List of U.S. state and territory abbreviations

The List of U.S. state and territory abbreviations provides a comprehensive overview of the postal abbreviations and traditional abbreviations used to represent the U.S. states, federal district, and territories. These abbreviations are commonly used in addressing letters, labeling packages, and other areas where a short-form of a state's name is required.

Overview

The use of abbreviations for U.S. states and territories has evolved over time. Initially, longer abbreviations, which were more descriptive of the state's name, were used in writing and commerce. However, with the advent of the United States Postal Service (USPS) and the need for standardized data entry, shorter, two-letter codes were developed and adopted in the 1960s.

Postal Abbreviations

The two-letter postal abbreviations were introduced by the USPS in October 1963 to facilitate the automation of mail sorting and delivery. These abbreviations are all capitalized and do not include any periods. For example, "California" is abbreviated as CA, "New York" as NY, and "Texas" as TX.

Traditional Abbreviations

Before the standardization of the two-letter codes, traditional abbreviations, which often included periods, were used in various contexts. These abbreviations are still used in some contexts, such as in historical writing or in less formal communication. For example, "Calif." for California, "N.Y." for New York, and "Tex." for Texas.

List of Abbreviations

Here is a list of the U.S. states with their postal and traditional abbreviations:

State Name	Postal Abbreviation	Traditional Abbreviation
Alabama	AL	Ala.
Alaska	AK	Alaska
Arizona	AZ	Ariz.
Arkansas	AR	Ark.
California	CA	Calif.
Colorado	CO	Colo.
Connecticut	CT	Conn.
Delaware	DE	Del.
Florida	FL	Fla.
Georgia	GA	Ga.
Hawaii	HI	Hawaii
Idaho	ID	Idaho
Illinois	IL	Ill.
Indiana	IN	Ind.
Iowa	IA	Iowa
Kansas	KS	Kans.
Kentucky	KY	Ky.
Louisiana	LA	La.
Maine	ME	Maine
Maryland	MD	Md.
Massachusetts	MA	Mass.
Michigan	MI	Mich.
Minnesota	MN	Minn.
Mississippi	MS	Miss.
Missouri	MO	Mo.
Montana	MT	Mont.
Nebraska	NE	Nebr.
Nevada	NV	Nev.
New Hampshire	NH	N.H.
New Jersey	NJ	N.J.
New Mexico	NM	N.Mex.
New York	NY	N.Y.
North Carolina	NC	N.C.
North Dakota	ND	N.Dak.
Ohio	OH	Ohio
Oklahoma	OK	Okla.
Oregon	OR	Ore.
Pennsylvania	PA	Pa.
Rhode Island	RI	R.I.
South Carolina	SC	S.C.
South Dakota	SD	S.Dak.
Tennessee	TN	Tenn.
Texas	TX	Tex.
Utah	UT	Utah
Vermont	VT	Vt.
Virginia	VA	Va.
Washington	WA	Wash.
West Virginia	WV	W.Va.
Wisconsin	WI	Wis.
Wyoming	WY	Wyo.

Territories

In addition to the 50 states, the USPS also uses specific abbreviations for U.S. territories. These include:

• Puerto Rico (PR)
• Guam (GU)
• U.S. Virgin Islands (VI)
• Northern Mariana Islands (MP)
• American Samoa (AS)

Usage

These abbreviations are essential for various administrative and commercial purposes, including mail delivery, data processing, and geographic identification.