Proper U.S. State Abbreviations and Military "State" Abbreviations: How to Abbreviate Your State

Below you'll find the proper way to abbreviate U.S. states or military "states" on a card or envelope. When addressing an envelope you can always use the entire state name, but the US Postal Service prefers these official abbreviations. If you have more questions on addressing an envelope, there is a link at the bottom of the Hub.

State/Possession Abbreviations provided by the United States Postal Service (USPS)

ALABAMA: AL

ALASKA: AK

AMERICAN SAMOA: AS

ARIZONA: AZ

ARKANSAS: AR

CALIFORNIA: CA

COLORADO: CO

CONNECTICUT: CT

DELAWARE: DE

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: DC

FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA: FM

FLORIDA: FL

GEORGIA: GA

GUAM: GU

HAWAII: HI

IDAHO: ID

ILLINOIS: IL

INDIANA: IN

IOWA: IA

KANSAS: KS

KENTUCKY: KY

LOUISIANA: LA

MAINE: ME

MARSHALL ISLANDS: MH

MARYLAND: MD

MASSACHUSETTS: MA

MICHIGAN: MI

MINNESOTA: MN

MISSISSIPPI: MS

MISSOURI: MO

MONTANA: MT

NEBRASKA: NE

NEVADA: NV

NEW HAMPSHIRE: NH

NEW JERSEY: NJ

NEW MEXICO: NM

NEW YORK: NY

NORTH CAROLINA: NC

NORTH DAKOTA: ND

NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS: MP

OHIO: OH

OKLAHOMA: OK

OREGON: OR

PALAU: PW

PENNSYLVANIA: PA

PUERTO RICO: PR

RHODE ISLAND: RI

SOUTH CAROLINA: SC

SOUTH DAKOTA: SD

TENNESSEE: TN

TEXAS: TX

UTAH: UT

VERMONT: VT

VIRGIN ISLANDS: VI

VIRGINIA: VA

WASHINGTON: WA

WEST VIRGINIA: WV

WISCONSIN: WI

WYOMING: WY

If you have other questions about addressing an envelope, here's a hub explaining the proper way to address a card or envelope.