Geography Quiz Arcade

US Capitals Quiz: Capital or Biggest City?

Albany, not New York City: pick each state's capital from its own biggest cities, and learn the 17 states where the capital is the largest city.

Most US capitals are not the biggest city in their state, and that is the whole trick. Pick each capital from the state's own largest cities, then check the full list of all 50 capitals next to each state's biggest city.

How the US capitals quiz works

Most questions name a state and offer four of its own cities: the capital, the largest city and two more big cities from the same state. Guessing the famous name is exactly how people lose points here, because in 33 states the capital is not the largest city. The rest of the round mixes three other kinds: is the capital also the largest city (yes or no), which of four cities is a state capital, and which is the largest city of a state.

Easy is 10 questions, Medium 15, Hard 20 and Expert 25. The higher the level, the more questions come from the 33 trap states.

All 50 state capitals and largest cities

StateCapitalLargest city
AlabamaMontgomeryHuntsville
AlaskaJuneauAnchorage
ArizonaPhoenixPhoenix (same)
ArkansasLittle RockLittle Rock (same)
CaliforniaSacramentoLos Angeles
ColoradoDenverDenver (same)
ConnecticutHartfordBridgeport
DelawareDoverWilmington
FloridaTallahasseeJacksonville
GeorgiaAtlantaAtlanta (same)
HawaiiHonoluluHonolulu (same)
IdahoBoiseBoise (same)
IllinoisSpringfieldChicago
IndianaIndianapolisIndianapolis (same)
IowaDes MoinesDes Moines (same)
KansasTopekaWichita
KentuckyFrankfortLouisville
LouisianaBaton RougeNew Orleans
MaineAugustaPortland
MarylandAnnapolisBaltimore
MassachusettsBostonBoston (same)
MichiganLansingDetroit
MinnesotaSaint PaulMinneapolis
MississippiJacksonJackson (same)
MissouriJefferson CityKansas City
MontanaHelenaBillings
NebraskaLincolnOmaha
NevadaCarson CityLas Vegas
New HampshireConcordManchester
New JerseyTrentonNewark
New MexicoSanta FeAlbuquerque
New YorkAlbanyNew York City
North CarolinaRaleighCharlotte
North DakotaBismarckFargo
OhioColumbusColumbus (same)
OklahomaOklahoma CityOklahoma City (same)
OregonSalemPortland
PennsylvaniaHarrisburgPhiladelphia
Rhode IslandProvidenceProvidence (same)
South CarolinaColumbiaCharleston
South DakotaPierreSioux Falls
TennesseeNashvilleNashville (same)
TexasAustinHouston
UtahSalt Lake CitySalt Lake City (same)
VermontMontpelierBurlington
VirginiaRichmondVirginia Beach
WashingtonOlympiaSeattle
West VirginiaCharlestonCharleston (same)
WisconsinMadisonMilwaukee
WyomingCheyenneCheyenne (same)

The 17 states where the capital is the largest city

Arizona (Phoenix), Arkansas (Little Rock), Colorado (Denver), Georgia (Atlanta), Hawaii (Honolulu), Idaho (Boise), Indiana (Indianapolis), Iowa (Des Moines), Massachusetts (Boston), Mississippi (Jackson), Ohio (Columbus), Oklahoma (Oklahoma City), Rhode Island (Providence), Tennessee (Nashville), Utah (Salt Lake City), West Virginia (Charleston) and Wyoming (Cheyenne).

Learn those 17 and the rule for the other 33 is simple: do not pick the famous city. Two are close calls worth knowing. Charleston, West Virginia, is only about 1,300 people ahead of Huntington, and Cheyenne leads Casper by under 8,000.

The traps that catch the most people

  • New York: Albany, not New York City.
  • California: Sacramento, not Los Angeles or San Francisco.
  • Texas: Austin, the fifth-largest city in Texas, behind Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Fort Worth.
  • Florida: Tallahassee, not Miami or Jacksonville.
  • Illinois: Springfield, not Chicago.
  • Pennsylvania: Harrisburg, not Philadelphia or Pittsburgh.
  • Washington: Olympia, not Seattle.
  • Nevada: Carson City, not Las Vegas or Reno.
  • Kentucky: Frankfort, not Louisville.
  • Vermont: Montpelier, the smallest state capital, with about 7,800 people.

Source

Populations are US Census Bureau estimates for July 1, 2025 (City and Town Population Totals, Vintage 2025), as listed in Wikipedia's table of the largest cities of each US state. Hawaii's figures other than Honolulu are census-designated places, because Honolulu is Hawaii's only incorporated city.

Keep going

Frequently asked questions

How many US state capitals are also the largest city?

Seventeen, on the 2025 Census estimates: Phoenix, Little Rock, Denver, Atlanta, Honolulu, Boise, Indianapolis, Des Moines, Boston, Jackson, Columbus, Oklahoma City, Providence, Nashville, Salt Lake City, Charleston (West Virginia) and Cheyenne.

What is the smallest US state capital?

Montpelier, Vermont, with about 7,800 people. Pierre, South Dakota, is next with about 13,800.

What is the largest US state capital?

Phoenix, Arizona, with about 1.67 million people. Austin, Texas, is the only other capital above one million.

Why are so many capitals not the biggest city?

Many capitals were chosen in the 1700s and 1800s for being central, or as a compromise between rival cities, before the big commercial cities grew. Albany, Harrisburg and Sacramento all sit inland from their state's largest port city.

Is the quiz free?

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

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