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State capitals quiz

Nine quizzes, ninety questions. Only sixteen state capitals are also the biggest city in their state, and that is where most of these get you.

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  • 90 questions
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Questions and answers — printable list
  1. Which city is the capital of Texas?AustinAustin was laid out in 1839 at the direction of Republic of Texas president Mirabeau B. Lamar and named for Stephen F. Austin, and it remains the state capital (Texas State Library and Archives Commission).
  2. Which city is the capital of California?SacramentoCalifornia cycled through San Jose, Vallejo and Benicia before Governor John Bigler signed legislation on February 25, 1854 making Sacramento the permanent seat of government (California State Library).
  3. Which city is the capital of New York State?AlbanyAlbany, chartered in 1686 under the Dongan Charter, became New York's permanent capital in 1797 (City of Albany).
  4. Springfield is the capital of which state?IllinoisThe act moving the Illinois capital to Springfield passed on March 3, 1837, and state government began operating there in December 1839 (Illinois Secretary of State).
  5. Which city is the capital of Massachusetts?BostonThe Massachusetts State House in Boston, designed by Charles Bulfinch, was completed on January 11, 1798 and its gilded dome is the official map location of the city (Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth).
  6. Which city is the capital of Colorado?DenverThe Colorado State Capitol stands in Denver, where the west steps carry the engraving "One Mile Above Sea Level" (Colorado State Capitol).
  7. Which city is the capital of Hawaii?HonoluluHawaii, whose capital is Honolulu, became a state on August 21, 1959 (Office of the Governor of Hawai'i).
  8. Which city is the capital of Alaska?JuneauCongress legislated the move of Alaska's seat of government from Sitka to Juneau in 1900, though the physical move did not happen until 1906 (City and Borough of Juneau).
  9. Which city is the capital of Louisiana?Baton RougeBaton Rouge was incorporated in 1817 and became Louisiana's capital in 1849 (City of Baton Rouge).
  10. Which city is the capital of Georgia?AtlantaGeorgia has had five capitals — Savannah, Augusta, Louisville, Milledgeville and, since 1868, Atlanta (State of Georgia).
  11. Which city is the capital of Arizona?PhoenixPhoenix is Arizona's capital and, by U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the most populous state capital in the country (U.S. Census Bureau).
  12. Which city is the capital of Ohio?ColumbusOhio's legislature voted on February 14, 1812 to place the permanent capital on the high bank of the Scioto River, and the General Assembly first met in the new Columbus statehouse in 1816 (Ohio Legislative Service Commission).
  13. Which city is the capital of Michigan?LansingMichigan's 1835 constitution kept Detroit as capital only until 1847, when the governor signed a bill naming Lansing Township instead (Michigan State Capitol).
  14. Carson City is the capital of which state?NevadaCarson City became Nevada's territorial capital in November 1861 and was confirmed as state capital at the constitutional convention (Nevada State Historic Preservation Office).
  15. Which city is the capital of Florida?TallahasseeTallahassee was proclaimed Florida's territorial capital in 1824 because it sat roughly halfway between St. Augustine and Pensacola (Florida Department of State).
  16. Which city is the capital of Minnesota?Saint PaulSaint Paul took its name from the Chapel of Saint Paul, built on the Mississippi bank in 1841, and is Minnesota's capital (City of Saint Paul).
  17. Which city is the capital of Tennessee?NashvilleWilliam Strickland's Tennessee State Capitol, built 1845–59, stands in Nashville and is topped by a tower on classical Greek precedent rather than a Roman dome (National Park Service).
  18. Jefferson City is the capital of which state?MissouriJefferson City was created from scratch to be a capital by a commission the Missouri legislature appointed in 1821, and the general assembly moved there in 1826 (City of Jefferson City).
  19. Indianapolis is the capital of which state?IndianaIndiana's state records moved to Indianapolis in 1824, and the legislature convened there in January 1825 (Indiana Historical Bureau).
  20. Cheyenne is the capital of which state?WyomingCheyenne grew out of a Union Pacific townsite staked at Crow Creek in July 1867, was named the territorial capital in 1869, and kept the seat of government when Wyoming entered the Union as the 44th state on July 10, 1890 (WyoHistory.org; State of Wyoming).
  21. Which city is the capital of Wisconsin?MadisonMadison, Wisconsin's capital, sits on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona (State of Wisconsin Capitol Tour).
  22. Which city is the capital of Kansas?TopekaTopeka is the capital of Kansas and the home of Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park, which preserves Monroe Elementary School (National Park Service).
  23. Oklahoma City is the capital of which state?OklahomaOklahoma voters chose Oklahoma City over Guthrie in a statewide vote on June 11, 1910, and the legislature confirmed the move that December (Oklahoma Historical Society).
