What Is the Capital of Your State? Civics Question 62
Enter your ZIP code to see your state capital, the answer to civics question 62. Every state and territory is listed, plus the D.C. answer.
USCIS civics test, question 62 of 128
What is the capital of your state?
Accepted answer
- Answers will vary. [District of Columbia residents should answer that D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital. Residents of U.S. territories should name the capital of the territory.]
Wording from the official USCIS list of 128 questions.
Your answer is the capital city of the state where you live now. Enter your ZIP code below to see it.
Question 62 asks for the capital of your state. Answers vary by applicant. Residents of the District of Columbia answer that D.C. is not a state and does not have a capital. Residents of a U.S. territory name the capital of their territory.
Look up your state capital
Enter the ZIP code on your N-400, or pick your state. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Every state’s capital
| State | Answer |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Montgomery |
| Alaska | Juneau |
| Arizona | Phoenix |
| Arkansas | Little Rock |
| California | Sacramento |
| Colorado | Denver |
| Connecticut | Hartford |
| Delaware | Dover |
| Florida | Tallahassee |
| Georgia | Atlanta |
| Hawaii | Honolulu |
| Idaho | Boise |
| Illinois | Springfield |
| Indiana | Indianapolis |
| Iowa | Des Moines |
| Kansas | Topeka |
| Kentucky | Frankfort |
| Louisiana | Baton Rouge |
| Maine | Augusta |
| Maryland | Annapolis |
| Massachusetts | Boston |
| Michigan | Lansing |
| Minnesota | Saint Paul |
| Mississippi | Jackson |
| Missouri | Jefferson City |
| Montana | Helena |
| Nebraska | Lincoln |
| Nevada | Carson City |
| New Hampshire | Concord |
| New Jersey | Trenton |
| New Mexico | Santa Fe |
| New York | Albany |
| North Carolina | Raleigh |
| North Dakota | Bismarck |
| Ohio | Columbus |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City |
| Oregon | Salem |
| Pennsylvania | Harrisburg |
| Rhode Island | Providence |
| South Carolina | Columbia |
| South Dakota | Pierre |
| Tennessee | Nashville |
| Texas | Austin |
| Utah | Salt Lake City |
| Vermont | Montpelier |
| Virginia | Richmond |
| Washington | Olympia |
| West Virginia | Charleston |
| Wisconsin | Madison |
| Wyoming | Cheyenne |
| District of Columbia | None: D.C. is not a state and has no capital |
| American Samoa | Pago Pago |
| Guam | Hagåtña |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Saipan |
| Puerto Rico | San Juan |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Charlotte Amalie |
Checked September 23, 2026. Sources: usa.gov, cross-checked against the National Governors Association. Answers change with elections, so check again in the week of your interview.
The same ZIP code answers question 23, question 29 and question 61.
The Capital Is Often Not the Biggest City
Many applicants answer with the largest city in their state, and in most states that city is not the capital.
- New York’s capital is Albany, not New York City.
- California’s is Sacramento, not Los Angeles.
- Illinois’s is Springfield, not Chicago.
- Texas’s is Austin, not Houston.
- Florida’s is Tallahassee, not Miami.
The capital is where the state government sits. It is where the governor works and where the state legislature meets, and it was often chosen for its position on the map rather than its population.
How to Find Your State Capital
Search for your state name plus the word capital, or open your state government website, which ends in .gov. The capital city appears in the address of the state offices.
Unlike your governor, this answer almost never changes, so one lookup is usually enough for your whole case.
The District of Columbia and the Territories
Residents of the District of Columbia answer that D.C. is not a state and has no capital. Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States, but it is not a state capital, and that distinction is what the answer turns on.
Residents of a U.S. territory name their territory’s capital, the city where the territorial government sits.
How to Remember Your State Capital
Tie the city to the person. Your governor works in your capital, so learn question 61 and question 62 as one pair from one website visit.
If the city name is unfamiliar, connect it to something you already know: a highway you have driven, a road sign you pass, or the return address on mail from a state office. A capital you have seen written down is easier to recall than one you only read once.
What to Say on Test Day
Say the city name and nothing else. “Sacramento,” not “Sacramento, California.”
If you live in D.C., say “D.C. is not a state and has no capital,” then stop. If you live in a territory, name your territory’s capital city.
This is question 62 of 128 on the 2025 civics test, in the American Government section. See where it sits in the full list, or test yourself with a full mock civics test.
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