Marriage Age by State

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Introduction

The minimum marriage age in the United States varies from state to state, with some states allowing marriages at a much younger age than others. Most states have a minimum marriage age with parental consent of 16 years old, some states have a minimum marriage age that goes as high as 18 years old such as Kentucky and Louisiana, while other states go as low as 14 like Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The general marriage age, without parental consent, is consistent at 18 in most states except for Nebraska, where it is 19, and Mississippi, where it is 21.

It is worth noting that while the minimum marriage age is set by state law, there are federal laws that prohibit marriage between certain individuals, such as close relatives. In addition, states also implement regulations about the age of consent, which refers to the age at which a person is considered legally able to consent to sexual activity. In some states, the age of consent is lower than the minimum marriage age, which means that while someone may be legally allowed to engage in sexual activity, they are not legally allowed to get married. On the other hand, in some states, the age of consent is higher than the minimum marriage age, which means that someone may be legally allowed to get married but not legally allowed to engage in sexual activity. This can create a conflict between the two laws.

Legal Marriage Age by State

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

Minimum Marriage Age by State

The minimum marriage age with parental consent varies significantly by state in the US. In total, there are 36 states that allow marriages at 16 years old. There are 5 states that allow marriage at 17 years old – Arkansas, Indiana, Nebraska, Oregon, and Washington. Three states have a minimum marriage age at the age of 18 – Kentucky, Louisiana, and West Virginia. Two states have a minimum marriage age of 15 years old, Hawaii and Missouri, and two states have the lowest minimum marriage age, which is 14 years old. Those states are Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Age of Marriage by State

Alabama

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16 Years Old

In Alabama, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Alaska

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16 Years Old

In Alaska, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Arizona

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16 Years Old

In Arizona, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 18 years old.

Arkansas

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17 Years Old

In Arkansas, the minimum marriage age is 17 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Colorado

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16 Years Old

In Colorado, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 17 years old.

Connecticut

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16 Years Old

In Connecticut, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Delaware

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16 Years Old

In Delaware, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 18 years old.

Florida

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16 Years Old

In Florida, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 18 years old.

Georgia

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16 Years Old

In Georgia, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Hawaii

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15 Years Old

In Hawaii, the minimum marriage age is 15 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Idaho

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16 Years Old

In Idaho, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 18 years old.

Illinois

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16 Years Old

In Illinois, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 17 years old.

Indiana

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17 Years Old

In Indiana, the minimum marriage age is 17 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Iowa

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16 Years Old

In Iowa, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Kansas

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16 Years Old

In Kansas, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Kentucky

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18 Years Old

In Kentucky, the minimum marriage age is 18 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Louisiana

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18 Years Old

In Louisiana, the minimum marriage age is 18 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 17 years old.

Maine

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16 Years Old

In Maine, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Maryland

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16 Years Old

In Maryland, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Massachusetts

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14 Years Old

In Massachusetts, the minimum marriage age is 14 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Michigan

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16 Years Old

In Michigan, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Minnesota

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16 Years Old

In Minnesota, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Missouri

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15 Years Old

In Missouri, the minimum marriage age is 15 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 17 years old.

Montana

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16 Years Old

In Montana, the minimum marriage age is 16 years old, the general marriage age is 18, and the age of consent is 16 years old.

Nebraska

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17 Years Old

In Nebraska, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 17 years old, and without parental consent, it is 19 years old. The age of consent is 16 years old.

Nevada

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16 Years Old

In Nevada, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 16 years old.

New Hampshire

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14 Years Old

In New Hampshire, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 14 years old for males and 13 years old for females, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 16 years old.

New Jersey

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16 Years Old

In New Jersey, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 16 years old.

New Mexico

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16 Years Old

In New Mexico, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 17 years old.

New York

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16 Years Old

In New York, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 17 years old.

North Carolina

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16 Years Old

In North Carolina, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 16 years old.

North Dakota

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16 Years Old

In North Dakota, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 18 years old.

Ohio

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16 Years Old

In Ohio, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 16 years old.

Oklahoma

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16 Years Old

In Oklahoma, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 16 years old.

Oregon

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17 Years Old

In Oregon, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 17 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 18 years old.

Pennsylvania

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16 Years Old

In Pennsylvania, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 16 years old.

Rhode Island

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16 Years Old

In Rhode Island, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 16 years old.

South Carolina

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16 Years Old

In South Carolina, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 16 years old.

South Dakota

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16 Years Old

In South Dakota, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 16 years old.

Tennessee

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16 Years Old

In Tennessee, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 18 years old.

Texas

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16 Years Old

In Texas, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 17 years old.

Utah

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16 Years Old

In Utah, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 18 years old.

Vermont

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16 Years Old

In Vermont, the legal marriage age with parental consent is 16 years old, and without parental consent, it is 18 years old. The age of consent is 16 years old.

Virginia

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16 Years Old

In Virginia, the legal marriage age is 16 years old with parental consent and 18 without consent, while the age of consent is 18 years old.

Washington

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17 Years Old

In Washington, the legal marriage age is 17 years old with parental consent and 18 without consent, while the age of consent is 16 years old.

West Virginia

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18 Years Old

In West Virginia, the legal marriage age is 18 years old both with and without parental consent, while the age of consent is 16 years old.

Wisconsin

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16 Years Old

In Wisconsin, the legal marriage age is 16 years old with parental consent and 18 without consent, while the age of consent is 18 years old.

Wyoming

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16 Years Old

In Wyoming, the legal marriage age is 16 years old with parental consent and 18 without consent, while the age of consent is 17 years old.

FAQs

What is the legal age to get married ?

The legal age to get married in the US varies by state, with most states having a minimum marriage age of 16 years old with parental consent.

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