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Comparative state politics:
Institutional features,
party leanings, etc.

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State capitols montage

State capitols and state capitals

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

Virginia's state capitol, in Richmond (designed by Thomas Jefferson)

Alabama's state capitol, in Montgomery

Nebraska's state capitol, in Lincoln

Rhode Island's state capitol, in Providence

Wisconsin's state capitol, in Madison

New Mexico's state capitol, in Santa Fe

(center) Iowa's state capitol, in Des Moines


State capitols photo gallery


As shown by the first map below, the capitals of the 50 states vary widely according to relative size and relative location within the state.


Comparative state politics: maps!

State capitals

DYNAMIC MAP: Mouse rollover.

State capitals State voter ID laws State term limits for governors States with female governors State budget cycles State govt. revenues State govt. expenditures State sales tax rates State education expenditures State crime rates State crime rates, death penalty State abortion laws Mass shootings by state

Comparison of states (preliminary)

State Capital city Largest city Presidential vote
by party,
2000-2020		 House of Representatives
seats (2022)		 Population
density
(per sq. mi.)		 Historic Indian
tribe (main)		 Most prominent
leader since WW2
Alabama Montgomery Birmingham R R R R R R 7 99.2 Creek George Wallace
Alaska Juneau Anchorage R R R R R R 1 1.3 Inuit Sarah Palin
Arizona Phoenix Phoenix R R R R R D 9 62.9 Apache Barry Goldwater
Arkansas Little Rock Little Rock R R R R R R 4 58 Osage Bill Clinton
California Sacramento Los Angeles D D D D D D 52 253.7 Ronald Reagan
Colorado Denver Denver R R D D D D 8 55.7 Gary Hart
Connecticut Hartford Hartford D D D D D D 5 744.7 Algonquian Joe Leiberman
Delaware Dover Wilmington D D D D D D 1 508 Lenni Lenape Joe Biden
Florida Tallahassee Miami R R D D R R 28 401.4 Seminole
Georgia Atanta Atanta R R R R R D 14 185.6 Creek Jimmy Carter
Hawaii Honolulu Honolulu D D D D D D 2 226.6 Daniel Inouye
Idaho Boise Boise R R R R R R 2 22.3 Shoshone Frank Church
Illinois Springfield Chicago D D D D D D 17 230.8 Algonquian Barack Obama
Indiana Indianapolis Indianapolis R R D R R R 9 189.4 Miami Richard Lugar
Mike Pence
Iowa Des Moines Des Moines D R D D R R 4 57.1 Sioux Charles Grassley
Kansas Topeka Wichita R R R R R R 4 35.9 Wichita Bob Dole
Dwight Eisenhower
Kentucky Frankfort Louisville R R R R R R 6 114.1 Shawnee Mitch McConnell
Louisiana Baton Rouge New Orleans R R R R R R 6 107.8 Choctaw Mary Landrieu
Maine Bangor Portland D D D D D D 2 44.2 Algonquian George Mitchell
Maryland Annapolis Baltimore D D D D D D 8 636.1 Algonquian Spiro Agnew
Massachusetts Boston Boston D D D D D D 9 901.2 Algonquian John F. Kennedy
Michigan Lansing Detroit D D D D R D 13 178.0 Ojibwa Gerald Ford
Minnesota St. Paul Minneapolis D D D D D D 8 71.7 Sioux Hubert Humphrey
Mississippi Jackson Jackson R R R R R R 4 63.1 Choctaw Trent Lott
Missouri Jefferson City St. Louis R R R R R R 8 89.5 Algonquian Harry Truman
Montana Helena Butte R R R R R R 2 7.4 Cheyenne Mike Mansfield
Nebraska Lincoln Omaha R R R R R R 3 25.5 Pawnee
Nevada Carson City Las Vegas R R D D D D 4 28.3 Shoshone Harry Reid
New Hampshire Concord Manchester R D D D D D 2 153.8 Algonquian John Sununu
New Jersey Trenton Newark D D D D D D 12 1,263.0 Lenni Lenape
New Mexico Santa Fe Albuquerque D R D D D D 3 17.5 Pueblo Bill Richardson
New York Albany New York D D D D D D 26 428.7 Algonquian Donald Trump
North Carolina Raleigh Charlotte R R D R R R 14 214.7 Algonquian Jesse Helms
North Dakota Bismarck Fargo R R R R R R 1 11.3 Sioux
Ohio Columbus Cleveland R R D D R R 15 288.8 Wyandot, Shawnee John Boehner
Oklahoma Oklahoma City Oklahoma City R R R R R R 5 57.7 Comanche
Oregon Salem Portland D D D D D D 6 44.1 Chinook Bob Packwood
Pennsylvania Harrisburg Philadelphia D D D D R D 17 290.6 Algonquian
Rhode Island Providence Providence D D D D D D 2 1,061.4 Narragansett
South Carolina Columbia Columbia R R R R R R 7 170.2 Cherokee Strom Thurmond
South Dakota Pierre Sioux Falls R R R R R R 1 11.7 Sioux George McGovern
Tennessee Nashville Nashville R R R R R R 9 167.6 Creek Howard Baker
Texas Austin Houston R R R R R R 38 111.6 Comanche Lyndon Johnson
Utah Salt Lake City Salt Lake City R R R R R R 4 39.7 Ute Mitt Romney
Vermont Montpelier Burlington D D D D D D 1 69.8 Mohican Bernie Sanders
Virginia Richmond Virginia Beach R R D D D D 11 218.6 Cherokee Harry F. Byrd Sr.
Washington Olympia Seattle D D D D D D 10 115.9 Nez Perce Henry "Scoop" Jackson
West Virginia Charleston Charleston R R R R R R 2 74.6 . Robert C. Byrd
Wisconsin Madison Milwaukee D D D D R D 8 108.8 Ojibwa William Proxmire
Wyoming Cheyenne Casper R R R R R R 1 5.9 Shoshone Dick Cheney
KEY:
NOTE: * .

SOURCE: The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2022

Links

U.S. Supreme Court at justia.com