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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.
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.
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 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.
The United States Postal Service publishes this list of official 2-letter abbreviations for the 50 US states. The abbreviations are to be used when addressing mail. The two letters of each abbreviation are always capitalized and without periods.
The Postal Service selected the first two letters for state names that contain one word, such as Florida (FL), California (CA), Alabama (AL), Delaware (DE), Massachusetts (MA), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN) and Ohio (OH).
A list of state abbreviations since 1831 is provided below. A more complete list of current abbreviations, including all U.S. possessions, is available online at https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28apb.htm .
There are three different ways to write state names: you can spell them out in their entirety, you can use traditional abbreviations, or you can use postal abbreviations. In most cases, postal abbreviations are appropriate and well understood.
The state abbreviation for Massachusetts is MA, which stands for ‘Massachusetts.’ The abbreviation is derived from the name of the state itself, and it is commonly used in postal addresses, official documents, and other forms of communication.