Writing & StyleRule guide

Comma with Addresses

When an address is embedded in a sentence, commas commonly set off the city and state or comparable geographical units, while the street number and street name stay together without an internal comma. Postal-address formatting follows separate conventions.

Quick answer

In running prose, use commas to separate geographical parts of an address, but do not insert a comma between the street number and street name.

Key details

Core Issuepunctuating addresses inside running prose
Registergeneral and formal writing
Rule Familycomma punctuation

Important caveats

Scope Boundary

Mailing-label and postal-address layouts are formatting systems, not ordinary sentence punctuation; follow postal or organizational standards for those layouts.

Further guidance

Application

When the address continues into the sentence, close the set-off geographical element with a following comma where the sentence structure requires it.

Core Rule

Commas set off geographical names and address elements in running text, except the street number and street name are not separated by a comma.

Sources and evidence

Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.

  1. Extended Rules for Commas — Purdue OWL (opens in a new tab)Purdue University · Direct punctuation guidance for commas in geographical names and addresses.

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