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The Daily Insight

What state initials are on

Author

Mia Morrison

Published Mar 22, 2026

StateStandardPostalAlabamaAla.ALAlaskaAlaskaAKArizonaAriz.AZArkansasArk.AR

What are the 50 states abbreviations?

US STATEPOSTAL ABBREVIATIONSTANDARD ABBREVIATIONAlabamaALAla.AlaskaAKAlaskaArizonaAZAriz.ArkansasARArk.

What are the state postal abbreviations?

StatePostal Abbr.FIPS CodeAlaskaAK02ArizonaAZ04ArkansasAR05CaliforniaCA06

What are the 2 letter state abbreviations?

STATE(TERRITORY)STATE(TERRITORY)AlaskaAKLAArizonaAZMEArkansasARMDAmerican SamoaASMA

What is the proper way to abbreviate a state?

According to the Chicago Stylebook, state’s names should be completely spelled out (not abbreviated) when they stand alone and preferably (with the exception of DC) when a city precedes them.

When did state abbreviations change to 2 letters?

To make room for the ZIP Code, state names needed to be abbreviated. The Department provided an initial list of abbreviations in June 1963, but many had three or four letters, which was still too long. In October 1963, the Department settled on the current two-letter abbreviations.

How many states there are in USA?

States of the U.S. There are fifty (50) states and Washington D.C.The last two states to join the Union were Alaska (49th) and Hawaii (50th).

What is the abbreviation for Wyoming?

The Wyoming state abbreviation is made up of the first three letters of the name with a period at the end, “Wyo.”.

What state has the letter B in it?

No states except Alabama and Nebraska have a B in their name, and California and Florida are the only state names that contain F. If X was your guess, you were also close—the rare letter makes an appearance in only New Mexico and Texas.

How do you abbreviate Texas?

ALABAMAALSOUTH DAKOTASDTENNESSEETNTEXASTXUTAHUT

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How do you capitalize state abbreviations?

  1. Always capitalize both letters in the state abbreviation. – user190075. …
  2. Do you specifically want to use the two-letter postal abbreviations? …
  3. I wouldn’t bother mentioning the state.

Can you abbreviate State on mail?

1.9 | Abbreviate States Abbreviate U.S. states, Washington D.C. and U.S. territories with the USPS-approved 2-letter postal codes. Avoid confusing the USPS-approved abbreviations with other state abbreviations like WASH instead of WA. Also, remember two spaces are preferred between the state and ZIP Code.

What's the abbreviation for Mississippi?

StateStandardPostalMinnesotaMinn.MNMississippiMiss.MSMissouriMo.MOMontanaMont.MT

What are the abbreviations for Alaska and Hawaii?

US States, Capitals, and Government LinksStateStandard AbbreviationPostal Abbr.AlabamaAla.ALAlaskaAlaskaAKArizonaAriz.AZ

Is Texas a state?

On December 29, 1845, Texas became the 28th state in the United States. Formerly part of Mexico, Texas had been an independent country since 1836. … Texas entered the nation as a state that legalized slavery, and seceded from it 15 years later as part of the Confederate States of America.

Is Florida a state?

Florida became the twenty-seventh state in the United States on March 3, 1845.

Are there 55 states?

55 US States and Territories.

Do state abbreviations have periods?

We do not use periods with state abbreviations: CT, NY, NJ. … The U.S. postal service, incidentally, does not insert a comma between the city and the abbreviated state name: Hartford CT, Portland OR — at least not in the addresses on envelopes.

When was the zip code invented?

In 1963 the Post Office Department introduced and vigorously promoted the use of the Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) Code. The code was originally intended to allow mail sorting methods to be automated but ended up creating unimagined socio-economic benefits as an organizing and enabling device.

When did they standardize state abbreviations?

In 1963, the state postal codes were formalized into two character abbreviations. It was put into effect at first for big businesses, but was then gradually adopted by everyone as a standardized format.

What is a state that starts with Q?

Kentucky is a state located in the central southeastern United States.

What states start with the letter O?

  • Ohio.
  • Oklahoma.
  • Oregon.

What states start with G?

STATE COUNTIES IN THE U.S.A. (click on any state to access its counties)FloridaGeorgiaHawaiiLouisianaMaineMarylandNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireOklahomaOregonPennsylvania

What region is Wyoming in?

State NameWyomingArea253,335 km²Area Ranking10CapitalCheyenneStatehood Year1890

What states start with AK?

CodeStateAlpha code02AlaskaAK04ArizonaAZ05ArkansasAR06CaliforniaCA

How do you abbreviate Montana?

NameUSPSTraditional*MissouriMOMo.MontanaMTMont.NebraskaNENeb.NevadaNVNev.

How do you abbreviate Missouri?

States that use the same letters in both USPS and traditional abbreviations are: Georgia (GA and Ga.), Kentucky (KY and Ky.), Louisiana (LA and La.), Maryland (MD and Md.), Missouri (MO and Mo.), Pennsylvania (PA and Pa.), Vermont (VT and Vt.), and Virginia (VA and Va.)

Are state abbreviations both capital?

Because state names represent specific places, they are always capitalized. If they are paired with a specific city or town, the first letter of the city’s name will also be capitalized. A comma should come between a city and state to properly punctuate it.

When did state abbreviations change to all caps?

The all-capital abbreviations you mentioned were announced in October 1963 in the United States, and were designed for mail to make it easier for machines used by the U.S. Post Office to scan mailing addresses using the new five-number ZIP codes; states were standardized as “MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, MS, MT,” etc.

How do you abbreviate states ap style?

  1. Ala. ( AL) — for Alabama.
  2. Alaska (AK) — this state is not abbreviated in text.
  3. Ariz. ( AZ) — for Arizona.
  4. Ark. ( AR) — for Arkansas.
  5. Calif. ( CA) — for California.
  6. Colo. ( CO) — for Colorado.
  7. Conn. ( CT) — for Connecticut.
  8. Del. ( DE) — for Delaware.

Can you spell out the state on an envelope?

Even if it is a backyard wedding, you should still write out the address the properly: no abbreviations on the address should be printed on the envelopes. All words such as “Street,” or “Boulevard” are spelled out. State names may be written in full or use the two-letter postal code abbreviation.