State rankings

Ammunition Limits by State

California has the highest Minimum Age to Purchase (21), followed by New York (21) and Illinois (21). Vermont has the lowest (16).

LawPolitics & Government50 states · 4 metricsUpdated Jun 30, 2023Original page
1 source
Minimum Age to PurchaseBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
50 of 51 states
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Minimum Age to Purchase

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 50 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
18
Middle half 18 – 18
Average
18.56
50 states
Highest
21
California
Lowest
16
Vermont

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

What correlates with Minimum Age to Purchase?

Pearson r against 2,113 other state metrics sharing at least 30 states. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Minimum Age to Purchase tend to score higher on these

  1. Estimated % of Pop. Immigrating Annually (2018-2022)Immigrants by State
    r = +0.62 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Urban Population PctMost Urban States
    r = +0.60 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. % of Total Pop. Who Are Foreign BornImmigrants by State
    r = +0.60 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. % Non-CitizenVoter Turnout by State
    r = +0.56 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Gun Law Strength (0-100)Polymer80 Legal States
    r = +0.56 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Mean Hourly WageOT Salary by State
    r = +0.56 · strong · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Minimum Age to Purchase tend to score lower on these

  1. Average Pct of Households That Own Guns 2007–2016Guns per Capita
    r = −0.66 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Weapons per 100 ResidentsCastle Doctrine States
    r = −0.63 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. % of Households w/GunsBest States for Gun Owners
    r = −0.63 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. % of Households That Own GunsGun Ownership by State
    r = −0.63 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Rural PopulationMost Rural States in the U.S.
    r = −0.60 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Year JoinedMega Millions States
    r = −0.57 · strong · n = 45
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Minimum Age to Purchase?
California has the highest Minimum Age to Purchase, at 21, followed by New York (21) and Illinois (21).
Which state has the lowest Minimum Age to Purchase?
Vermont has the lowest Minimum Age to Purchase, at 16.
What is the median Minimum Age to Purchase across US states?
The median is 18 across the 50 US states with data.
Where does this ammunition limits by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Ammunition Regulation - Giffords Law Center.