Random US state generator: spin the wheel
Which US state is it going to be? Spin the wheel – all 50 states have exactly the same chance.
Source: USAGov – States and territories. Updated: .
How it is calculated
This random US state generator lists all 50 states of the United States. Every slice is the same size, so each state has a 1 in 50 chance – 2% – regardless of area or population.
How it works
- Press “Spin the wheel” – it stops on one of the 50 states.
- To go through every state once, switch on “Remove the winning entry from the wheel”. “Drawn so far” lists the states already picked.
- For a capitals quiz, replace the entries with pairs such as “Texas – Austin”, or with the capitals alone.
US states and their capitals
| State | Capital |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Montgomery |
| Alaska | Juneau |
| Arizona | Phoenix |
| Arkansas | Little Rock |
| California | Sacramento |
| Colorado | Denver |
| Connecticut | Hartford |
| Delaware | Dover |
| Florida | Tallahassee |
| Georgia | Atlanta |
| Hawaii | Honolulu |
| Idaho | Boise |
| Illinois | Springfield |
| Indiana | Indianapolis |
| Iowa | Des Moines |
| Kansas | Topeka |
| Kentucky | Frankfort |
| Louisiana | Baton Rouge |
| Maine | Augusta |
| Maryland | Annapolis |
| Massachusetts | Boston |
| Michigan | Lansing |
| Minnesota | Saint Paul |
| Mississippi | Jackson |
| Missouri | Jefferson City |
| Montana | Helena |
| Nebraska | Lincoln |
| Nevada | Carson City |
| New Hampshire | Concord |
| New Jersey | Trenton |
| New Mexico | Santa Fe |
| New York | Albany |
| North Carolina | Raleigh |
| North Dakota | Bismarck |
| Ohio | Columbus |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City |
| Oregon | Salem |
| Pennsylvania | Harrisburg |
| Rhode Island | Providence |
| South Carolina | Columbia |
| South Dakota | Pierre |
| Tennessee | Nashville |
| Texas | Austin |
| Utah | Salt Lake City |
| Vermont | Montpelier |
| Virginia | Richmond |
| Washington | Olympia |
| West Virginia | Charleston |
| Wisconsin | Madison |
| Wyoming | Cheyenne |
Common traps: California's capital is Sacramento, not Los Angeles or San Francisco. New York's capital is Albany, not New York City. Illinois' capital is Springfield, not Chicago. A good rule of thumb: the capital is often not the biggest city.
Quiz and geography ideas
- Capitals quiz: the wheel picks a state; the first to name its capital scores a point.
- Find it on the map: locate the drawn state on a blank map of the US – great for social studies or geography class.
- Postal abbreviations: can you name the two-letter code for the state you drew (CA, TX, NY...)?
- Name the neighbors: which states border the one you drew?
- Assign presentations: with “Remove the winning entry from the wheel”, each student or group gets a different state until all 50 are taken.
- Plan a road trip: let chance choose your next weekend getaway or bucket-list destination.
Need a different list? Build your own on the spin the wheel page.
Frequently asked questions
How many US states are there?
The United States has 50 states. All 50 are on the wheel, each with the same chance.
Do bigger or more populous states have a better chance?
No. Every slice is the same size, so each state has exactly 2%. To weight by population, add an asterisk, e.g. “California *3”.
What is the capital of California?
Sacramento – not Los Angeles or San Francisco, which are just the state's best-known cities. The full list is in the table above.
Can I add Washington, D.C. or the US territories?
Yes. D.C. and territories such as Puerto Rico or Guam are not states, so they are not preset – add each as a new line and the wheel re-divides the chances.
How do I pick each state only once?
Switch on “Remove the winning entry from the wheel”. After 50 spins every state has come up exactly once; “Put drawn entries back” starts over.
Can I spin only certain states or a region?
Yes. Under “Region:” pick Northeast, Midwest, South or West (the four U.S. Census Bureau regions) and the wheel keeps only those states. You can also delete lines yourself – for example to keep only the states on the West Coast.
Can I use the wheel in class?
Yes. It runs in the browser without sign-up, and “Share this wheel” gives you a link that contains the list, so every student can open the same wheel.
Sources and legal basis
- USAGov – States and territories
- W3C Recommendation: W3C Web Cryptography API – getRandomValues()
- MDN Web Docs – Crypto.getRandomValues()
As of: · Editorial policy
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