Age of Consent by State

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Table

Introduction

The age of consent is the legal age at which a person is able to consent to sexual intercourse. If a sexual relationship occurs when one party is below the statutory age of consent, it is considered statutory rape, because they are legally unable to consent to sex. This is true even if both parties are under the age of consent, though states have adopted “Romeo and Juliet laws” to take this into account. Age of consent laws do not apply if the parties are married, though there are also statutory minimums for the age at which one can marry.

While states may set their own age of consent, they only range from sixteen to eighteen. There are eleven states where the age of consent is the same as the age of majority and eight states where the age of consent is seventeen. The remaining states have an age of consent of sixteen.

StateAge of ConsentAcceptable Age DifferenceMinimum Marriage Age
Alabama 16 Years Old2 Years Old 16 Years Old
Alaska 16 Years Old3 Years Old 16 Years Old
Arkansas 16 Years Old3 Years Old 17 Years Old
Connecticut 16 Years Old2 Years Old 16 Years Old
District of Columbia 16 Years Old4 Years Old
Georgia 16 Years Old 16 Years Old
Hawaii 16 Years Old5 Years Old 15 Years Old
Indiana 16 Years Old 17 Years Old
Iowa 16 Years Old4 Years Old 16 Years Old
Kansas 16 Years Old 16 Years Old
Kentucky 16 Years Old 18 Years Old
Maine 16 Years Old5 Years Old 16 Years Old
Maryland 16 Years Old4 Years Old 16 Years Old
Massachusetts 16 Years Old 14 Years Old
Michigan 16 Years Old 16 Years Old
Minnesota 16 Years Old3 Years Old 16 Years Old
Mississippi 16 Years Old2 Years Old
Montana 16 Years Old 16 Years Old
Nebraska 16 Years Old 17 Years Old
Nevada 16 Years Old 16 Years Old
New Hampshire 16 Years Old 14 Years Old
New Jersey 16 Years Old4 Years Old 16 Years Old
North Carolina 16 Years Old4 Years Old 16 Years Old
Ohio 16 Years Old 16 Years Old
Oklahoma 16 Years Old 16 Years Old
Pennsylvania 16 Years Old4 Years Old 16 Years Old
Rhode Island 16 Years Old 16 Years Old
South Carolina 16 Years Old 16 Years Old
South Dakota 16 Years Old3 Years Old 16 Years Old
Vermont 16 Years Old 16 Years Old
Washington 16 Years Old2 Years Old 17 Years Old
West Virginia 16 Years Old4 Years Old 18 Years Old
Colorado 17 Years Old4 Years Old 16 Years Old
Illinois 17 Years Old 16 Years Old
Louisiana 17 Years Old3 Years Old 18 Years Old
Missouri 17 Years Old 15 Years Old
New Mexico 17 Years Old4 Years Old 16 Years Old
New York 17 Years Old 16 Years Old
Texas 17 Years Old3 Years Old 16 Years Old
Wyoming 17 Years Old4 Years Old 16 Years Old
Arizona 18 Years Old2 Years Old 16 Years Old
California 18 Years Old
Delaware 18 Years Old 16 Years Old
Florida 18 Years Old 16 Years Old
Idaho 18 Years Old 16 Years Old
North Dakota 18 Years Old 16 Years Old
Oregon 18 Years Old3 Years Old 17 Years Old
Tennessee 18 Years Old4 Years Old 16 Years Old
Utah 18 Years Old10 Years Old 16 Years Old
Virginia 18 Years Old 16 Years Old
Wisconsin 18 Years Old 16 Years Old

Age of Consent by State

Alabama

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Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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2 Years Old

16 Years Old

Alaska

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Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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3 Years Old

16 Years Old

Arizona

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Age of Consent

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18 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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2 Years Old

16 Years Old

Arkansas

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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3 Years Old

17 Years Old

California

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Age of Consent

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18 Years Old

Colorado

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Age of Consent

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17 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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4 Years Old

16 Years Old

Connecticut

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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2 Years Old

16 Years Old

Delaware

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Age of Consent

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18 Years Old

16 Years Old

District of Columbia

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Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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4 Years Old

Florida

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Age of Consent

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18 Years Old

16 Years Old

Georgia

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

16 Years Old

Hawaii

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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5 Years Old

15 Years Old

Idaho

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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18 Years Old

16 Years Old

Illinois

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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17 Years Old

16 Years Old

Indiana

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

17 Years Old

Iowa

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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4 Years Old

16 Years Old

Kansas

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

16 Years Old

Kentucky

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

18 Years Old

Louisiana

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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17 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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3 Years Old

18 Years Old

Maine

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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5 Years Old

16 Years Old

Maryland

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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4 Years Old

16 Years Old

Massachusetts

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

14 Years Old

Michigan

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Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

16 Years Old

Minnesota

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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3 Years Old

16 Years Old

Mississippi

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Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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2 Years Old

Missouri

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Age of Consent

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17 Years Old

15 Years Old

Montana

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Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

16 Years Old

Nebraska

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

17 Years Old

Nevada

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Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

16 Years Old

New Hampshire

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

14 Years Old

New Jersey

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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4 Years Old

16 Years Old

New Mexico

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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17 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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4 Years Old

16 Years Old

New York

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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17 Years Old

16 Years Old

North Carolina

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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4 Years Old

16 Years Old

North Dakota

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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18 Years Old

16 Years Old

Ohio

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

16 Years Old

Oklahoma

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

16 Years Old

Oregon

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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18 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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3 Years Old

17 Years Old

Pennsylvania

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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4 Years Old

16 Years Old

Rhode Island

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Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

16 Years Old

South Carolina

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

16 Years Old

South Dakota

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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3 Years Old

16 Years Old

Tennessee

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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18 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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4 Years Old

16 Years Old

Texas

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add_circle

Age of Consent

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17 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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3 Years Old

16 Years Old

Utah

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Age of Consent

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18 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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10 Years Old

16 Years Old

Vermont

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Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

16 Years Old

Virginia

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Age of Consent

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18 Years Old

16 Years Old

Washington

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Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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2 Years Old

17 Years Old

West Virginia

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Age of Consent

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16 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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4 Years Old

18 Years Old

Wisconsin

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Age of Consent

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18 Years Old

16 Years Old

Wyoming

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Age of Consent

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17 Years Old

Acceptable Age Difference

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4 Years Old

16 Years Old