Below are State Abbreviations (for example, “DE” for DELAWARE state or “MO” for MISSOURI) and FIPS Codes used in the U.S. to send an error-free letter and package:
Contents
State Abbreviations and FIPS Codes
| State | State Abbreviation | FIPS Code | State | State Abbreviation | FIPS Code |
| Alabama | AL | 1 | Nebraska | NE | 31 |
| Alaska | AK | 2 | Nevada | NV | 32 |
| Arizona | AZ | 4 | New Hampshire | NH | 33 |
| Arkansas | AR | 5 | New Jersey | NJ | 34 |
| California | CA | 6 | New Mexico | NM | 35 |
| Colorado | CO | 8 | New York | NY | 36 |
| Connecticut | CT | 9 | North Carolina | NC | 37 |
| Delaware | DE | 10 | North Dakota | ND | 38 |
| District of Columbia | DC | 11 | Ohio | OH | 39 |
| Florida | FL | 12 | Oklahoma | OK | 40 |
| Georgia | GA | 13 | Oregon | OR | 41 |
| Hawaii | HI | 15 | Pennsylvania | PA | 42 |
| Idaho | ID | 16 | Puerto Rico | PR | 72 |
| Illinois | IL | 17 | Rhode Island | RI | 44 |
| Indiana | IN | 18 | South Carolina | SC | 45 |
| Iowa | IA | 19 | South Dakota | SD | 46 |
| Kansas | KS | 20 | Tennessee | TN | 47 |
| Kentucky | KY | 21 | Texas | TX | 48 |
| Louisiana | LA | 22 | Utah | UT | 49 |
| Maine | ME | 23 | Vermont | VT | 50 |
| Maryland | MD | 24 | Virginia | VA | 51 |
| Massachusetts | MA | 25 | Virgin Islands | VI | 78 |
| Michigan | MI | 26 | Washington | WA | 53 |
| Minnesota | MN | 27 | West Virginia | WV | 54 |
| Mississippi | MS | 28 | Wisconsin | WI | 55 |
| Missouri | MO | 29 | Wyoming | WY | 56 |
| Montana | MT | 30 |
Particularity
Note: Some new business addresses may now have an additional number following the standard 5-digit zip code number. These numbers should be used in all correspondence.
Examples:
- Iowa State University
- Ames, I0 50011
or
- University of Kansas
- Lawrence, KS 66045-2140
or
- Michigan State University
- East Lansing, MI 48824-1035
The Establishment of the U.S. State Abbreviation System
The USPS established the system of U.S. state abbreviations in 1963 to modernize the postal service. This reform notably introduced the ZIP code, a five-digit postal code that further specified delivery areas. The standardized state abbreviations, combined with the ZIP code, improved the efficiency and accuracy of mail distribution in the United States.
I love reading your site.