Marriage age in the United States

Not to be confused with Ages of consent in the United States.

Marriageable age accounting for exceptions
  18
  17
  16
  15
  0
General age of marriage without parental or court approval or other exceptions taken into account
  18
  19
  21

In the United States, the minimum age at which a person can marry, with or without parental consent or other authorization, is set by each state and territory, either by statute or where the common law applies. The general marriage age (lacking authorization for an exception) is 18 years of age in all states except Nebraska, where the general marriage age is 19, and Mississippi, where the general marriage age is 21.[1] The general marriage age is commonly the age of majority, though in Alabama the general marriage age is 18 while the age of majority is 19.

In recent years, the trend has been to adjust the general marriage age downward and to raise the age for women to that of men. Until 1971, approximately 80% of states had a general marriage age of 18 for women, while for men the general marriage age was 21 in approximately 85% of states.[1]

When at least one of the marriage partners is under the general marriage age, the marriage is considered underage. Thirteen states completely ban underage marriage: Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Michigan,[2] Rhode Island, Washington,[3] Virginia,[4] and New Hampshire.[5] The other states may require the underage partner to obtain either parental consent, judicial authorization, or both, or rely on "exceptional circumstances". The minimum underage marriage age, when all mitigating circumstances are taken into account, commonly ranges from 15 to 17. Six states do not allow a person over 21 to marry an underage person. As of April 2024, four US states do not set any minimum age for marriage.[6]

In many states, a minor's marriage automatically emancipates the minor, or increases their legal rights beyond allowing the minor to consent to certain medical treatments.[7]

  1. ^ a b Dahl, Gordon B. (2010). "Early Teen Marriage and Future Poverty". Demography. 47 (3): 689–718. doi:10.1353/dem.0.0120. PMC 3000061. PMID 20879684.
  2. ^ "New Michigan law raises marriage age to 18 in effort to end child marriage". July 12, 2023.
  3. ^ "Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signs bill to ban child marriages". KOIN.com. March 8, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  4. ^ Writer, Katherine Fung Senior (April 9, 2024). "Map shows 12 states that allow child marriage after Virginia passes law". Newsweek. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  5. ^ "New Hampshire law raises marriage age". WCAX. June 14, 2024. Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  6. ^ "About Child Marriage in the U.S." Unchained at Last. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  7. ^ "Emancipation and the Legal Rights of Minors in Massachusetts". MassLegalHelp. Retrieved March 3, 2018.