List of all 50 State Abbreviations

Although e-mail has made the task of communicating with friends and family much easier, there are still many occasions where you will need to send a letter the old-fashioned way. Even if you're extremely tech-savvy, for example, it's still considered poor taste to e-mail your wedding invitation!

To make sure your mail arrives at the correct destination, you'll need to use the appropriate United States Postal Service abbreviations. For your convenience, yourDictionary has provided a list of all 50 state abbreviations.

U.S. State Abrreviations List

US state abbreviations are as follows:

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

Abbreviations for US commonwealth/territory areas include:

  • American Samoa: AS
  • District of Columbia: DC
  • Federated States of Micronesia: FM
  • Guam: GU
  • Marshall Islands: MH
  • Northern Mariana Islands: MP
  • Palau: PW
  • Puerto Rico: PR
  • Virgin Islands: VI

Military "state" abbreviations are as follows:

  • Armed Forces Africa: AE
  • Armed Forces Americas: AA
  • Armed Forces Canada: AE
  • Armed Forces Europe: AE
  • Armed Forces Middle East: AE
  • Armed Forces Pacific: AP

Additional address abbreviations can be found on the United States Postal Service Web site.

Rules for Using Abbreviations

Having a list of all 50 state abbreviations can save you time when addressing your mail, but it's important to remember that these abbreviations are not intended for other types of communication. If you're writing a memo, report, or research paper, always spell out the name of the state you are referring to. Unlike other standard English abbreviations, state abbreviations are not intended to help you save space in your text. The only legitimate purpose for state abbreviations is writing an address.

Additional rules for using abbreviations within your writing can be found on the Capital Community College Foundation's Guide to Grammar and Writing Web site.

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