State Statutory Rape Laws

Statutory rape laws establish the age of consent to sex and exceptions to that age. To date, statutory rape laws have rarely been examined in the United States, in part because no comprehensive database of the laws exists. In theory, these laws are designed to protect young people from exploitation or manipulation in the context of sex, especially with older partners. The laws may also influence sexual behavior or reproductive health outcomes. For example, laws on the age of consent may encourage teenagers to delay sex until they reach that age, which may influence rates of STIs or childbirth among young persons. Only a few studies have examined whether the laws actually affect sexual behavior and related outcomes like teen childbirth.

Definitions of statutory rape and exceptions to the crime vary widely between states, but the laws have rarely changed since 2000. The variability in the laws across states raises important questions about how they should be structured to support public health and equity.

This is a longitudinal database of statutory rape laws in place in each US state effective between January 1, 2000, and July 31, 2021. The database describes three aspects of the laws: the age of consent to sex, close-in-age exceptions to the age of consent, and marital exemptions to statutory rape laws.