What Is The Average Dating Age In The Usa
The legal age of consent in the United States at the federal level is 16 years. Sexual relationships with a person aged less than 16 years amount to statutory rape, and it is punishable by the law. Apart from the federal law on statutory rape, each of the states in the US has its local laws regarding consensual sex. The consensual age varies from 16 years to 18 years depending on the state.
People started getting married younger. As author Beth Bailey notes in her book From Front Porch to Back Seat, “the average age at marriage plummeted. In 1890, the average age at marriage had been 26.1 for men, 22 for women; by 1951 men were marrying at an average age of 22.6, women at 20.4.”. Couples often married before finishing college.
The Legal Age of Consent in the Us by State
States Where the Consensual Age Is 16 Years
In 32 of the US states, the legal age of consent is 16 years. They include Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Washington.
18 of these states have close in age exemption laws which protect underage couples who consent to sexual activities from prosecution, even in cases where one of the partners is slightly over the age of consent. In Connecticut for example, a person aged 13 years can give in to a sexual relationship if the older partner is not more than three years their senior. Children who are less than 13 years old can also consent to sexual activities with partners who are not more than two years older. However, if the older partner is a guardian or a person of authority to the minor, the age of consent is 18 years.
What Is The Average Dating Age In The Usa 2020
States Where the Consensual Age Is 17 Years
- Age distribution data of US Bumble users. We can get more up-to-date data if we only have a look at the age statistics of Bumble in the United States. According to this Statista statistics, 13% of all adults in the US from age 18 to 29 have used or are using Bumble at the time of the survey. This ratio is 10% among 30-44 years and 4% among 45%.
- What the research says. On average, kids begin group dating at 12-and-a-half for girls and 13-and-a-half for boys, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.By the time they hit 15, most.
In Wyoming, Texas, New York, New Mexico, Missouri, Louisiana, Illinois, and Colorado, persons aged less than 17 years cannot legally agree to sexual relations. Out of the eight states, only Colorado and New Mexico have a close in age exception. In New Mexico, a person who is 18 years or older can have a consensual sexual relationship with a person aged below 17 years as long as they are not more than four years younger. This law, however, does not apply in cases where the older partner is an employee, volunteer, or health service provider in the minor’s school.
States Where the Consensual Age Is 18 Years
Eleven states, including Wisconsin, Virginia, Utah, Tennessee, Oregon, North Dakota, Idaho, Florida, Delaware, California, and Arizona, outlaw sexual relationships with partners who are below 18 years of age. Only six of these states have close in age exceptions to prevent the prosecution of partners who engage in consensual sex with minors within their age brackets. In Tennessee, for example, teenagers aged between 13 and 18 years can agree to sexual activities with partners who are not more than four years older.
What Is The Average Dating Age In The Usa Right Now
Protection of Minors
Statutory rape laws are necessary for the society because they protect minors from sexual exploitation. Most communities deem young people capable of making decisions concerning intimate relationships when they attain 16 years of age. However, even in these societies, persons below 18 years of age are still considered as children and the law protects them from sexual exploitation, especially by persons of authority and close relatives such as guardians.
Surprise! (Or is it?) According to The Knot 2020 Real Weddings Study, the average age of marriage in the U.S. remains steady. The data, which surveyed 7,600 couples in the US who originally set their wedding date between January 1 and December 31, 2020, revealed the national average marital age continues to hold despite a diverse pool of respondents. Another point worth noting is the average age of marriage in the last decade, which has steadily increased as well.
The 2020 Average Age of Marriage
In 2020, the average age of marriage for female participants was 31, while male respondents married at age 33. The average age of marriage in the US therefore falls at 32 years. Presumably, it's the average age of the first marriage for the majority of participants, and this number is influenced by a variety of factors. Overall societal behavioral patterns, including an evolving workforce and a stronger sense of self-sufficiency, play a role in influencing the average age of marriage in the US.
