Commas to Separate a City and State
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Commas to Separate a City and State
Rule – Use a comma to separate the city from the state, and always put one after the state, also.
Example:
I lived in Denver, Colorado, for 20 years.
NOTE: The U.S. Postal Service’s two-letter capitalized abbreviations (e.g., CO for Colorado, IL for Illinois) are not recommended in formal writing. However, when writing an address on an envelope, you should follow U.S. Postal Service guidelines. These guidelines are covered in our blog “Writing Addresses.”
Rule – Use commas to set off expressions that interrupt sentence flow.
Example:
I am, as you have probably noticed, very nervous about this.
Pop Quiz
1A. The New England Patriots, have played their home football games in Foxborough, Massachusetts, since 1971.
1B. The New England Patriots have played their home football games in Foxborough, Massachusetts since 1971.
1C. The New England Patriots have played their home football games in Foxborough, Massachusetts, since 1971.
2A. Janet has lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, her entire life.
2B. Janet has lived in New Orleans, Louisiana her entire life.
2C. Janet, has lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, her entire life.
3A. I agreed, although I regretted the decision later, to loan our car to Miriam.
3B. I agreed although I regretted the decision later, to loan our car to Miriam.
3C. I agreed although I regretted the decision later to loan our car to Miriam.
Pop Quiz Answers
1C. The New England Patriots have played their home football games in Foxborough, Massachusetts, since 1971.
2A. Janet has lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, her entire life.
3A. I agreed, although I regretted the decision later, to loan our car to Miriam.
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
My mind is only partially relieved to see the city, state, comma rule still exists, because more and more I find the comma after the state omitted in publications where editors should know better. It’s troublesome.
I’m confused as to why you state that a comma goes AFTER the state in your example sentence:
Rule 7. Use a comma to separate a city from its state, and remember to put one after the state, also.
Example: I’m from the Akron, Ohio, area.
What is the reason for putting one after the state? Ohio is essential information and should not be within a set of commas.
In these sorts of situations where a state is used with the city name, the state is followed by a comma (unless it ends the sentence or is followed by a zip code). This is consistent with the recommendations of both the Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press Stylebook.
Which of these sentences are correct?
1. The prices of Austin TX homes for sale are dropping.
2. The prices of Austin, TX homes for sale are dropping.
3. The prices of Austin, TX, homes for sale are dropping.
Thanks in advance.
As the post states, always put a comma after the state, also. Therefore, the third sentence is correct.
Is a comma used between the city and the two letter state abbreviation? For example, is “Chicago IL, 60612” correct? Thank you.
Use a comma to separate a city from its state. Do not use a comma after the state when followed by a zip code.
Chicago, IL 60612
What is the proper order of comma usage when listing city, state, and county (not country, with an “r”)? For example, should it be Dallas, Dallas County, Texas or Dallas, Texas, Dallas County? Appreciate the assistance.
You can add the county if you think it is necessary; however, that seems unlikely in most contexts. We would write “Dallas, Dallas County, Texas.”
How would this be punctuated?
She has lived in Kennesaw, Ga, Chicago, IL, Dallas, TX, and Austin, TX.
Thank you.
Our post Connecting Sentences with Commas and Semicolons says, “Use the semicolon when you have commas for smaller separations, and you need the semicolon to show a bigger separation.”
She has lived in Kennesaw, GA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; and Austin, TX.
What is the rule for punctuation when filling out your address to a government agency online?
We know of no rule applying specifically to government agencies. Since you mention “filling out,” we assume you are referring to a form rather than asking about a complete sentence. Therefore, we recommend standard punctuation with a comma after the state as mentioned in this post. Example:
251 N. Main Street
Cedarville, OH 45314
I wonder if the rules regarding using a comma between city and state still apply when writing dialogue. For example, this sounds awkward to me:
“This weekend we’re taking a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada.”
Speakers don’t generally pause between stating a city and state, so it would seem more natural to write it without the comma.
Thank you for the insight.
We recommend keeping the comma in any formal writing.
St. Petersburg, FL, USA
Should there be a comma or a period between “FL” and “USA”?
No punctuation is used between “FL” and “USA.” In addition, if this is part of an address on an envelope to be mailed via the post office, the U.S. Postal Service recommends that you do not use any punctuation at all. See our post Writing Addresses for more information.