  24. Which city is the capital of Maryland?AnnapolisThe Maryland State House in Annapolis is the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use (National Park Service).
  25. Which city is the capital of North Carolina?RaleighCommissioners named by the General Assembly convened at Isaac Hunter's tavern on March 20, 1792, settled on Joel Lane's land in Wake County, and bought 1,000 acres from him on April 5, 1792; legislators first met in Raleigh's new State House in December 1794 (NCpedia, State Library of North Carolina).
  26. Which city is the capital of Washington State?OlympiaOlympia was platted in 1850 and named for the view of the Olympic Mountains; it became the provisional capital in 1853 and the territorial legislature confirmed the choice in 1855 (Washington Secretary of State).
  27. Which city is the capital of Kentucky?FrankfortKentucky's commissioners recommended Frankfort on December 5, 1792, beating out Leestown, Lexington, Louisville and other bidders (Kentucky Historical Society).
  28. Which city is the capital of New Mexico?Santa FeSanta Fe, founded in 1610, is New Mexico's capital and the oldest capital city in the United States (National Park Service).
  29. Nebraska's capital city, renamed in 1867 from the village of Lancaster, was named in honor of which U.S. president?Abraham LincolnAn act of the Nebraska Legislature dated June 14, 1867 moved the seat of government away from Omaha and required the new capital to bear the name of the recently assassinated president; the commissioners picked the small village of Lancaster, and Lincoln was born as the capital city (Nebraska Capitol Commission).
  30. Which city is the capital of Virginia?RichmondThe Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, conceived in 1785 and designed by Thomas Jefferson, is described by the Virginia General Assembly as the second-oldest working capitol in the United States (Virginia General Assembly).
  31. Which city, founded in 1610, is the oldest capital city in the United States?Santa Fe, New MexicoThe National Park Service identifies Santa Fe, founded in 1610, as the oldest capital city in the country. It is also the highest, at roughly 7,000 feet above sea level.
  32. Representatives Hall, occupied in 1819, is the oldest US legislative chamber still used continuously by its original body. Which state's capitol holds it?New HampshireThe New Hampshire House of Representatives notes that its chamber in the Concord State House, occupied in 1819, is the oldest still in continuous use by the body it was built for.
  33. As of July 1, 2025, how many of the 50 state capitals were also the most populous city in their own state?17Census Bureau estimates show just 17 capitals leading their states in population, among them Phoenix, Boston, Denver, Atlanta and Indianapolis.
  34. As of the 2025 census estimates, which state's capital city is roughly 84 times smaller than that state's largest city?New YorkAlbany had 101,698 residents against New York City's 8,584,629 — the widest capital-to-largest-city gap in the country, per Census Bureau estimates.
  35. Which city served as California's first state capital, from 1849 to 1851, before Sacramento was made permanent in 1854?San JoseThe California State Library records San Jose as the first state capital, followed by Vallejo, Sacramento and Benicia before Governor John Bigler signed Sacramento in permanently in 1854.
  36. In what year did Michigan's governor sign the bill moving the state capital from Detroit to a site in Lansing Township?1847The bill was signed on March 16, 1847, sending the capital to a then-unsettled site critics called a "howling wilderness," according to the Michigan State Capitol.
  37. In a statewide vote on June 11, 1910, Oklahoma voters moved their capital to Oklahoma City away from which city?GuthrieVoters chose Oklahoma City over Guthrie in 1910; the legislature confirmed the move that December and voters reaffirmed it in 1912, per the Oklahoma Historical Society.
  38. Congress legislated the move of Alaska's seat of government to Juneau in 1900, taking it away from which town?SitkaThe City and Borough of Juneau notes that Congress moved the seat of government from Sitka in 1900, though the physical relocation waited until 1906.
  39. Tallahassee was proclaimed Florida's territorial capital in 1824 largely because it sat roughly midway between which two settlements?St. Augustine and PensacolaThe Florida Department of State explains that Tallahassee split the distance between St. Augustine and Pensacola at a time when no complete road linked East and West Florida.
  40. At 450 feet and 34 floors, the tallest state capitol building in the United States stands in which state?LouisianaThe Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge is the tallest in the country and one of only nine state capitols without a dome, according to the Louisiana House of Representatives.
  41. Texas paid for its state capitol not in cash but with 3 million acres of Panhandle land, a tract that became which ranch?The XIT RanchThe Texas State Preservation Board records that the Chicago-led Capitol Syndicate took 3 million acres set aside by the 1876 constitution, and the tract became the XIT Ranch.
