U.S. State Capitals Trivia

Every U.S. state has a capital, but it isn't always the city you'd expect. Plenty of the biggest, most famous cities in the country — Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago — don't actually run their state's government. This quiz sends you coast to coast to see how many of the fifty you can name.

No trick questions here, just straightforward state-and-capital pairs, though a few of them still trip up longtime residents.

Capitals Hiding in Plain Sight

Some state capitals are almost comically overshadowed by a bigger city in the same state.

• California's capital is Sacramento, not Los Angeles or San Francisco.
• New York's capital is Albany, well upriver from the city that shares its name.
• Illinois runs its government out of Springfield, not Chicago.

If you've ever confidently guessed the biggest city, you've probably fallen for at least one of these.

Small Capitals with Big Jobs

A handful of capitals are small towns that just happen to carry enormous responsibility. Carson City, Nevada has a population smaller than many suburbs, and Juneau, Alaska is so remote it can't be reached by road at all — everyone gets in and out by plane or boat.

Why Some Capitals Moved

Many states didn't start with the capital they have now. As populations shifted west or south, legislatures often relocated the capital to somewhere more central, which is part of why so many capitals aren't the state's largest or most famous city today.