'We're realizing that the brain doesn't fully develop until people are around 25, which is very different from how people used to think about adulthood, which was 18 or college age,' says New York-based clinical psychologist Dr. Lara Friedrich. 'People are taking longer to find themselves, which is a good thing. By the time people are getting married, they have a better sense of who they really are, meaning they're more secure in their career and their sense of self the older they get. And that helps them make good decisions with their life partner.'
'Life is not so traditional anymore,' adds Kathleen Entwistle, Private Wealth Advisor and Managing Director of Sports and Entertainment at Morgan Stanley. 'Many couples are both working, therefore they are getting married later.'
So how exactly does the increase in the average age of marriage impact weddings? Year over year, the Real Weddings Study finds that more couples are contributing to the total cost of the wedding, as opposed to solely relying on parents on either side to financially support the nuptials. 'The finances of each family can also be a factor,' Entwistle speculates. 'When the average age of marriage increases, couples tend to take more ownership in both the details of the wedding, as well as the sharing of the expenses.'
The Average Age of Marriage By Region
Not-so-surprising is that the average age of couples varies according to region. Among 2020 couples, the data indicates the average age of marriage skews slightly higher out West (brides, age 31, and grooms, age 33) while couples in the South will wed, on average, at age 31. Regionality certainly has its impact on a variety of factors related to wedding planning, including the average cost of a wedding, the average number of guests and, of course, the average age of marriage.
'Even micro-regional influence counts,' says Dr. Friedrich, who also attributes education level and socioeconomics as top factors that play into the overall formula of marriage age. 'And if you work with clients who are religious, there might be the possibility of lower averages in the age of marriage.' See how it breaks down per region below.
Northeast (New England and Mid-Atlantic): Female, 31, Male, 32; Average Age of Couple, 31
Midwest: Female, 29, Male, 31; Average Age of Couple, 31
South/Southeast: Female, 30, Male, 31; Average Age of Couple, 31
Southwest: Female, 29, Male, 31; Average Age of Couple, 30
West: Female, 31, Male, 33; Average Age of Couple, 32
The Average Age of Marriage By State
According to our 2019 Real Weddings Study data, couples based in certain states across the U.S. will skew based on locale, depending on towns and proximity to close friend groups. 'There's research on this that people are very influenced by their peers,' says Dr. Friedrich. 'There's a very real peer effect where people see their friends and inner circle getting married and that can cause more pressure. People's influence on each other and their social circles can be very strong.' See the state-by-state breakdown below.
Alabama, 30
Arkansas, 30
Arizona, 33
California, 33
Colorado, 32
Connecticut, 33
Delaware, 33
D.C. (Metro DC, Maryland, Northern Virginia), 33
Florida, 34
Georgia, 32
Hawaii, 36
Idaho, 32
Iowa, 30
Illinois, 32
Indiana, 30
Kentucky, 31
Kansas, 29
Louisiana, 32
Maine, 33
Maryland, 33
Massachusetts, 33
Michigan, 32
Minnesota, 31
Mississippi, 32
Missouri, 31
Montana, 31
Nebraska, 30
Nevada, 37
New Hampshire, 33
New Jersey, 33
New Mexico/ Arizona, 33
New York, 33
North Carolina, 32
Dakotas (North & South Dakota), 32
Ohio, 31
Oklahoma, 30
Oregon, 32
Pennsylvania, 32
Rhode Island, 33
South Carolina, 33
Tennessee, 31
Texas, 32
Utah, 29
Vermont, 33
Virginia, 32
Washington, 32
West Virginia / Virginia, 31
Wisconsin, 31
Wyoming / Wyoming, 32
Millennial marital success is still being reviewed by researchers, but there is one strong habit to properly form from the onset of marriage (and the relationship itself). 'Communication is key,' says Dr. Friedrich. 'Communicating with each other that allows you to listen, avoiding defensiveness, criticism, stonewalling and contempt are four things that lead couples down the road to divorce, according to the Gottman Institute [a research-based theory that focuses on marital stability]. Taking time to speak and communicate in a way that is meaningful can be useful.'