Wheel of states
Spin the wheel of states by region
The Census Bureau splits the 50 states into 4 regions: South 16, West 13, Midwest 12 and Northeast 9. Every state has the same 1 in 50 chance, so the South comes up most because it holds the most states.
- 1 in 50Chance for each state2% on the full wheel
- 7.69%Each state, West alone1 in 13 after No states and West
- 11.11%Each state, Northeast alone1 in 9, the smallest region
The groups match the Census Bureau's map of regions and divisions, checked on October 21, 2026. Your browser's crypto.getRandomValues draws each state before the wheel turns. Odds change only if you set weights in Weights, colors & images. The 10,000-spin fairness test shows how the picks hold up.
Step by step
How to pick a random US state
The state filters and the quiz sit to the right of the wheel on a computer and under it on a phone. The full entry list hides behind Edit entries & settings.
Choose the states
Keep all 50, or press No states and then a region, such as Midwest. Census divisions opens smaller groups, such as New England.
Fine-tune
Pick states one by one lists every state with a tick box, plus a search field that takes names or codes such as OH.
Choose the labels
Wheel labels shows names (Texas), names with codes (Texas (TX)) or codes alone (TX).
Spin
Hit Spin, click the wheel or use the Space key. The result names the capital, code, region and division.
A Texas result, for example, reads “Capital: Austin · TX · South region, West South Central division”. Remove in the popup takes a state off so it can't come up again.
Answer key
All 50 state capitals and postal codes
Every state on the wheel carries its capital and its 2-letter USPS code, and the result popup shows both. The codes match the Postal Service's state abbreviations list, and the table doubles as the answer key for the quiz.
| State | Code | Capital | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | AL | Montgomery | South |
| Alaska | AK | Juneau | West |
| Arizona | AZ | Phoenix | West |
| Arkansas | AR | Little Rock | South |
| California | CA | Sacramento | West |
| Colorado | CO | Denver | West |
| Connecticut | CT | Hartford | Northeast |
| Delaware | DE | Dover | South |
| District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) | DC | None, a federal district | South |
| Florida | FL | Tallahassee | South |
| Georgia | GA | Atlanta | South |
| Hawaii | HI | Honolulu | West |
| Idaho | ID | Boise | West |
| Illinois | IL | Springfield | Midwest |
| Indiana | IN | Indianapolis | Midwest |
| Iowa | IA | Des Moines | Midwest |
| Kansas | KS | Topeka | Midwest |
| Kentucky | KY | Frankfort | South |
| Louisiana | LA | Baton Rouge | South |
| Maine | ME | Augusta | Northeast |
| Maryland | MD | Annapolis | South |
| Massachusetts | MA | Boston | Northeast |
| Michigan | MI | Lansing | Midwest |
| Minnesota | MN | Saint Paul | Midwest |
| Mississippi | MS | Jackson | South |
| Missouri | MO | Jefferson City | Midwest |
| Montana | MT | Helena | West |
| Nebraska | NE | Lincoln | Midwest |
| Nevada | NV | Carson City | West |
| New Hampshire | NH | Concord | Northeast |
| New Jersey | NJ | Trenton | Northeast |
| New Mexico | NM | Santa Fe | West |
| New York | NY | Albany | Northeast |
| North Carolina | NC | Raleigh | South |
| North Dakota | ND | Bismarck | Midwest |
| Ohio | OH | Columbus | Midwest |
| Oklahoma | OK | Oklahoma City | South |
| Oregon | OR | Salem | West |
| Pennsylvania | PA | Harrisburg | Northeast |
| Rhode Island | RI | Providence | Northeast |
| South Carolina | SC | Columbia | South |
| South Dakota | SD | Pierre | Midwest |
| Tennessee | TN | Nashville | South |
| Texas | TX | Austin | South |
| Utah | UT | Salt Lake City | West |
| Vermont | VT | Montpelier | Northeast |
| Virginia | VA | Richmond | South |
| Washington | WA | Olympia | West |
| West Virginia | WV | Charleston | South |
| Wisconsin | WI | Madison | Midwest |
| Wyoming | WY | Cheyenne | West |
4 capitals start with the same letter as their state: Dover (Delaware), Honolulu (Hawaii), Indianapolis (Indiana) and Oklahoma City (Oklahoma). 9 capitals have two or more words, from Little Rock to Salt Lake City.
Capitals quiz
Run a capitals quiz with a score
The capitals quiz turns each spin of the random state generator into one question: what is the capital of this state? The answer stays hidden until someone presses Show answer.
- Tick Capitals quiz in the state panel.
- Spin. The popup names the state and asks for its capital, without the answer.
- Close the popup and say your answer out loud.
- Press Show answer, then I got it right or I missed it.
The score shows right answers out of questions asked, with a percentage. Missed states collect in a To review list for the next round. Tick “Take each state off the wheel once it is answered” to work through all 50 without repeats, and Reset score starts over.
What is the capital of Vermont?
Answer: Montpelier
Score: 7 of 10 right (70%)
To review: Vermont, South Dakota, Kentucky
Trap answers: famous cities that aren't the capital
- New York: Albany, not New York City.
- California: Sacramento, not Los Angeles.
- Illinois: Springfield, not Chicago.
