In the United States, the legal age of marriage is determined by each individual state. Consistent with WORLD’s commitment to advancing universal coverage, this analysis captures the minimum guaranteed level of legal protection available and does not include protections that are available in some localities, but not nationally

To source all 50 states and locate the least protective one(s), we consulted a statutory compilation prepared on a regular basis by the Tahirih Justice Center. We used this compilation to identify all potential states that had the least protective legal framework, and then read the cited legislation in each of these states to confirm Tahirih’s findings.

All US states have a minimum age of 18 to marry, but many allow marriage at younger ages in certain circumstances. Minimum age of marriage with parental consent is coded based on Illinois law which allows marriage of boys and girls at 16 with parental consent only. Minimum age of marriage when all exceptions are taken into account are coded based off of Washington state and Michigan as of May 31, 2023. Both of these states have since passed laws removing these exceptions. 