  42. A 19-foot bronze statue called "The Sower" tops the 400-foot domed tower of which state's capitol?NebraskaLee Lawrie's bronze "Sower" crowns the tower of the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, built in four phases between 1922 and 1932.
  43. Which state capital city has a legislative building topped by the tallest masonry dome in North America?Olympia, WashingtonThe Washington State Legislative Building in Olympia rises 287 feet from the ground to the top of its lantern, the tallest masonry dome in North America. The dome section alone accounts for 102 of those feet and weighs more than 33 million pounds.
  44. Thomas Jefferson modeled the Virginia State Capitol on which Roman building while serving as U.S. Minister to France?The Maison Carrée at NîmesThe Virginia General Assembly credits Jefferson with modeling the Richmond capitol on the Maison Carrée, making it the first US public building in the neoclassical style.
  45. Which state capitol building was originally constructed between 1929 and 1931 as the Federal and Territorial Building, with a post office and federal offices on its first floor?Alaska's, in JuneauBuilt of concrete, brick and native marble between 1929 and 1931 on land paid for by the citizens of Juneau, the Federal and Territorial Building was dedicated in February 1931 with the post office and federal offices on the first floor, the territorial legislature and museum on the second, and the governor's office on the third. It is one of the few state capitols with no dome.
  46. The eight columns along the front and back of the Hawaii State Capitol were designed to represent what?The eight main Hawaiian islandsThe Hawaii State Legislature notes that 24 columns resemble palm trees and the eight along the front and back stand for the eight main Hawaiian islands.
  47. The name Frankfort, Kentucky, is a shortening of which phrase, honoring a settler killed near the site in 1780?Frank's FordThe Kentucky Historical Society traces the name to "Frank's Ford," after settler Stephen Frank, who was killed at or near the crossing in 1780.
  48. Bismarck, North Dakota, carried which earlier name before it was renamed in 1873 for Germany's chancellor?EdwintonThe City of Bismarck records that the town was staked out as Edwinton and renamed in July 1873 to court German investors for the Northern Pacific Railway — money that never came.
  49. Saint Paul, Minnesota, went by which name before an 1841 chapel on the Mississippi gave the settlement its present one?Pig's EyeThe City of Saint Paul notes the settlement was called Pig's Eye after saloon keeper Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant until Father Lucien Galtier's Chapel of Saint Paul renamed it.
  50. Which state capital covers more land area than the entire state of Delaware?Juneau, AlaskaCensus Bureau Gazetteer files put Juneau at 2,702.9 square miles of land, far larger than any other capital and larger than Delaware.
  51. When Nebraska switched to a one-house legislature that first met in 1937, its membership fell from 133 to what number?43The Nebraska Legislature reports the unicameral cut the body from 133 members to 43, a reduction of nearly 70 percent; voters approved it in 1934.
  52. Which territory's legislature passed the first U.S. law granting women the vote and the right to hold office, signed on December 10, 1869?Wyoming TerritoryGovernor John A. Campbell signed "An Act to Grant to the Women of Wyoming Territory the Right of Suffrage and to Hold Office" on December 10, 1869, the first such law in the nation. Utah's legislature followed on February 12, 1870, and women kept the vote when Wyoming entered the Union as the 44th state in 1890.
  53. Which city was the first capital of the Confederacy, hosting the Confederate Congress from February 4, 1861?Montgomery, AlabamaThe National Park Service records that the Confederate Congress convened in Montgomery in February 1861, and the capital moved to Richmond that May.
  54. At about 7,000 feet above sea level, the highest state capital in the United States is the capital of which state?New MexicoSanta Fe, New Mexico, sits at roughly 7,000 feet, making it the highest state capital in the country, according to the National Park Service.
  55. Which city is the easternmost state capital in the United States, at about 69.73° W?Augusta, MaineCensus Bureau Gazetteer coordinates place Augusta, Maine, at roughly 69.73° W, farther east than any other state capital.
  56. As of 2026, which state capital covers the least land area, at just 7.1 square miles?Annapolis, MarylandThe Census Bureau's 2026 Gazetteer puts Annapolis at 7.1 square miles of land, the smallest footprint of any state capital — just under Trenton's 7.6, Harrisburg's 8.1 and Montpelier's 10.1.
  57. Which state capital sits on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona?Madison, WisconsinMadison occupies the isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona and counts 21.4 square miles of water inside the city limits, per the State of Wisconsin and Census Bureau figures.
  58. Missouri's capital, Jefferson City, was laid out in the 1820s by a son of which American frontiersman?Daniel BooneThe City of Jefferson City records that the purpose-built capital was surveyed by Daniel Morgan Boone, son of Daniel Boone, and named for Thomas Jefferson.