- Texas: Austin, not Houston.
- Florida: Tallahassee, not Miami.
- Pennsylvania: Harrisburg, not Philadelphia.
- Washington: Olympia, not Seattle.
- Nevada: Carson City, not Las Vegas.
Postal codes
The postal codes that trip people up
Only 19 of the 50 codes are just the first two letters of the state's name. Set Wheel labels to codes only, spin, and name the state: it's a quick test of exactly these.
- 19First two lettersSuch as AL for Alabama and OH for Ohio
- 10Initials of two wordsSuch as NY for New York and WV for West Virginia
- 21Something elseSuch as AZ for Arizona and TN for Tennessee
- AK Alaska
- AZ Arizona
- CT Connecticut
- GA Georgia
- HI Hawaii
- IA Iowa
- KS Kansas
- KY Kentucky
- LA Louisiana
- ME Maine
- MD Maryland
- MN Minnesota
- MS Mississippi
- MO Missouri
- MT Montana
- NV Nevada
- PA Pennsylvania
- TN Tennessee
- TX Texas
- VT Vermont
- VA Virginia
The M states cause the most mix-ups: ME Maine, MD Maryland, MA Massachusetts, MI Michigan, MN Minnesota, MS Mississippi, MO Missouri and MT Montana. 8 states start with M and 8 with N, so a random letter makes a good “name a state that starts with…” round.
Census divisions
The nine Census divisions on the random state generator
The 4 regions split again into 9 divisions, and every division has its own button. South Atlantic and Mountain are the largest, with 8 states each.
| Division | Region | States |
|---|---|---|
| New England | Northeast | 6: CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT |
| Middle Atlantic | Northeast | 3: NJ, NY, PA |
| East North Central | Midwest | 5: IL, IN, MI, OH, WI |
| West North Central | Midwest | 7: IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD |
| South Atlantic | South | 8: DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV |
| East South Central | South | 4: AL, KY, MS, TN |
| West South Central | South | 4: AR, LA, OK, TX |
| Mountain | West | 8: AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY |
| Pacific | West | 5: AK, CA, HI, OR, WA |
| Total | All 4 | 50, plus DC in South Atlantic |
Middle Atlantic is the smallest division, with 3: New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. In this grouping, Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia belong to the South.
Repeats
How often a random state generator repeats itself
Sooner than you'd think. The wheel doesn't remember past spins, so a state that just came up keeps its 1 in 50 chance on the next one. Across 10 spins, the chance that some state appears twice is 61.8%.
For a class of 28 handing out state reports, a repeat is all but certain without removal: 99.99%. Switch Customize to remove each winner automatically, and 28 spins give 28 different states.
Spinning to see every state at least once takes 50 spins with removal. Without it, the average is about 225 spins, because the last few states take ages to turn up.
- 5 spins18.6%
- 10 spins61.8%
- 15 spins90.4%
- 20 spins98.8%
- 28 spins99.99%
DC and territories
Washington, D.C. and the territories
Washington, D.C. stays off the random state generator by default, because the District of Columbia is a federal district and not a state. Tick Include Washington, D.C. to add it as entry number 51.
Where DC counts
With DC on, the South holds 17 entries and the South Atlantic division holds 9.
DC in the quiz
DC has no state capital, so a quiz spin that lands on it says so and asks you to spin again.
Territories
Puerto Rico, Guam and the other territories aren’t on the list. Add any of them as a line in the entries list, and the filters leave them in place.
Ideas
Class and road-trip ideas for the state wheel
A fair spin settles “which state?” for a report, a quiz night or a weekend drive.
State reports
Turn on Remove the winner automatically so each student gets a different state.
Capitals practice
Tick Capitals quiz and filter to the region the class is studying this week.
Road-trip idea
Leave only the states you can drive to, then spin for a destination.
Recipe night
Spin a state and cook a dish people link with it, from gumbo to clam chowder.
For the whole world instead of the US, the random country generator covers 195 countries with flags. To hand out states to a class list, the name picker chooses who goes first.
FAQ
Random state generator FAQ
How many states are on the random state generator?
All 50 US states. Washington, D.C. is an optional 51st entry because it is a federal district, not a state.
Can I spin only one region, such as the Northeast?
Yes. Press No states, then press Northeast. The same works for any of the 9 Census divisions.
What are the 4 regions of the United States?
The Census Bureau's 4 regions are the Northeast (9 states), Midwest (12), South (16) and West (13). Each state sits in exactly 1 region.
Does the wheel show state capitals?
Yes. Every result shows the capital, such as Austin for Texas. In quiz mode, the capital stays hidden until you press Show answer.
Can it give me a random state and city?
It gives the state and its capital city. For other cities, type your own list, such as “Texas – Houston”, one per line.
Can I stop a state coming up twice?
Yes. Take it off with Remove in the popup, or set Customize to remove each winner. In quiz mode, the “take each state off” box does the same after each answer.
Can I add Puerto Rico or other territories?
Yes. Add the name as its own line under Entries. Region and division buttons leave typed entries alone.
Codes only, as a warm-up
Switch Wheel labels to codes only before a quiz round. Players name the state from its code, then the popup confirms it with the capital.
Last updated · Written and tested by Melissa T. Brown