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How to extract the state from an address in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Text manipulationExcel & Google Sheets
=MID(A2,FIND(", ",A2,FIND(",",A2))+2,2)✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Address |
| 123 Main St, Austin, TX 78701 |
| 456 Oak Ave, Miami, FL 33101 |
| 789 Pine Rd, Denver, CO 80201 |
| 321 Elm Blvd, Seattle, WA 98101 |
=MID(A2,FIND(", ",A2,FIND(",",A2))+2,2)→Au
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Step by step
- 1Ensure your addresses follow the standard format: Street, City, ST ZIP (two commas).
- 2Find the position of the second comma using FIND(",",A2) to get the first comma, then FIND(", ",A2,first+1) to get the second.
- 3After the second comma and space, the state abbreviation occupies positions start+2 and start+3.
- 4Use =MID(A2, FIND(", ",A2,FIND(",",A2))+2, 2) to extract exactly two characters.
- 5If addresses have only one comma (City ST ZIP), adjust to find the space before the state using FIND or RIGHT-based logic.
Tips
- If the format varies, consider splitting on commas with a helper column using Text to Columns, then trimming the state from the second-to-last segment.
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Frequently asked
What if some addresses include a suite or unit number adding a third comma?
Use a RIGHT-based approach instead: =TRIM(MID(A2,LEN(A2)-FIND(" ",TRIM(SUBSTITUTE(A2,",",REPT(" ",100)),MAX(1,LEN(TRIM(SUBSTITUTE(A2,",",REPT(" ",100))))-99)))+1,2)) — or clean the data first.
Can I extract the full state name instead of abbreviation?
Not directly from the address without a lookup table. Extract the abbreviation first, then use VLOOKUP or XLOOKUP against a state code table to get the full name.
More on Text manipulation
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Split a full name or any delimited text into separate columns. Google Sheets uses SPLIT; Excel uses TEXTSPLIT — here is each.
How-toHow to remove extra spaces
Clean leading, trailing, and double spaces with TRIM — the usual fix for lookups that fail on values that look identical.
How-toHow to convert text to a number
Turn numbers stored as text into real numbers with VALUE or by multiplying by 1 — the fix for sums that ignore values.
How-toHow to extract the domain from an email address
Pull everything after the @ from an email using FIND and MID. Works the same in Excel and Google Sheets.
How-toHow to extract the first name from a full name
Get the first name from a full name with LEFT and FIND, splitting on the first space. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.
How-toHow to add leading zeros
Pad numbers to a fixed width with leading zeros using TEXT, or a custom number format. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.