  59. Alexander Ralston, who had worked on the plan of Washington, D.C., surveyed the one-mile-square original plat of which state capital?Indianapolis, IndianaThe Indiana Historical Bureau credits Alexander Ralston with Indianapolis's mile-square plat, whose four diagonal avenues radiate from a central circle.
  60. In the December 1842 "Archives War," Sam Houston sent men to haul the Republic of Texas records out of which city?AustinThe Texas State Library and Archives Commission recounts that Angelina Eberly fired a cannon to rouse Austin, and a posse forced the record wagons to surrender at Brushy Creek.
  61. Which building is the only state house ever to serve as the nation's capitol, hosting the Continental Congress in 1783-84?Maryland State House in AnnapolisThe National Park Service notes that the Maryland State House hosted the Continental Congress from November 26, 1783 to August 13, 1784, the only state house to have served as the nation's capitol.
  62. Representatives Hall in Concord, the oldest US legislative chamber still in continuous use by its original body, has been occupied since what year?1819The New Hampshire House of Representatives has met in Representatives Hall since the legislature occupied it in 1819, making it the oldest such chamber in the country.
  63. Which present-day state capital briefly hosted the Confederation Congress in 1784, before Congress settled into New York City's City Hall?Trenton, New JerseyTrenton hosted the Confederation Congress in 1784 before it moved to New York City's City Hall in January 1785, per the US House of Representatives History, Art & Archives.
  64. As of July 1, 2025, which city was the most populous state capital east of the Mississippi River, at 938,396 residents?Columbus, OhioCensus Bureau Vintage 2025 estimates put Columbus at 938,396 residents on July 1, 2025, ahead of Indianapolis (901,116), Nashville-Davidson (721,074) and Boston (672,973). Only Phoenix and Austin — both west of the Mississippi — are larger among state capitals.
  65. As of July 1, 2025, which state capital trailed its state's largest city by the widest margin, roughly 84 times over?Albany, New YorkAlbany counted 101,698 residents against New York City's 8,584,629 in Census Bureau estimates, the largest such gap in the country.
  66. What was the nickname of the Sangamon County delegation, Abraham Lincoln among them, that won the Illinois capital for Springfield in 1837?the Long NineSangamon County sent seven representatives and two senators to the 1836-37 Illinois General Assembly, Abraham Lincoln among them. Every one of the nine stood about six feet tall or more, so the legislature called them the "Long Nine," and they carried the vote that moved the seat of government from Vandalia to Springfield.
  67. When Iowa's government left Iowa City for Des Moines in 1857, the Old Capitol became the first permanent building of what institution?University of IowaThe Old Capitol Museum records that the building was handed to the University of Iowa and became the university's first permanent building.
  68. Michigan's capital moved from Detroit in 1847 to a township critics called a "howling wilderness." Which city grew on that site?LansingThe Michigan State Capitol's history notes the governor signed the bill naming then-unsettled Lansing Township on March 16, 1847.
  69. Tallahassee was made Florida's territorial capital in 1824 because it sat roughly halfway between which two existing centers?St. Augustine and PensacolaThe Florida Department of State explains that Tallahassee split the distance between St. Augustine and Pensacola, with no complete road linking East and West Florida.
  70. Which architect was responsible for more US statehouses than any other, including the landmark capitols of Michigan, Texas and Colorado?Elijah E. MyersThe National Park Service credits Detroit architect Elijah E. Myers with more statehouses than any other designer, three of them National Historic Landmarks.
  71. Nebraska's capitol in Lincoln came out of a national design competition won in 1920 by which architect?Bertram G. GoodhueNew York architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue won the 1920 competition, and the capitol was built in four phases from 1922 to 1932, per the Nebraska State Capitol.
  72. At 287 feet, which state's capitol is the tallest building in North America carrying a masonry dome?Washington's, in OlympiaWashington's Legislative Building in Olympia rises 287 feet to the top of its lantern, the tallest masonry-dome building in North America. Masons set more than 1,400 stones to close the dome, finishing on October 13, 1926.
  73. Which state's capitol is the only one in the country heated with geothermal water, drawn from about 3,000 feet down?IdahoTwo wells sunk near the Boise capitol in the early 1980s — the deeper one reaching 3,030 feet — have fed roughly 165°F water to the Capitol Mall complex since 1982. Idaho's is the only state capitol in the nation heated by geothermal water.
  74. North Dakota's capital was platted under what name before its 1873 renaming, a bid to court German railroad investors?EdwintonThe City of Bismarck records that Edwinton, named for engineer Edwin Ferry Johnson, was renamed for Chancellor Otto von Bismarck on July 17, 1873.
