States and Capitals: Learn All 50 on an Interactive Map

All 50 states and capitals

Here is the complete list of the 50 states and their capitals, in alphabetical order. The region column uses the five regions most elementary textbooks teach.

Use the map above as a living version of this table. In Learn mode, tap a state to reveal its capital; tap a neighbor in the fact card to hop to the state next door.

What is a state capital?

A state capital is the city where the state's government works. The governor's office is there, and so is the state capitol, the building where the legislature meets to write state laws. The state supreme court usually sits in the capital too.

Don't mix up the two spellings. Capital with an a is the city. Capitol with an o is the building. One way to remember it: the capitol has a dome, and many state capitols do, modeled on the US Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. is the capital of the whole country. It is a federal district, not a state, so it isn't on the list of 50 state capitals.

Why isn't the biggest city always the capital?

This is the question that makes states and capitals tricky. Many people guess New York City for New York, Los Angeles for California, or Chicago for Illinois, but the capitals are Albany, Sacramento and Springfield.

There are a few common reasons:

• A central location. Before cars and trains, lawmakers traveled by horse. Many states picked a capital near the middle so no one had too far to ride. Columbus, Ohio, Indianapolis, Indiana and Jefferson City, Missouri were all chosen partly because they sit near the center of their states.
• A compromise. When two big cities competed, states sometimes chose a smaller town between them. Tallahassee was picked as a meeting point between Florida's two early centers, Pensacola in the west and St. Augustine in the east.
• The state grew around it. A capital chosen when a state was young can be overtaken later. Los Angeles was a small town when California made Sacramento its capital in 1854.

In the Census Bureau's 2024 population estimates, 17 capitals are also their state's largest city, including Phoenix, Denver, Atlanta, Boston, Nashville and Honolulu. The other 33 are not, which is exactly why a quiz helps.

How to memorize the states and capitals

Children remember capitals best when they learn a few at a time, connect each one to a picture or story, and test themselves often. These steps work well at home and in a classroom.

1. Know the states first. A capital is much easier to remember when you can picture the state. If the map is still new, start with the US states quiz.
2. Learn by region. Ten capitals at a time is manageable; fifty is not. Work through the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West one at a time.
3. Make silly pictures. Memory hooks stick because they're odd. A few favorites:
   • Maryland: picture a girl named Mary at a picnic with Anna eating apples: Annapolis.
   • Florida: a tall man asking "Who has sea?" on the beach: Tallahassee.
   • Vermont: a mountain wearing a pelican on its head: Montpelier.
   • Ohio: Columbus sailing his ship to O-hi-o.
   • Arkansas: a little rock wearing a cowboy hat: Little Rock.
4. Say it out loud. "Texas, Austin. Texas, Austin." Hearing and saying each pair adds a second memory path. Songs work the same way.
5. Mix up the direction. Ask "What's the capital of Idaho?" and also "Boise is the capital of which state?" The state capitals quiz asks it the second way.
6. Test, don't just read. Practice mode brings back each miss a few turns later, which is the kind of spaced practice that builds lasting memory.
7. Finish on paper. The state capitals worksheet is a good final check.

A realistic pace is one region every two or three days, with a full 50-capital quiz at the end of each week.

States and capitals that confuse almost everyone

Some capitals share a name with a better-known place, and some states have a famous city that isn't the capital. Watch for these:

Name twins can trip you up too. Charleston is the capital of West Virginia, not South Carolina. Columbia is the capital of South Carolina, while Columbus is the capital of Ohio. Portland is the largest city in both Oregon and Maine, and it is the capital of neither (Salem and Augusta are).

Capitals named after people

Many capitals honor a person, which gives children a story to hang the name on:

• Jackson, Mississippi: President Andrew Jackson
• Jefferson City, Missouri: President Thomas Jefferson
• Lincoln, Nebraska: President Abraham Lincoln
• Madison, Wisconsin: President James Madison
• Austin, Texas: Stephen F. Austin, who brought American settlers to Texas
• Raleigh, North Carolina: Sir Walter Raleigh, who sponsored early English colonies
• Carson City, Nevada: the frontiersman Kit Carson
• Bismarck, North Dakota: Otto von Bismarck, the German leader, a name chosen partly to attract German investors to the railroad town

Ask your child to look up one capital's name each week. It turns a list into a set of stories.

What grade learns the states and capitals?

Most US schools teach the states and regions in 3rd to 5th grade social studies, and memorizing the 50 capitals is a common 4th or 5th grade goal. Standards vary by state, so check your state's social studies standards or your curriculum's scope and sequence. Younger children can start with multiple choice and their own region, while older students can use the timed quiz to keep the list fresh.

Make it part of a bigger lesson

Capitals are a great hook into history. Each one has a story about why it was chosen, and many sit on rivers that shaped how the country grew. Geography programs like Little Passports and literature-based history like Beautiful Feet Books build those connections, and many families pay for programs like these with a state scholarship or education savings account. See what your state offers.