Eleven US State Capitals in Order of Population, from Columbus to Pierre

Columbus has 905,748 residents at the 2020 census, the largest of the eleven. It sits where the Scioto and Olentangy rivers meet, was founded in 1812 and became the Ohio capital in 1816, and grew as a transportation and industrial hub before adding finance, insurance, education and technology.

Boise had 235,684 residents in 2020 and is both the capital and the most populous city of Idaho. It lies on the Boise River in the southwest of the state, with a metropolitan area in the Treasure Valley of about 846,000 people spread over five counties.

Baton Rouge had 227,470 residents in 2020. The Louisiana capital stands on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River as the seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, and its industry, petrochemicals, medicine and research share the city with Louisiana State University and Southern University.

Salt Lake City had 199,723 residents in 2020, with a metropolitan area of about 1.3 million. Latter-day Saint pioneers seeking religious refuge established it, and it is now the capital and most populous city of Utah and a regional hub for commerce and culture.

Jackson had 153,701 residents in 2020. The Mississippi capital stands on the Pearl River; Union forces set it on fire during the 1863 siege of Jackson, and in the 1920s a natural gas boom let it pass Meridian as the largest city in the state.

Topeka had 126,587 residents in 2020. The capital of Kansas lies along the Kansas River in the northeast of the state and gave its name to Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the Supreme Court case that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Santa Fe had 87,505 residents in 2020, yet it is the fourth largest city in New Mexico and the oldest state capital in the United States. Founded as a Spanish colonial capital, it is also the earliest European settlement west of the Mississippi River.

Bismarck had 73,622 residents in 2020, the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. European Americans established it in 1872 on the eastern bank of the Missouri River, and it has been the state capital since 1889.

Carson City had 58,639 residents in 2020 and is an independent city, the sixth most populous in Nevada. It grew from a stopover for westbound travelers into an urban center after silver was found at the nearby Comstock Lode, and it has been the capital since 1861, while Nevada was still a territory.

Helena had 32,091 residents in 2020. The Montana capital began as a gold mining camp after discoveries at Last Chance Gulch, and by 1888 it was home to roughly fifty millionaires, whose wealth shaped its prominent Victorian architecture.

Pierre had only 14,091 residents in 2020, making it the second least populous US state capital after Montpelier, Vermont. It sits on the Missouri River, was named for a prominent fur trader from Saint Louis, and became the South Dakota capital when statehood came on November 2, 1889.