The official Louisiana abbreviation is LA, the pair of capitals that mail sorting and online forms rely on, forms and drop-down menus. In older writing and some style guides you will also see La., a traditional short form with a capital L, a small a and a period.
Either form means the state on the Gulf of Mexico, home to New Orleans and the capital, Baton Rouge. The trick is knowing which one fits where, and remembering that the same two capitals can also mean a famous city in California.
Quick facts
Postal code
LA (two capitals, no period)Traditional
La.In running text
Spell out LouisianaCapital city
Baton RougeStatehood
1812, the 18th stateNot to be confused with
AL (Alabama), L.A. (Los Angeles)
Louisiana abbreviation options at a glance
| Form | Kind | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| LA | USPS postal code | Envelopes, shipping labels, online forms, databases |
| La. | Traditional abbreviation | Older reference books, some citations, tight tables |
| Louisiana | Full name | Sentences in articles, essays, letters and reports |
If you remember one rule, make it this: use LA wherever an address gets scanned or sorted, and spell out Louisiana anywhere a person reads a sentence. The full list of codes for every state is on our state abbreviations page.
Writing the LA state abbreviation on mail
Write the postal code as a pair of capitals, without a period or a space. On the final address line it follows the city and comes just ahead of the ZIP code.
Envelope line: "Lafayette, LA 70501." The post office scanner reads LA as Louisiana and the ZIP code as the delivery area. Writing "La." or "Louisiana" here will still usually arrive, but LA is the form the Postal Service asks for.
Online checkout forms, school enrollment forms and government forms almost always use LA in their state lists, so pick LA from the menu when you live there.
What is the abbreviation for Louisiana in writing?
In a regular sentence, most editors want the full word: "She grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana." Current newsroom style writes out the state name in full inside articles, even right after a city. Older news style and many reference books used the traditional La., so you will see it in archives and library catalogs.
La. is still handy in a crowded table, a footnote or a legal citation where space is short. Keep the lowercase a and the period, and do not write "LA." with a period, which mixes the two systems.
LA, AL or L.A.? Avoiding mix-ups
Louisiana's code has two famous look-alikes:
- AL is Alabama. The same letters in reverse order, and a neighbor to the east, so swapped codes happen on forms. See the Alabama abbreviation page.
- L.A. is the everyday short name for Los Angeles. In casual writing, "LA" alone often means the city. On a shipping label, though, LA is always the state, and a Los Angeles address uses CA for California.
Other close codes are AK (Alaska), AR (Arkansas) and AZ (Arizona). When in doubt, read the city name: a Baton Rouge address is LA, and a Little Rock address is AR.
A few Louisiana facts behind the name
The state's name honors the French king Louis XIV, and French place names and words are common across the state. Louisiana joined the Union in 1812 as the 18th state.
One detail trips up visitors filling out forms: Louisiana is divided into parishes rather than counties. If a form asks for your county and you live in Louisiana, enter your parish, such as Orleans Parish or East Baton Rouge Parish.
Louisiana state abbreviation in sentences
- "Ship to: 400 Canal St., New Orleans, LA 70130."
- "The conference moved from Houston to Baton Rouge, Louisiana."
- "Birthplace: Monroe, La. (older catalog entry)"
- "Select LA from the state menu, not AL."
Notice that only the first and last lines use LA. For more on how short forms like these are built, see how to abbreviate.
Questions people ask
Is LA the abbreviation for Louisiana or Los Angeles?
Both, in different settings. In postal addresses and on forms, LA means Louisiana. In everyday talk and headlines, LA or L.A. often means Los Angeles, a city in California.
Is there a period in the Louisiana abbreviation?
Not in the postal code: write LA. The traditional form, La., does take a period.
What does the abbreviation La. mean?
It is the older, traditional abbreviation for Louisiana, used before two-letter postal codes became standard and still seen in some citations and catalogs.
Is LA a Louisiana acronym?
Not really. LA simply takes the opening pair of letters from Louisiana for mail. You read it letter by letter, L A.