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Which US states set the minimum marriage age at 16 with parental consent in 2025?
Executive summary
As of mid‑2025, multiple reputable compilations report that around 20 U.S. states set a minimum marrying age of 16 (with variations and exceptions), while others list roughly two dozen states at 17 or with no clear floor; advocates say reform has reduced but not eliminated underage marriage [1] [2]. Exact state lists differ between datasets because statutes vary by parental consent, judicial approval, spousal‑age limits, and recent 2024–2025 legislative changes [3] [1].
1. Why there is no single definitive list
State marriage laws are a patchwork of statutory floors, parental‑consent provisions, judicial exceptions, and differing age‑of‑majority rules; compilers like Unchained/19th and the Tahirih Center count states differently depending on whether they count "minimum marrying age" as the lowest age permitted under any exception or the basic statutory floor [1] [3]. That legal complexity — plus fast‑moving legislation in 2023–2025 that raised ages in multiple states — is why sources disagree on which exact states are “16 with parental consent” [1] [2].
2. The headline numbers reported in 2025
The 19th/Unchained compilation cited in 19th News reports that 20 states have a minimum marrying age of 16 (meaning at least one pathway allows marriage at 16), while 10 states have 17 as the minimum and a few states allow 15 or have no explicit floor [1]. Other aggregators and legal summaries place roughly 22 states at a 16‑floor or say 36 states permit marriage at 16 under some conditions; the variance reflects differing counting rules and recent law changes [4] [5].
3. Common patterns behind “16 with parental consent” rules
Where 16 is allowed, it is typically only with written parental consent and often with an additional judicial review or limits on the age difference between spouses; some states permit emancipation as an alternative route [6] [3]. FindLaw’s state summaries emphasize that courts often must determine “best interests” before marrying 16‑ and 17‑year‑olds and that other statutory caveats (waiting periods, spousal‑age caps) are common [6].
4. Examples and recent changes that affect counts
Several Northeastern and other states moved to ban under‑18 marriage entirely by 2024–2025 (e.g., Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and others noted in Newsweek), which reduces the list of states where any 16‑year‑old could legally marry [2]. 19th reports that legislative action in 2023–2025 shifted many states’ status and that, even by mid‑2025, 16 states had enacted full bans while hundreds of thousands of past marriages involved minors [1] [2].
5. Where compilers disagree and why that matters
Tahirih’s statutory compilation lists 22 states (and D.C.) with a 16‑floor by statute, while other outlets like WorldPopulationReview and travel compilations produce different totals and sometimes include territories or D.C. in their tallies [3] [4] [5]. The disagreement matters for advocacy, enforcement, and research: counting a state because it allows a 16‑year‑old under limited judicial exceptions is different from counting it because statute explicitly permits 16 with only parental consent [3] [6].
6. What the sources do not settle (and what they do agree on)
Available sources do not provide a single, agreed‑upon named list in one place that says “these exact states in 2025 allow 16 with only parental consent” — instead they give totals and examples and note rapidly changing law [1] [3]. They do consistently report that reform efforts have reduced the number of states allowing very young marriages, that many remaining allowances involve parental and judicial sign‑offs, and that definitions (statutory floor vs. lowest possible age) drive counting differences [1] [6] [2].
7. How to get the precise state list you need
If you need an authoritative, current list of which states allow marriage at 16 specifically “with parental consent” (and whether judicial approval or spousal‑age limits apply), consult that state’s statute or an up‑to‑date statutory compilation (for example, the Tahirih compilation or individual state codes cited in legal summaries) because national aggregators differ in methodology [3] [6]. For research or advocacy, note whether you’re counting the statutory floor, any exception that permits 16, or only parental‑consent‑only routes — each gives a different answer [3].
Bottom line: mid‑2025 reporting shows roughly 20–22 states allow marriage at 16 under at least some conditions, but exact state names vary across reliable compilations because of differing counting rules and recent legislative reforms; consult state statutes or the detailed Tahirih/FindLaw summaries to confirm each state’s precise conditions [1] [3] [6].