Observations of charge state distributions of oxygen and carbon are presented that were obtained with the charge-energy-mass spectrometer (CHEM) onboard the AMPTE/CCE space-craft. Data were selected for two different local time sectors (apogee at 1300 LT and 0300 LT, respectively), three L-ranges (4≤L≤6, 6≤L≤8, L>8), and quiet to moderately disturbed days (Kp≤4). The charge state distributions reveal the existence of all charge states of oxygen and carbon in the magnetosphere. The relative importance of the different charge states strongly depends on L and much less on local time. The observations confirm that the solar wind and the ionosphere contribute to the oxygen population, whereas carbon only originates from the solar wind. The L-dependence of the charge state distributions can be interpreted in terms of these different ion sources and of charge exchange and diffusion processes that largely influence the distribution of oxygen and carbon in the magnetosphere.