Western States and Capitals Quiz

The 11 Western and 4 Southwestern states and their capitals, from Juneau and Honolulu to Santa Fe and Austin.

From Juneau, which no road reaches, to Phoenix, the biggest state capital in the country: quiz yourself on the 11 Western and 4 Southwestern states and their capitals, including the question that trips up everyone, West or Southwest?

How the western states and capitals quiz works

Questions come in five kinds: the capital of a state, the state a capital belongs to, whether the capital is also the largest city, an odd-one-out round where one capital is from another region, and whether a state is in the West or the Southwest. From Medium up, the wrong answers include each state's biggest city, so Los Angeles appears next to Sacramento and Las Vegas next to Carson City. Every state is asked once before any state comes back.

The five-region map taught in most US schools splits the Census Bureau's West in two: 11 states in the West and 4 in the Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas). This quiz covers both. To find the states on a map, play the Western States Quiz.

The 11 West states and their capitals

State	Abbreviation	Capital	Largest city	Capital is the largest?
Colorado	CO	Denver	Denver	Yes
Wyoming	WY	Cheyenne	Cheyenne	Yes
Montana	MT	Helena	Billings	No
Idaho	ID	Boise	Boise	Yes
Utah	UT	Salt Lake City	Salt Lake City	Yes
Nevada	NV	Carson City	Las Vegas	No
California	CA	Sacramento	Los Angeles	No
Oregon	OR	Salem	Portland	No
Washington	WA	Olympia	Seattle	No
Alaska	AK	Juneau	Anchorage	No
Hawaii	HI	Honolulu	Honolulu	Yes

The 4 Southwest states and their capitals

State	Abbreviation	Capital	Largest city	Capital is the largest?
Arizona	AZ	Phoenix	Phoenix	Yes
New Mexico	NM	Santa Fe	Albuquerque	No
Oklahoma	OK	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma City	Yes
Texas	TX	Austin	Houston	No

Memory tricks

Seven of the 15 capitals are the largest city: Denver, Cheyenne, Boise, Salt Lake City, Honolulu, Phoenix and Oklahoma City.
The Pacific trio: Sacramento, Salem and Olympia, never Los Angeles, Portland or Seattle.
Juneau, Alaska cannot be reached by road from the rest of the state or the lower 48: you fly or take a ferry. Anchorage is far bigger.
Santa Fe sits at about 7,000 feet and dates from 1610, which makes it both the highest and the oldest state capital.
Phoenix is the most populous state capital in the US, with about 1.7 million people.

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

East of here: Midwest States and Capitals Quiz
The ranges these capitals sit beneath: US Mountain Ranges Quiz
All 50 at once: US States and Capitals Quiz

Frequently asked questions

What are the western states and capitals?

West: Colorado (Denver), Wyoming (Cheyenne), Montana (Helena), Idaho (Boise), Utah (Salt Lake City), Nevada (Carson City), California (Sacramento), Oregon (Salem), Washington (Olympia), Alaska (Juneau) and Hawaii (Honolulu). Southwest: Arizona (Phoenix), New Mexico (Santa Fe), Oklahoma (Oklahoma City) and Texas (Austin).

Which states are in the Southwest?

Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas in the five-region map used in most US schools. The Census Bureau counts Arizona and New Mexico as West and Oklahoma and Texas as South.

Why is Sacramento the capital of California and not Los Angeles?

Sacramento became the permanent capital in 1854, during the Gold Rush, when it was a supply hub near the gold fields. Los Angeles is now about seven times bigger.

What is the largest state capital?

Phoenix, Arizona, with about 1.7 million 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.