  75. What name did Minnesota's capital go by before Father Lucien Galtier's 1841 chapel gave the settlement a new one?Pig's EyeThe City of Saint Paul records that the settlement was known as Pig's Eye, after saloon keeper Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant, until the Chapel of Saint Paul was built.
  76. The only one-house state legislature in the United States meets in the capitol at Lincoln, Nebraska. How many members did it have when it first convened there in January 1937?43Nebraska's voters scrapped the two-house legislature in 1934, and the single chamber that gathered in the Lincoln capitol in January 1937 seated 43 senators — down from 133 lawmakers in the old bicameral body. The chamber has since grown to its present 49 seats.
  77. Three of the twelve Federal Reserve Banks sit in state capitals. Boston and Atlanta are two of them. Which city is the third?RichmondThe Federal Reserve Board lists Boston (District 1), Richmond (District 5) and Atlanta (District 6) as the only Reserve Bank cities that are also state capitals.
  78. The Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe served as the official residence of New Mexico's governors until what year?1909Begun in 1610 under Spanish governor Don Pedro de Peralta, the adobe Palace of the Governors housed New Mexico's governors until 1909, when a new executive mansion was completed and the building was designated home of the Museum of New Mexico. It is the oldest public building in continuous use built by European settlers in the continental United States.
  79. The monumental exterior of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus likely reflects a design by which painter, the founder of the Hudson River School?Thomas ColeThe National Park Service credits the Ohio Statehouse exterior (1838–61) to a design by painter Thomas Cole, begun by architect Henry Walter and completed by Isaiah Rogers.
  80. Which firm designed the Rhode Island State House in Providence, built 1895–1904 with one of the largest self-supported marble domes in the world?McKim, Mead & WhiteThe Rhode Island Department of State credits McKim, Mead & White with the State House, built between 1895 and 1904.
  81. Austin, Texas, was laid out in 1839 at the direction of Mirabeau B. Lamar on the site of which existing hamlet?WaterlooThe Texas State Library and Archives Commission records that Republic of Texas president Mirabeau B. Lamar had the new capital laid out in 1839 on the site of the hamlet of Waterloo.
  82. When South Carolina created a new central capital in 1786, the name "Columbia" beat which rival proposal by a Senate vote of 11–7?WashingtonThe City of Columbia records that the March 22, 1786 act naming the new capital chose "Columbia" over "Washington" by a Senate vote of 11–7.
  83. Ohio's legislature was meeting in which city in 1812 when it voted to place the permanent state capital on the high bank of the Scioto River?ZanesvilleThe Ohio Legislative Service Commission records that legislators sitting at Zanesville voted on February 14, 1812 to site the capital opposite Franklinton, where Columbus grew.
  84. Which Union Pacific chief engineer named Cheyenne, Wyoming, and designated its site along Crow Creek on July 4, 1867?Grenville M. DodgeThe City of Cheyenne credits General Grenville M. Dodge, the Union Pacific's chief engineer, with picking the Crow Creek site on July 4, 1867 and naming it for the Cheyenne people.
  85. Baton Rouge takes its name from an account of reddened boundary poles written in 1699 by which French explorer?Pierre Le Moyne d'IbervilleThe City of Baton Rouge traces the name to Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville's 1699 account of reddened poles hung with fish and bear heads, marking a hunting boundary between the Bayou Goula and Houma peoples.
  86. The Old Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson saw the 1870 election of which man, the first Black person to serve in the U.S. Senate?Hiram RevelsOn January 20, 1870, the Mississippi Legislature convened in the Old Capitol in Jackson and elected Hiram Revels to the U.S. Senate by a vote of 85 to 15. Sworn in on February 25, he became the first African American to serve in either house of Congress.
  87. How many shells did Sherman's artillery fire at the unfinished South Carolina State House when Union forces took Columbia in February 1865?TenThe South Carolina General Assembly's official State House history records that ten shells in all were fired at the building, then still under construction, as Union forces took Columbia in February 1865. Brass markers on the west and southwest walls show where the shots landed.
  88. As of July 1, 2025, only three state capitals had fewer than 20,000 residents: Montpelier, Pierre and which third city?Augusta, MaineCensus Bureau Vintage 2025 estimates put Montpelier at 7,823, Pierre at 13,848 and Augusta, Maine at 19,155 — the only capitals under 20,000.
  89. Excluding Alaska, which city is the northernmost state capital in the United States, at about 47.04° N?Olympia, WashingtonCensus Bureau Gazetteer coordinates place Olympia at 47.04° N, ahead of Bismarck at 46.81° N and Helena at 46.60° N; only Juneau sits farther north.
  90. Which city served as Iowa's capital until 1841, before the seat of government moved to Iowa City?BurlingtonThe Iowa Legislature records the capital at Burlington until 1841 and at Iowa City until February 1, 1857, when it moved to Des Moines.

