Youngest Marriage Age Allowed in the U.S.
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The marriage age in the U.S. is the minimum age at which a person can marry in the U.S. as a right or with parental permission or other authorization.
The minimum marriage age in the U.S. is set by each state, either by statute or where the common law applies. The prevailing marriage age (lacking authorization for an abnormality) is 18 years in all U.S. states except Nebraska, where the general marriage age is 19, and Mississippi, where the prevalent marriage age is 21. The general marriage age is typically the age of majority, though, in Alabama, the predominant marriage age is 18 while the age of majority is 19.
In recent years, the tendency has been to adjust the general marriage age downward and to increase the age for women to that of men. Before 1971, about 80 percent of American states had a widespread marriage age of 18 for women, while for men, the general marriage age was 21 in about 85 percent of U.S. states.
When at least one of the marriage partners is under the general marriage age, the marriage is regarded as underage. Seven U.S. states entirely ban underage marriage: Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. The other American states may demand the underage partner to get parental consent, judicial authorization, or both, or depend on “exceptional circumstances.” When all mitigating circumstances are considered, the minimum underage marriage age commonly ranges from 15 to 17. Nine U.S. states don’t permit a person over 21 to marry an underage person. As of November 2022, 8 American states don’t set any minimum age for marriage.
