admitted on March 15, 1820, as the 23rd state under the Missouri Compromise. |
| MI | Michigan | The Great Lakes State, admitted on January 26, 1837, as the 26th state, is split into two peninsulas joined by the five-mile Mackinac Bridge. |
| MN | Minnesota | Upper Midwest state on the Canadian border, admitted on May 11, 1858, as the 32nd state. |
| MO | Missouri | The Show-Me State in the central US, admitted on August 10, 1821, as the 24th state under the Missouri Compromise. |
| MS | Mississippi | Named for the river that forms most of its western border, the Magnolia State became the 20th state on December 10, 1817. |
| MT | Montana | The Treasure State, also called Big Sky Country, was admitted on November 8, 1889, as the 41st state. |
| NC | North Carolina | The Tar Heel State ratified the Constitution on November 21, 1789, as the 12th state. |
| ND | North Dakota | Admitted on November 2, 1889, the same day as South Dakota, and listed as the 39th state because it comes first alphabetically. |
| NE | Nebraska | The Cornhusker State became the 37th state on March 1, 1867. |
| NH | New Hampshire | On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, the vote that put the new government into effect. |
| NJ | New Jersey | The Garden State is the most densely populated US state and ratified the Constitution on December 18, 1787, as the third state. |
| NM | New Mexico | Admitted on January 6, 1912, as the 47th state, the Land of Enchantment has the oldest state capital, Santa Fe, founded around 1610, and the highest Hispanic share of… |
| NV | Nevada | Admitted on October 31, 1864, during the Civil War, hence the motto Battle Born. |
| NY | New York | Postal code for the whole state, not just New York City. |
| OH | Ohio | Admitted as the 17th state in 1803, the Buckeye State has Columbus as its capital and largest city, with Cleveland and Cincinnati as other major metros. |
| OK | Oklahoma | Formed largely from Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory and admitted on November 16, 1907, as the 46th state. |
| OR | Oregon | The Beaver State joined the Union on February 14, 1859, as the 33rd state. |
| PA | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania, officially a commonwealth, ratified the Constitution on December 12, 1787, as the second state. |
| RI | Rhode Island | The smallest state by area and the last of the 13 original colonies to ratify the Constitution, on May 29, 1790. |
| SC | South Carolina | The Palmetto State ratified the Constitution on May 23, 1788, as the eighth state, and on December 20, 1860, became the first state to secede before the Civil War. |
| SD | South Dakota | Admitted on November 2, 1889, alongside North Dakota and listed as the 40th state. |
| TN | Tennessee | The Volunteer State became the 16th state on June 1, 1796. |
| TX | Texas | An independent republic from 1836 to 1845, Texas was admitted on December 29, 1845, as the 28th state. |
| UT | Utah | Admitted on January 4, 1896, as the 45th state after decades of conflict over polygamy. |
| VA | Virginia | Virginia, officially a commonwealth and nicknamed the Old Dominion, ratified the Constitution on June 25, 1788, as the 10th state. |
| VT | Vermont | An independent republic for 14 years, Vermont joined the Union on March 4, 1791, as the 14th state, the first after the original 13. |
| WA | Washington | Washington State, admitted on November 11, 1889, as the 42nd state, is the only state named after a president. |
| WI | Wisconsin | The Badger State became the 30th state on May 29, 1848. |
| WV | West Virginia | The Mountain State split from Virginia during the Civil War and was admitted on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state. |
| WY | Wyoming | The least populous state, with about 580,000 residents, admitted on July 10, 1890, as the 44th state. |
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