State Names

Spell out state names when they stand alone in running text:

One of the most beautiful states in the country is Pennsylvania.

Use abbreviated forms—not postal codes—for state names with a city in running text, with a comma before and after the state abbreviation. Certain states have no abbreviation, such as Alaska and Hawaii. In these cases, spell out the state name when used with a city.

The University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, Pa., just 125 miles north of Baltimore, Md.
The Old Geezer’s Bar in Nome, Alaska, is where the young crowd meets

State abbreviations:

Alabama – Ala.
Alaska
Arizona – Ariz.
Arkansas – Ark.
California – Calif.
Colorado – Colo.
Connecticut – Conn.
Delaware – Del.
District of Columbia – D.C.
Florida – Fla.
Georgia – Ga.
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois – Ill.
Indiana – Ind.
Iowa
Kansas – Kan.
Kentucky – Ky.
Louisiana – La.
Maine
Maryland – Md.
Massachusetts – Mass.
Michigan – Mich.
Minnesota – Minn.
Mississippi – Miss.
Missouri – Mo.
Montana – Mont.
Nebraska – Neb.
Nevada – Nev.
New Hampshire – N.H.
New Jersey – N.J.
New Mexico – N.M.
New York – N.Y.
North Carolina – N.C.
North Dakota – N.D.
Ohio
Oklahoma – Okla.
Oregon – Ore.
Pennsylvania – Pa.
Rhode Island – R.I.
South Carolina – S.C.
South Dakota – S. Dak.
Tennessee – Tenn.
Texas
Utah
Vermont – Vt.
Virginia – Va.
Washington – Wash.
West Virginia – W. Va.
Wisconsin – Wis.
Wyoming – Wyo

Use two-letter postal code state abbreviations only in a context where a zip code follows state name:

Orders should be mailed to the Penn Bookstore, 3601 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104.