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List of state abbreviations for all the US states, US territories and the United States military. See the complete list of US two-letter postal abbreviations.
Whether you are a US citizen, visiting the country, or receiving some mails from there, you may have come across two-letter abbreviations like TX, AZ, TN, OH, and so much more. The abbreviations or codes can be confusing, particularly if you do not know the place they represent.
The traditional abbreviations for U.S. states and territories, widely used in mailing addresses prior to the introduction of two-letter U.S. postal abbreviations, are still commonly used for other purposes (such as legal citation), and are still recognized (though discouraged) by the Postal Service.
Much of the confusion around state abbreviations comes from the eight states that begin with "M" (Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, and Montana). Of these states, only two follow the first-and-second-letter rule: Massachusetts (MA) and Michigan (MI).
The 50 State Abbreviations. The list below is all 50 States and their postal and standard abbreviations in alphabetical order. Each state has its own unique shortened name codes called state abbreviations used in written documents and mailing addresses.
In 1831 the USPS developed its first list of state abbreviations, each consisting of two letters except Ohio’s, which was simply “O.” In 1874 the list was updated to include new states, and longer abbreviations were introduced, largely to avoid confusion.
All state abbreviations start with the first letter of the state's name. In cases where a state's name contains two words, the USPS chose the first letter of each word, such as North Carolina (NC) and West Virginia (WV).