West Virginia Abbreviation

Author: Jason Coles

Updated On:

Updated On:

State abbreviations tend to be required when using a physical address for purposes such as sending packages, greeting cards, business documents, creating business cards and other printed marketing materials, filling out forms online, or general paperwork.

Knowing and understanding the West Virginia abbreviation is important for those who either live in West Virginia, are planning on moving to the state, those that may be seeking information regarding West Virginia, or just looking to mail something to family, friends, or business associates in West Virginia.

WV state abbreviation

The 50 different states in the U.S. all have their own unique two-letter postal abbreviations and it can be hard to remember each state’s abbreviation when you might need it most, especially as some states share similar lettering in their names. This page has been created to provide specific details on the West Virginia Abbreviation.




The West Virginia abbreviation is more unique when compared with other US states as the state’s name is made up of two different words. The West Virginia abbreviation is made up of the first letter of both words, “WV”. Easy to memorize compared with other states, but still not completely obvious.

WV State Abbreviation

There isn’t just a two-letter postal abbreviation assigned to all 50 states, there is also a longer abbreviation for each state. Regular state abbreviations came out in 1963, however, many were three or four letters in length and it was decided they would be too long to include on envelopes and packages as addressing equipment couldn’t accommodate these longer state abbreviations in addition to zip codes.

The WV state abbreviation is another unique case, with there being two words making up this state’s name, the WV state abbreviation uses the same lettering as the postal abbreviation but in lower case, with a period at the end and inclusion of the letter “A”, which represents the last letter of the word “Virginia”. Here’s how it spells, “W.Va.”

The Mountain State enjoys some of the highest levels of entrepreneurship in the U.S. in terms of start-up and high-growth companies. This is reinforced with the sheer number of small businesses within West Virginia, there are over 110,000 small businesses successfully running out of West Virginia, which is encouraging for any aspiring entrepreneur. This, as well as a multitude of other factors, make learning the WV state abbreviation even more important and beneficial.

How Do You Abbreviate West Virginia

People use state abbreviations all the time in everyday life and in business, it is important to understand the unique two-letter postal abbreviation representing each state in the U.S. as the probability of you needing to memorize it is very high.

Now you know how to abbreviate West Virginia, you can check out our US State Initials table where you can see each state’s unique two-letter postal abbreviations and regular abbreviations, including West Virginia – WV. This page also has a convenient downloadable one-page PDF listing all 50 states and their abbreviations.

If you are an employer or employee in the state of West Virginia, or if you are interested in starting a business in WV, you may be interested to learn more about the minimum wage in West Virginia.

US State Initials

West Virginia

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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 1,390 business plans across the past 18+ 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.