Northeast States and Capitals Quiz

The 11 Northeast states from Maine to Maryland and their capitals: Augusta, Montpelier, Albany, Trenton, Harrisburg and the rest.

Eleven states from Maine to Maryland, and only two of their capitals, Boston and Providence, are the biggest city in the state. Quiz yourself on the Northeast states and capitals, dodge traps like New York City and Philadelphia, and use the table below to study.

How the Northeast states and capitals quiz works

Questions come in four kinds: the capital of a state, the state a capital belongs to, whether the capital is also the state's largest city, and an odd-one-out round where one of four capitals is not in the Northeast. From Medium up, the wrong answers to a capital question include the state's own biggest city, so New York shows up next to Albany and Philadelphia next to Harrisburg. Easy sticks to capitals and states. Every state is asked once before any state comes back.

This quiz uses the five-region map taught in most US schools: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West. That Northeast has 11 states. The Census Bureau's Northeast has 9 and puts Delaware and Maryland in the South; our Northeast States Quiz uses that version on the map.

The 11 Northeast states and their capitals

State	Abbreviation	Capital	Largest city	Capital is the largest?
Maine	ME	Augusta	Portland	No
New Hampshire	NH	Concord	Manchester	No
Vermont	VT	Montpelier	Burlington	No
Massachusetts	MA	Boston	Boston	Yes
Rhode Island	RI	Providence	Providence	Yes
Connecticut	CT	Hartford	Bridgeport	No
New York	NY	Albany	New York City	No
New Jersey	NJ	Trenton	Newark	No
Pennsylvania	PA	Harrisburg	Philadelphia	No
Delaware	DE	Dover	Wilmington	No
Maryland	MD	Annapolis	Baltimore	No

Memory tricks

New England first: Augusta, Concord, Montpelier, Boston, Providence, Hartford. Read them north to south as A-C-M-B-P-H.
Montpelier, Vermont is the smallest state capital in the country, with fewer than 8,000 people.
Two Dovers, two Augustas: Dover is the capital of Delaware, but New Hampshire also has a city called Dover. Augusta is the capital of Maine; Augusta, Georgia is a city.
The big-city trap: nine of the eleven capitals are not the largest city. New York City, Philadelphia, Newark, Baltimore, Bridgeport, Wilmington, Portland, Manchester and Burlington are all wrong answers.

Sources

Capitals: each state's official government website, as listed in src/data/usStates.ts. City populations: US Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimates (July 1, 2025).

Keep going

The next region south: Southeast States and Capitals Quiz
All 50 at once: US States and Capitals Quiz
Capitals versus big cities everywhere: US Capitals Quiz

Frequently asked questions

What are the 11 Northeast states and capitals?

Maine (Augusta), New Hampshire (Concord), Vermont (Montpelier), Massachusetts (Boston), Rhode Island (Providence), Connecticut (Hartford), New York (Albany), New Jersey (Trenton), Pennsylvania (Harrisburg), Delaware (Dover) and Maryland (Annapolis).

Is Maryland in the Northeast?

In the five-region map used in most US schools, yes. The Census Bureau puts Maryland and Delaware in the South, so its Northeast has 9 states.

Which Northeast capitals are also the largest city?

Only Boston and Providence. In the other nine states a bigger city exists, such as New York City in New York and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania.

What is the smallest state capital?

Montpelier, Vermont, with about 7,800 people in the Census Bureau's 2025 estimate.

Is the quiz free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, and your best score for each difficulty is saved in this browser.