US state capitals quiz

Put your map memory to work with this state capitals quiz. Twenty questions run from coast to coast, mixing easy wins with tricky states where the biggest city isn't the seat of government, plus a few twists, making it a perfect states and capitals quiz for family game night.

A free quiz from Megan Moran, author of The Great American Quiz Book.

Paper-cut illustration of a domed capitol building on a hill at dusk
Pick an answer to start20 to go
  1. Question 1 of 20Easy startersEasy

    What is the capital of Texas?

  2. Question 2 of 20Easy startersEasy

    What is the capital of Georgia?

  3. Question 3 of 20West CoastMedium

    What is the capital of California?

  4. Question 4 of 20TwistsMedium

    Which state's capital is Juneau?

  5. Question 5 of 20SouthwestEasy

    What is the capital of Arizona?

  6. Question 6 of 20Biggest city isn't the capitalHard

    What is the capital of South Dakota?

  7. Question 7 of 20Biggest city isn't the capitalMedium

    What is the capital of Florida?

  8. Question 8 of 20New EnglandEasy

    What is the capital of Massachusetts?

  9. Question 9 of 20Biggest city isn't the capitalMedium

    What is the capital of New York?

  10. Question 10 of 20New EnglandHard

    What is the capital of Vermont?

  11. Question 11 of 20Biggest city isn't the capitalMedium

    What is the capital of Illinois?

  12. Question 12 of 20TwistsHard

    Which is the highest state capital in the US, sitting about 7,000 feet above sea level?

  13. Question 13 of 20Easy startersEasy

    What is the capital of Colorado?

  14. Question 14 of 20Biggest city isn't the capitalMedium

    What is the capital of Pennsylvania?

  15. Question 15 of 20West CoastHard

    What is the capital of Washington State?

  16. Question 16 of 20TwistsMedium

    Which is the only US state capital whose name is made up of three words?

  17. Question 17 of 20SouthwestMedium

    What is the capital of Nevada?

  18. Question 18 of 20Biggest city isn't the capitalHard

    What is the capital of Kentucky?

  19. Question 19 of 20SouthEasy

    What is the capital of Tennessee?

  20. Question 20 of 20Biggest city isn't the capitalMedium

    What is the capital of Michigan?

Answer all 20 to see your score.

Want more? The Great American Quiz Book has over 800 questions like these, ready for your next quiz night.

Show all the answers, with the facts behind them
  1. What is the capital of Texas? AustinIts State Capitol stands about 302 feet tall, taller than the US Capitol, and is clad in local "sunset red" granite.
  2. What is the capital of Georgia? AtlantaThe State Capitol's dome was first gilded in 1958 using gold mined near Dahlonega in the hills of north Georgia.
  3. What is the capital of California? SacramentoThe city was laid out in December 1848 near John Sutter's fort, months after gold was found at Sutter's Mill.
  4. Which state's capital is Juneau? AlaskaNo roads connect Juneau to the rest of North America; people arrive by air or sea, and cars come by ferry or barge.
  5. What is the capital of Arizona? PhoenixWith about 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the most populous state capital in the US.
  6. What is the capital of South Dakota? PierreLocals pronounce it "peer." It sits on the Missouri River, and its name traces back to St. Louis fur trader Pierre Chouteau Jr.
  7. What is the capital of Florida? TallahasseeIt was picked in 1823 as a site roughly midway between St. Augustine and Pensacola, the territory's two largest towns.
  8. What is the capital of Massachusetts? BostonThe State House dome was sheathed in copper by Paul Revere's company in 1802 and first covered in gold leaf in 1874.
  9. What is the capital of New York? AlbanyIts roots go back to Fort Orange, a Dutch trading post built on the Hudson River in 1624. It became the permanent capital in 1797.
  10. What is the capital of Vermont? MontpelierIt is the least populous state capital in the country, with just 8,074 residents at the 2020 census.
  11. What is the capital of Illinois? SpringfieldAbraham Lincoln is buried there in Oak Ridge Cemetery, alongside his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, and three of their four sons.
  12. Which is the highest state capital in the US, sitting about 7,000 feet above sea level? Santa FeSpanish governor Pedro de Peralta made it a provincial capital in 1610, making it the oldest state capital in the United States.
  13. What is the capital of Colorado? DenverThree steps of its State Capitol are marked as one mile high; a 2003 survey settled on the 13th step.
  14. What is the capital of Pennsylvania? HarrisburgAt the State Capitol's 1906 dedication, Theodore Roosevelt called it "the handsomest building I ever saw." Its dome was inspired by St. Peter's Basilica.
  15. What is the capital of Washington State? OlympiaIts Legislative Building, finished in 1928, has a 287-foot dome, the tallest self-supporting masonry dome in North America.
  16. Which is the only US state capital whose name is made up of three words? Salt Lake CityFounded in 1847 as Great Salt Lake City, it dropped "Great" in 1868, so its name was once four words long.
  17. What is the capital of Nevada? Carson CityNamed after scout Kit Carson, it had a US Mint from 1870 to 1893 that struck coins with a "CC" mint mark from Comstock Lode silver.
  18. What is the capital of Kentucky? FrankfortIts Beaux-Arts State Capitol, dedicated in 1910, has staircases modeled on those of the Paris Opera's Palais Garnier.
  19. What is the capital of Tennessee? NashvillePresident James K. Polk and his wife, Sarah, are buried on the State Capitol grounds, and architect William Strickland is entombed in its walls.
  20. What is the capital of Michigan? LansingWhen chosen in 1847, the site was a remote township with fewer than 20 settlers; lawmakers wanted a capital safely inland, away from Detroit.