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List of U.S. states by traditional abbreviation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The traditional abbreviations for U.S. states and territories were widely used in mailing addresses prior to the introduction of two-letter U.S. postal abbreviations. The traditional abbreviations are still commonly used for other purposes (such as legal citation), and are still recognized (though discouraged) by the postal service.
Prior to 1987, when the U.S. Secretary of Commerce approved the two-letter codes for use in government documents, the United States Government Printing Office (GPO) suggested a specific set of abbreviations, with some states being left unabbreviated.
Additionally, the AP Stylebook, the usage guide for most United States newspapers, counsels the use of abbreviations for most state names, when appended to a city name (for example, "Miami, Fla."). AP suggests spelling out "Alaska," "Hawaii," and all state names with five or fewer letters; and, unlike the GPO, AP suggests spelling out the names of all non-state territories, with the exception of the District of Columbia (D.C.).
Below are listed the GPO abbreviations for U.S. states and territories; the AP abbreviations for states; and other abbreviations that are or have been commonly used.
| State or Territory |
GPO | AP | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Ala. | Ala. | |
| Alaska | Alaska | Alaska | Alas. |
| American Samoa | A.S. | ||
| Arizona | Ariz. | Ariz. | |
| Arkansas | Ark. | Ark. | |
| Canal Zone | C.Z. | ||
| California | Calif. | Calif. | Cal. |
| Colorado | Colo. | Colo. | Col. |
| Connecticut | Conn. | Conn. | |
| Delaware | Del. | Del. | |
| District of Columbia | D.C. | D.C. | |
| Florida | Fla. | Fla. | Flor. |
| Georgia | Ga. | Ga. | |
| Guam | Guam | ||
| Hawaii | Hawaii | Hawaii | H.I. |
| Idaho | Idaho | Idaho | Id. or Ida. |
| Illinois | Ill. | Ill. | |
| Indiana | Ind. | Ind. | |
| Iowa | Iowa | Iowa | Ia. |
| Kansas | Kans. | Kan. | |
| Kentucky | Ky. | Ky. | Ken. or Kent. |
| Louisiana | La. | La. | |
| Maine | Maine | Maine | Me. |
| Maryland | Md. | Md. | |
| Massachusetts | Mass. | Mass. | |
| Michigan | Mich. | Mich. | |
| Minnesota | Minn. | Minn. | |
| Mississippi | Miss. | Miss. | |
| Missouri | Mo. | Mo. | |
| Montana | Mont. | Mont. | |
| Nebraska | Nebr. | Neb. | |
| Nevada | Nev. | Nev. | |
| New Hampshire | N.H. | N.H. | |
| New Jersey | N.J. | N.J. | |
| New Mexico | N. Mex. | N.M. | New M. |
| New York | N.Y. | N.Y. | N. York |
| North Carolina | N.C. | N.C. | N. Car. |
| North Dakota | N. Dak. | N.D. | |
| Northern Mariana Islands | M.P. | ||
| Ohio | Ohio | Ohio | O. |
| Oklahoma | Okla. | Okla. | |
| Oregon | Oreg. | Ore. | |
| Pennsylvania | Pa. | Pa. | Penn. or Penna. |
| Puerto Rico | P.R. | ||
| Rhode Island | R.I. | R.I. | |
| South Carolina | S.C. | S.C. | S. Car. |
| South Dakota | S. Dak. | S.D. | |
| Tennessee | Tenn. | Tenn. | |
| Texas | Tex. | Texas | |
| Utah | Utah | Utah | |
| Vermont | Vt. | Vt. | |
| Virginia | Va. | Va. | |
| Virgin Islands | V.I. | U.S.V.I. | |
| Washington | Wash. | Wash. | |
| West Virginia | W. Va. | W.Va. | W.V. |
| Wisconsin | Wis. | Wis. | Wisc. |
| Wyoming | Wyo. | Wyo. |
- The Riverside Publishing Company. (1984). Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary. ISBN 0-395-33957-X
- Chicago Manual of Style and AP Style Manual state abbreviations
- FIPS State Codes of the US and Outlying Areas
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Area | Capitals | Capitol buildings | Counties | Date of statehood | FIPS code | State Laws | Elevation |