What is the California State Abbreviation?

Author: Jason Coles

Updated On:

Updated On:

Abbreviations of specific states can be tough to remember, considering there are 50 of them. You should know them though, as state abbreviations are required when entering a physical address for purposes such as mailing letters or packages, sending cards to friends, colleagues, and loved ones, or mailing important business documents such as contracts or legal paperwork. Learning the United States abbreviations will be incredibly handy for those residing or doing business in the US.

CA State Abbreviation

Due to a large number of states all having their own unique two-letter abbreviation, it can be a hard task attempting to remember all 50 of them, especially as many states’ names share the same letters and other similarities. The purpose of this page is to help you familiarize yourself with the California state abbreviation.




The California state abbreviation is made up of the first two letters in the word “California”, it is, much the same as other state abbreviations and is relatively easy to memorize as it reads: “CA”. Throughout the course of your personal and business life, there will be plenty of situations that will require the use of the CA state abbreviation.

CA State Abbreviation

There isn’t just a two-letter postal abbreviation for all 50 states, there’s also a regular abbreviation for each state too. Regular state abbreviations came out in 1963, but many were three or more letters in length so it was decided they would be too long to include on envelopes and packages as postal addressing equipment used by the US Postal service couldn’t accommodate these longer states abbreviations along with zip codes.

The California state abbreviation is made up of the first five letters of the state name with a period at the end of the abbreviation: ‘Calif.’, it is one of the longest state abbreviations. California, otherwise know as The Golden State offers plenty of opportunities for those looking to do business in the state, as well as those seeking a better lifestyle and quality of life. If you are an employer, or someone looking to move to, or work in the state of CA, you might be interested to learn more about the current California minimum wage rate.

If California ends up being a place you call home, or if you have friends, family, or business associates that live in the state, you will most certainly need to use the CA state abbreviation in the future.

Check out our US Postal Abbreviations table where you can see not just the California (CA) postal abbreviation, but each state’s unique two-letter postal abbreviations and regular abbreviations. The table is conveniently arranged in alphabetical order by state.

US State Initials

California

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Jason Coles

Jason Coles is the Founder of Foreign USA and its Chief Content Writer and Editor. Recognized as a prolific business plan writer by many prominent immigration attorneys in the U.S. who refer his services to their clients regularly, Jason has written over 1,345 business plans across the past 17+ years for start-up companies and franchises looking to expand their footprint in the United States. Jason is considered a seasoned expert in his field. He creates detailed business plans for his clients that include five-year financial projections, market and industry analysis reports, demographic studies, organizational charts, job descriptions, employee hiring plans, and more.