Commonwealth vs. State
Before you even begin to discuss the concepts and differences between these designations, you have to first determine where you are located. So, where are you talking about? Commonwealths and States, in domestic law, are pretty much treated the same. So much so that one could say there is no practical difference. As a basic rule, in the United States of America, commonwealths and states are treated the same under the U. S. Constitution.
Like the other comments following, it depends on what kind of commonwealth you're talking about; some consider Puerto Rico a commonwealth (which has some benefits of federal assistance, but restricted voting rights, etc). However, if you're asking about Virginia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, or Pennsylvania (the four "states" in the US that call themselves a commonwealth), in a commonwealth landowners do not possess mineral or oil rights to their land. They don't actually own their land but own its use. However this does not significantly differentiate their structure or self-government in any way from other states in the Union. Other FAQ Framers have offered these opinions:
The above statement simply is not true. Studying the constitutions of most states you will find similar wording regarding the states identity or "sovereignty". To the federal government all states are created equal. The differences come about through actions of the states (or in VA, MA, PA and KY the commonwealth). Relative to the US there is NO difference between a state and a commonwealth although there are certainly differences in how each state is governed.
A country that is part of the commonwealth used to be a part of the British empire but now has political independence and state is equivalent to a country.
A state can also mean a large area of a country that has a some political and legislative authority, but is not fully independent.
With regard to the United states, a "commonwealth" is "a self-governing
autonomous political unit which has voluntarily associated itself with the United
States." One example would be Puerto Rico.
True commonwealths have a certain degree of government separate from the United
States, and their citizens lack certain rights and responsibilities as compared to the
citizens of US states. For example: Puerto Ricans do not pay income tax to the IRS;
they have no voting representation in Congress; and they are not permitted to vote
in presidential elections.
Four US states are known as "commonwealths": Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Kentucky. Clearly, none of the restrictions placed on Puerto Rica apply
to these states, so the difference for them is one of name only. They are not true commonwealths since they are, in fact recognized as states by the US federal government with all the rights and responsibilities pertaining thereto. For further information: http://bensguide.gpo.gov/support/faqs.html
There is no difference between the two other than terminology.
There are four US states that officially designate themselves as "commonwealths". Arkansas is not one of them.In practice, there's no real difference between a "commonwealth" state and one that just calls itself a state.
The difference is that an Inaugural address is when the president takes an oath and solemn promise and the other one is when he is telling the condition of the country.
Well there is no British empire as such nowadays. The ex-empire countries are known as commonwealth nations, many of these still have Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state, and have a close relationship with the United Kingdom.
they are two deferent competitions both games are only for the unprofessional players but the commonwealth games are only for countries that used to be in the commonwealth =)
what is the difference between action verds and state verbs ?
It is a US state named "The Commonwealth of Virginia".
What is the difference between a common wealth and a state?
difference between central and state university
a city state does not have an emperor the difference between a city-state and an empire is that a city-state does not have an emperor
a city state does not have an emperor the difference between a city-state and an empire is that a city-state does not have an emperor
It is a state, and its full name is "The Commonwealth of Kentucky", it is just refered to as Kentucky in common useage.