List of capitals in the United States

State capitals are home to the offices and meeting places of state governments. The word capital is derived from the Latin caput, meaning "head." In the United States, the related term "capitol" refers to the building where government business is chiefly conducted.

All current state capitals were established by 1910.^[1][2] Most states have moved their capital city at least once.^[3]

States selected their capitals for a variety of reasons, including: the presence of a large population; a desire to drive settlement and economic growth to an area; historical significance, such as the first area settled; or perceived safety from historical military threats.^[3]

List of capitals in the United States

The following table lists capitals for all 50 states. Click on the names of capitals to learn more about each capital's government structure, current leadership, recent and upcoming elections, and demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Ballotpedia's coverage scope includes elections for mayor, city council, and district attorney in each state capital.

State capitals
States A-K	States L-N	States O-W
Montgomery, Alabama	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Columbus, Ohio
Juneau, Alaska	Augusta, Maine	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Phoenix, Arizona	Annapolis, Maryland	Salem, Oregon
Little Rock, Arkansas	Boston, Massachusetts	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Sacramento, California	Lansing, Michigan	Providence, Rhode Island
Denver, Colorado	St. Paul, Minnesota	Columbia, South Carolina
Hartford, Connecticut	Jackson, Mississippi	Pierre, South Dakota
Dover, Delaware	Jefferson City, Missouri	Nashville, Tennessee
Tallahassee, Florida	Helena, Montana	Austin, Texas
Atlanta, Georgia	Lincoln, Nebraska	Salt Lake City, Utah
Honolulu, Hawaii	Carson City, Nevada	Montpelier, Vermont
Boise, Idaho	Concord, New Hampshire	Richmond, Virginia
Springfield, Illinois	Trenton, New Jersey	Olympia, Washington
Indianapolis, Indiana	Santa Fe, New Mexico	Charleston, West Virginia
Des Moines, Iowa	Albany, New York	Madison, Wisconsin
Topeka, Kansas	Raleigh, North Carolina	Cheyenne, Wyoming
Frankfort, Kentucky	Bismarck, North Dakota

State and capital populations

Did you know?

As of the 2020 census, 17 capitals were the largest cities in their states by population.

Largest and smallest capitals by population:

• Phoenix, Arizona, was the largest capital by population, with 1.6 million residents as of April 1, 2020.^[4]
• Montpelier, Vermont, was the smallest capital by population, with 8,074 residents as of April 1, 2020.^[5]

Largest and smallest capitals by land area:

• Juneau, Alaska, is the largest capital by land area, at 3,255 square miles.^[6] It was also the fifth smallest by population, with 32,255 residents as of April 1, 2020.^[7]
• Annapolis, Maryland, is the smallest capital by land area, encompassing 6.73 square miles.^[8] It was also the seventh smallest by population, with 40,812 residents as of April 1, 2020.^[9]

2025 legislative sessions

What's happening in your state capital? Click your state on the map below to navigate to relevant legislative information.

See also

Footnotes