How it works
This state capitals worksheet prints three ways: write the capital beside each state, write the state beside each capital, or match ten states to ten capitals at a time. One key answers all three.
Read the full guide
Pick a sheet and print
Choose a sheet in the menu above the question, then press Print the worksheet. The write-in sheet groups the states by the four Census Bureau regions: Northeast, Midwest, South and West. The matching states and capitals worksheet comes in five sets of ten, so one set makes a short quiz.
Or answer on screen
Each state is asked twice: its capital among three other cities of the same state, then its state among three states of the same region. Pick a region to practice one part of the country, and miss a question to see it again.
Where the pairs come from
Every capital was checked against the state's own page on USA.gov, the federal government's portal, where the governor's office address names the city.
- The largest city is the capital in only 17 states, so do not trust the city you know best.
Questions and answers
Are these free printable state and capital worksheets?
Yes. All three sheets and the key print free, with no sign-up. To save one as a PDF, choose Save as PDF in the print window.
Does the worksheet come with an answer key?
Yes. The last sheet in the menu is one key for the two write-in sheets and the five matching sets. Print it once and keep it at the teacher's desk.
Which state capitals are also the largest city?
Seventeen, among them Boston, Denver, Phoenix, Atlanta, Honolulu and Oklahoma City. In the other 33 states a different city is larger, such as Chicago in Illinois, where the capital is Springfield.
How are the states grouped on the sheet?
By the four regions the U.S. Census Bureau uses: 9 states in the Northeast, 12 in the Midwest, 16 in the South and 13 in the West. Within a region the states run from A to Z.