The New York abbreviation for mail is NY, the postal code for the state, written as two capitals with no periods. N.Y. is the traditional form, and it is what newspapers put after a city in datelines. When people mean the big city rather than the whole state, they often write NYC instead.
That city and state share a name is the main source of confusion. Albany, not New York City, is the state capital, and the Empire State stretches from Long Island to the shores of Lake Erie. This page sorts out every common short form and when each is correct.
Quick facts
Postal code
NYTraditional abbreviation
N.Y.City short form
NYC (New York City)State short form
NYS (New York State), informalCapital
AlbanyNickname
The Empire StateNot to be confused with
NJ (New Jersey) and NV (Nevada)
New York abbreviation options in one table
| Short form | Means | Best used in |
|---|---|---|
| NY | New York State | Addresses, forms, labels: Buffalo, NY 14201 |
| N.Y. | New York State | News datelines and traditional lists: ITHACA, N.Y. |
| NYC | New York City | Casual writing, signs, headlines about the city |
| NYS | New York State | Some state agency names and informal notes |
Only NY goes into the state slot of a mailing address. The others are for reading, not for sorting machines.
NY in a mailing address
Two-letter state codes arrived in 1963 together with ZIP Codes, and New York was assigned NY. Most ZIP Codes in the state start with 10 through 14, with the lowest numbers in Manhattan.
Apartment address: "L. Chen, 215 W 98th St Apt 4B, New York, NY 10025." Here New York appears twice: first as the city, then as NY, the state code. That is correct, and the post office expects both.
For other cities, the pattern is the same: Rochester, NY; Syracuse, NY; Yonkers, NY. Never put NYC in the state box.
N.Y. and how newspapers handle the name
N.Y. is the dotted abbreviation that writers used before postal codes. Under AP style, it follows a city name in a dateline, while story text spells out the state. New York City is one of a few large cities that AP lets stand alone in a dateline, so a story from there may begin with just NEW YORK.
Two datelines: "SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. The racing season opens this week." and "NEW YORK The subway added late night trains on two lines." The first needs the state; the second does not.
In essays and reports, spell out New York in sentences, and add "City" or "State" when the meaning could be unclear.
What is the New York state abbreviation vs the city one?
The New York state abbreviation is NY (or N.Y. in traditional writing). People sometimes write NYS, short for New York State, to make clear they mean the whole state. You will see it in the names of some state offices and on internal forms. For the city, NYC is the familiar short form, read letter by letter as "N Y C."
- "The NYS Thruway runs from New York City to Buffalo."
- "We spent a weekend in NYC seeing museums."
- "Albany is the capital of New York State."
On a formal envelope, though, there is just one choice: NY.
Look-alike codes near New York
Neighboring and similar codes are easy to swap:
- NJ is New Jersey, right across the Hudson River.
- NV is Nevada, far to the west. The two letters look alike in quick handwriting.
- NH is New Hampshire, and NM is New Mexico.
- Bordering states also include PA for Pennsylvania, CT for Connecticut, MA for Massachusetts and VT for Vermont.
Four states begin with "New," and each uses N plus the first letter of its second word.
Is NY an acronym?
No. NY is a postal abbreviation, and you say it as two letters, "N Y," or just say "New York." An acronym is spoken as a word, which never happens with NY. For a fuller explanation, read acronym vs abbreviation, and see all fifty codes in the state abbreviations chart.
Questions people ask
How is New York State abbreviated?
The official abbreviation is NY. N.Y. is the traditional form, and NYS is an informal short form used by some state offices.
Is NYC a state abbreviation?
No. NYC means New York City. In an address, the state is always written NY, even for addresses in the city.
Why do addresses say New York, NY?
The first New York is the city, and NY is the state code. Mail to Manhattan uses both because the city and state share a name.
Does NY have periods?
The postal code NY has no periods. Only the traditional form N.Y. uses them.
What is the capital of New York?
Albany is the capital. New York City has far more people, yet the legislature and the governor's office are in Albany.