Marriage Age By State

Marriage is a cherished institution in the United States, one that binds couples legally, emotionally, and oftentimes spiritually. But before saying 'I do,' there are legal requirements to meet, one of the most crucial being the age of consent. In the United States, the age of consent for marriage varies from state to state, as it is established by individual state laws, either through statutes or common law principles.

• A majority of states, 29 out of 37 in our dataset, have established the minimum marriage age (with parental consent) as 16 years old. Eight states have determined their minimum marriage age (with parental consent) to be 17 years old.
• Among the states where the minimum marriage age is 16, the geographical distribution spans from East to West, encapsulating states in different regions such as Maine in the East, Alabama in the South, Wyoming in the West, and Michigan in the Midwest. 
• The states where the minimum marriage age with parental consent is set at 17 include Washington, Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, Arkansas, Oregon, Maryland, Nevada, and Nebraska.