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Michigan

Stands forMI (postal code), Mich. (traditional)

postal codeM I, letter by letter

Michigan Abbreviation: MI and Mich.

StatesUS statesGreat LakesUpdated Oct 30

The official Michigan abbreviation for mail is MI, the code that mail carriers and sorting machines expect. The traditional abbreviation, used in older style guides, newspaper datelines and some citations, is Mich. with a capital M and a period.

So a Grand Rapids address ends with "MI 49503," while a news story might open with "LANSING, Mich." In a normal sentence, though, writers today usually spell out Michigan in full.

Quick facts

  • Postal code

    MI

  • Traditional

    Mich.

  • AP style

    Michigan in text; Mich. in datelines and lists

  • Period

    None on MI; one on Mich.

  • Capital

    Lansing

  • ZIP codes start with

    48 or 49

  • Not to be confused with

    MS (Mississippi), MN (Minnesota), MO (Missouri)

Which Michigan abbreviation should you use?

Here is a quick way to decide, based on what you are writing.

Michigan forms and where each belongs
Your documentForm to useSample
A mailing address or labelMIAnn Arbor, MI 48104
An online form with a state boxMIState: MI
A news dateline in AP styleMich.KALAMAZOO, Mich.
A reference list or older citation styleMich.Detroit, Mich.: City Press
A sentence in an essay, email or storyMichiganWe drove across Michigan.

If you are not sure, spelling the name out is never wrong in running text.

MI, the Michigan state abbreviation for mail

The two-letter postal code takes two capitals and no periods. Sorting machines read it along with the ZIP code, which in Michigan starts with 48 or 49.

On a package:
Taylor Brooks
27 Lakeview Drive
Traverse City, MI 49684
The code MI and the ZIP starting with 49 agree, so the label points clearly to northern Michigan.

The postal codes date from the 1960s, when ZIP codes came in and the Postal Service wanted short, uniform state codes. Codes for all fifty states are gathered on our state abbreviations page.

Mich. and the traditional style

Before postal codes, people abbreviated state names by cutting the word and adding a period. Michigan became Mich. That form still has a few jobs:

  • Datelines: news style puts the city in capitals, then Mich., at the start of a story.
  • Tables and lists: some publications use Mich. where space is short but a postal code would look too technical.
  • Legal and academic citations: some citation styles use traditional forms such as Mich. for courts and places.

Never write "Mi." or "Mic." Those are not standard for Michigan in any common style.

Do not mix up MI with the other M states

M begins eight state codes, tied with N for the most. Michigan's sits in that crowded group:

A handy check: Michigan and Minnesota both border the Great Lakes, and both codes use the first letter plus a letter from inside the name, I for Michigan and N for Minnesota. Mississippi takes S, Missouri takes O.

MI in other settings

Not every MI is the state. In a hospital chart, MI usually means myocardial infarction, the medical term for a heart attack. In a work file, it might stand for a middle initial field on a form. And in lowercase, mi is the short form for miles, as in "a 3 mi trail."

On a job application: "First name, MI, Last name." Here MI asks for your middle initial, one letter, not your home state.

Context settles it. If the letters sit next to a city and a ZIP code, they mean Michigan.

Sample lines using the Michigan abbreviation

  • "Please mail the form to Flint, MI 48502."
  • "DEARBORN, Mich. Officials opened the new library branch on Monday."
  • "Our cousins live in Michigan's Upper Peninsula."
  • "Ship to: Marquette, MI."
  • "He studied in Ann Arbor, Michigan, before moving south."

Both MI and Mich. are abbreviations, not acronyms. The page on acronym vs abbreviation shows how the two ideas differ.

Questions people ask

What is the abbreviation for Michigan?

The postal abbreviation is MI. The traditional abbreviation used in older writing and AP datelines is Mich.

Is MI Michigan or Minnesota?

MI is Michigan. Minnesota is MN, so watch the second letter when you fill in a form.

Is Mississippi MI or MS?

Mississippi is MS. MI belongs only to Michigan.

How do you abbreviate Michigan in AP style?

In the body of a story, AP style writes Michigan in full. In datelines and in some lists, it uses Mich. with a period.

Is the MI state abbreviation written with periods?

No. MI is just two capitals. The period belongs only to Mich.