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About the state capitals quiz

Most Americans assume a state's capital is also its biggest city, but only 17 of the 50 state capitals held that title as of July 1, 2025. New York shows the widest gap: as of July 1, 2025, Albany's 101,698 residents trailed New York City's 8,584,629, roughly 84 times larger. Springfield, Illinois and Carson City, Nevada trail Chicago and Las Vegas by similarly wide margins — a mismatch that trips up quiz-takers who assume population size follows political power.

This page holds 9 state capitals quizzes split into three difficulty levels. Easy rounds stick to well-known pairings like Sacramento and Austin. Medium rounds mix in capitals that aren't a state's largest city, such as Albany, Springfield and Carson City. Hard rounds cover capitals that moved over time — Illinois shifted from Kaskaskia to Vandalia to Springfield — plus lesser-known seats like Pierre and Montpelier. Each level totals 90 questions.

Frequently asked questions

What are the 50 states and capitals quiz?

A 50 states and capitals quiz asks players to match each U.S. state with its capital city, typically covering all fifty pairs in one sitting. It's a standard format for testing geography knowledge, often used in classrooms and trivia nights. Our version breaks the fifty pairs into 9 quizzes across three difficulty levels rather than one long list.

What is the capital of each 50 states?

There is no shortcut here — each of the 50 states has its own capital, from Phoenix in Arizona to Cheyenne in Wyoming, and matching all fifty correctly means knowing each pair individually rather than guessing from a pattern. Our quizzes test that knowledge state by state; play through the levels to see which pairs you actually know.

How to memorize all 50 state capitals?

Break the fifty pairs into smaller groups instead of one long list — by region, alphabetically, or by which capitals share a state's largest city and which don't. Regional clusters like New England or the Mountain West often share settlement patterns that make neighboring capitals easier to recall together. Short, repeated quiz rounds beat reading a static list, since recall under time pressure is what an actual quiz demands.

What is the hardest state capital to remember?

There's no sourced ranking of the single hardest capital to remember — difficulty depends on the player. In practice, the capitals that trip people up most are the ones that aren't a state's largest city, since it's easy to guess the biggest city instead of the actual seat of government: Albany instead of New York City, or Carson City instead of Las Vegas.

What is the most forgotten state capital?

There's no polling data behind a single 'most forgotten' capital, but the smallest and least populous capitals are the ones players tend to blank on most: Montpelier, Vermont (7,823 residents as of July 1, 2025) and Pierre, South Dakota (13,848 residents as of July 1, 2025) get far less media coverage than bigger cities, which makes them easy to forget.

Which state capital is the smallest?

Montpelier, Vermont is the smallest state capital, with 7,823 residents as of July 1, 2025 — fewer people than many U.S. small towns. Pierre, South Dakota (13,848 residents as of July 1, 2025) and Augusta, Maine (19,155 residents as of July 1, 2025) are the next smallest, and are the only other capitals with fewer than 20,000 residents.

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Every question here was written from a named source and reviewed before it went live.