Minnesota Abbreviation: MN or Minn.

Three ways to write Minnesota

Here is a rule of thumb. Addresses, drop-down menus and data columns get MN. Sentences meant for human readers get Minnesota spelled in full.

The MN state abbreviation on envelopes

On mail, MN follows the city name and its comma, and a single space separates it from the ZIP code.

Minnesota ZIP codes begin with 55 or 56. If you see a Minnesota address with a ZIP starting with 48 or 49, someone probably meant Michigan, which is MI. The full list of codes lives on the state abbreviations page.

When Minn. still shows up

Before two-letter codes were introduced in the 1960s, writers cut Minnesota down to its first four letters plus a dot: Minn. That style survives in a few corners:

• News datelines. AP style spells out states inside a story but uses forms like Minn. after a city name at the top.
• Legal citations. Court names and case reporters often use the traditional style.
• Old records. Census sheets, deeds and family letters from long ago use Minn. or even the full name in script.

You do not need Minn. in school papers or work emails. Write Minnesota, or MN in an address line.

Is there a Minnesota acronym?

People sometimes search for a Minnesota acronym, but MN is not an acronym. An acronym is made from the first letters of several words and is often said as a word, like NASA. MN is a postal abbreviation: two letters taken from one name, Minnesota, and read aloud as "M N" or simply as the state name.

More examples are in acronym vs abbreviation.

MN or MI? Getting the M states right

Minnesota and Michigan sit near each other on the map, and both border Lake Superior, so their codes are mixed up a lot. Keep these straight:

• MN is Minnesota. Think N for the North Star State, one of its nicknames.
• MI is Michigan. See the Michigan abbreviation page.
• MS is Mississippi.
• MO is Missouri.
• ME is Maine, MA is Massachusetts, MD is Maryland and MT is Montana.

Its neighbors have their own codes too: ND for North Dakota, SD for South Dakota, IA for Iowa (see the Iowa abbreviation) and WI for Wisconsin.

Putting the Minnesota abbreviation to work

• Shipping form: "City: Bloomington. State: MN. ZIP: 55420."
• News opening: "ST. PAUL, Minn. The legislature met for a short session."
• Essay: "Winters in northern Minnesota are long and very cold."
• Spreadsheet column: MN, WI, IA, ND, SD for a regional sales report.

Notice that the abbreviation St. for Saint stays even when the state is shortened. The city's name is St. Paul in nearly all styles.