State capitals are hard for one simple reason: many of them are not the city you'd guess. The capital of California is Sacramento, not Los Angeles; Illinois is Springfield, not Chicago; New York is Albany, not New York City; Pennsylvania is Harrisburg, not Philadelphia. Many capitals were chosen in the 1800s for being central or neutral ground rather than for their size.
The quiz below asks ten states at a time. Choose a region to focus on, or pick "All 50" for the full list. The complete table of states and capitals is further down the page if you want to study first.
Ways to remember state capitals
- Learn the capitals that are also the biggest city first, such as Boston, Denver, Atlanta and Phoenix. They're the easy points.
- Four capitals are named after presidents: Jefferson City (Missouri), Lincoln (Nebraska), Madison (Wisconsin) and Jackson (Mississippi).
- Two capitals carry their state's name: Oklahoma City and Indianapolis. Don't be fooled by Carson City, Nevada, which is named after the frontiersman Kit Carson.
- Group the confusing pairs: Columbia is South Carolina's capital, Columbus is Ohio's; Charleston is West Virginia's capital, while South Carolina's Charleston is not a capital.
- Say the pair out loud as a phrase, such as "Montpelier, Vermont". Hearing state and capital together helps them stick.
The 50 states in this quiz
| State | Capital | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Montgomery | South |
| Alaska | Juneau | West |
| Arizona | Phoenix | West |
| Arkansas | Little Rock | South |
| California | Sacramento | West |
| Colorado | Denver | West |
| Connecticut | Hartford | Northeast |
| Delaware | Dover | South |
| Florida | Tallahassee | South |
| Georgia | Atlanta | South |
| Hawaii | Honolulu | West |
| Idaho | Boise | West |
| Illinois | Springfield | Midwest |
| Indiana | Indianapolis | Midwest |
| Iowa | Des Moines | Midwest |
| Kansas | Topeka | Midwest |
| Kentucky | Frankfort | South |
| Louisiana | Baton Rouge | South |
| Maine | Augusta | Northeast |
| Maryland | Annapolis | South |
| Massachusetts | Boston | Northeast |
| Michigan | Lansing | Midwest |
| Minnesota | Saint Paul | Midwest |
| Mississippi | Jackson | South |
| Missouri | Jefferson City | Midwest |
| Montana | Helena | West |
| Nebraska | Lincoln | Midwest |
| Nevada | Carson City | West |
| New Hampshire | Concord | Northeast |
| New Jersey | Trenton | Northeast |
| New Mexico | Santa Fe | West |
| New York | Albany | Northeast |
| North Carolina | Raleigh | South |
| North Dakota | Bismarck | Midwest |
| Ohio | Columbus | Midwest |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City | South |
| Oregon | Salem | West |
| Pennsylvania | Harrisburg | Northeast |
| Rhode Island | Providence | Northeast |
| South Carolina | Columbia | South |
| South Dakota | Pierre | Midwest |
| Tennessee | Nashville | South |
| Texas | Austin | South |
| Utah | Salt Lake City | West |
| Vermont | Montpelier | Northeast |
| Virginia | Richmond | South |
| Washington | Olympia | West |
| West Virginia | Charleston | South |
| Wisconsin | Madison | Midwest |
| Wyoming | Cheyenne | West |
Questions people ask
Which state capital is the farthest north?
Juneau, Alaska. The southernmost is Honolulu, Hawaii.
Which state capital has the smallest population?
Montpelier, Vermont, with fewer than 10,000 residents.
Can you drive to every state capital?
Not to Juneau. Alaska's capital has no road connection to the rest of North America; people reach it by plane or ferry. Honolulu is on the island of Oahu, so it isn't reachable by car from the mainland either.