State rankings
Stripping Laws by State
California has the highest Minimum Age to be a Stripper (21), followed by Texas (21) and Florida (21). Wyoming has the lowest (18).
CultureLaw50 states · 3 metricsUpdated May 22, 2025Original page
25 sources
- Topless dancers wrongly cited - Arizona Daily Star
- Alcohol agency accuses Little Rock club of 48 violations, including prostitution - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
- Forming LLC Adult Business - BusinessNameUSA
- Exotic Dancing - CT.gov
- Reopened topless Fairways Inn fights 'gritty' past - Delaware Online
- New law raises minimum age for exotic dancers, creates survivors council - News4JAX
- Strippers at age 18? Out of the question - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Unlike Ohio, Indiana State Law Says You Can Touch Exotic Dancers - Urban One, Inc
- Indiana Code - 7.1-3-23-20.5. Adult entertainment performers; retailer's permit holders - Justia US Law
- Chapter 5.08 - Adult Businesses - North Kansas City
- Age minimum of 21 for Louisiana strippers reinstated after judges reverse appeals court ruling - Nola
- Adult Entertainers - Massachusetts Employment Law
- New strip club law takes effect in Mississippi - WLBT
- MO Supreme Court Upholds Strip Club restrictions - Joplinglobe
- Stripped: A guide to nudity laws in Las Vegas - Las Vegas Sun
- Article V Adult Entertainment - City of Willston
- Weird Oklahoma Laws - Phillips & Associates
- Stripping Laws Vary Nationwide - The Morning Call
- Drastic Changes to Sex Crime Laws in Texas - Goldstein & Orr
- Utah bars warn each other about 'rogue male stripper troupes' and liquor license violations - Fox13
- West Virginia Code - West Virginia Legislature
- Adult Entertainment Regulation - MRSC
- 27 - Regulation of Adult Entertainment - Oshkosh - League of Wisconsin Municipalities
- Strip club ordinance expected to pass Monday - Jackson Hole News
- Florida Lawmakers Vote To Raise Stripping Age to 21 - Reason
Minimum Age to be a StripperBetter 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 statesMinimum Age to be a Stripper
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
18.54
50 states
Highest
21
California
Lowest
18
Wyoming
Data
Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.
50 states · # = rank by Minimum Age to be a Stripper
| # | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  California | 21 | - Clubs with full nudity may not serve alcohol | All performers must:, - Be classified as employees+2 |
| 1 |  Texas | 21 | - Full nudity is illegal | - License, - Background check |
| 1 |  Florida | 21 | Regulated by cities and municipalities | - Performers must have work ID cards, - Clubs must keep files on performers |
| 1 |  Ohio | 21 | - Performers may only touch immediate family members, - Clubs must close by midnight | - Adult entertainment permit |
| 1 |  Georgia | 21 | — | - Adult entertainment permit |
| 1 |  Washington | 21 | - Dancers cannot leave the stage, - Performers must stay 10' from patrons+1 | - Adult entertainment permit, - Background check |
| 1 |  Louisiana | 21 | - Full nudity is illegal | - Adult entertainer permit |
| 1 |  Oregon | 21 | — | — |
| 1 |  Oklahoma | 21 | - Full nudity is illegal | - Business license, - Federal tax EIN number |
| 10 |  New York | 18 | - Clubs with full nudity may not serve alcohol | - Adult entertainment permit, - Cabaret license |
| 10 |  Pennsylvania | 18 | - Full nudity is illegal, - No touching allowed | - Entertainer's license to work, - Performers must report estimated tips on taxes |
| 10 |  Illinois | 18 | - Stripper must be 15' or more from patrons, - Full nudity is illegal+1 | Performers must have:, - Federal tax ID+1 |
| 10 |  North Carolina | 18 | Regulated by cities and municipalities | - License and background check |
| 10 |  Michigan | 18 | Regulated by cities and municipalities | - Licenses issued by the MLCC, - Background check |
| 10 |  New Jersey | 18 | - No touching allowed, - Clubs with full nudity may not serve alcohol | - Adult entertainment permit |
| 10 |  Virginia | 18 | - Full nudity is illegal, - Lap dances are illegal, - No mixed drinks in strip clubs | - Adult entertainment permit |
| 10 |  Arizona | 18 | — | - Exotic dancer license |
| 10 |  Tennessee | 18 | - Adult cabaret performance laws restrict erotic entertainment in public or where minors may be present - Drag shows are included in definition of adult cabaret, - Full nudity is illegal+1 | - County-issued permit |
| 10 |  Massachusetts | 18 | — | Dancers may be classified as employees under state labor law (dependent on working conditions) |
| 10 |  Indiana | 18 | - Full nudity is illegal, - No touching allowed | - Adult entertainment permit |
| 10 |  Missouri | 18 | - Performers must remain on stage, - Stage must be at least 18" high and 6' from customers+2 | - Business license, - Federal tax EIN number |
| 10 |  Maryland | 18 | - Clubs with full nudity may not serve alcohol | - Adult entertainment business license |
| 10 |  Colorado | 18 | Regulated by cities and municipalities | - Exotic dancer license |
| 10 |  Wisconsin | 18 | - Performance must be on platform at least 18 inches high, - No touching allowed | — |
| 10 |  Minnesota | 18 | — | — |
| 10 |  South Carolina | 18 | — | - Adult entertainment permit |
| 10 |  Alabama | 18 | - Full nudity is illegal | - Exotic dancer license |
| 10 |  Kentucky | 18 | Regulated by cities and municipalities | - Performer work identification card |
| 10 |  Connecticut | 18 | - Clubs with full nudity may not serve alcohol | — |
| 10 |  Utah | 18 | - Full nudity is illegal, - Clubs with full nudity may not serve alcohol+4 | - Adult entertainment permit |
| 10 |  Nevada | 18 | - Clubs with full nudity may not serve alcohol | - Adult entertainment permit |
| 10 |  Iowa | 18 | - Full nudity is illegal | — |
| 10 |  Arkansas | 18 | Regulated by cities and municipalities | - Exotic dancer license |
| 10 |  Kansas | 18 | - No touching allowed, - Full nudity is illegal | - Performer work identification card |
| 10 |  Mississippi | 18 | Regulated by cities and municipalities | - Adult entertainment permit |
| 10 |  New Mexico | 18 | - No touching allowed, - Private VIP rooms illegal | - Adult entertainment permit |
| 10 |  Idaho | 18 | - Full nudity is illegal, - No touching or simulation of sex acts | — |
| 10 |  Nebraska | 18 | Regulated by cities and municipalities | - Private contractor must obtain a business license |
| 10 |  West Virginia | 18 | — | — |
| 10 |  Hawaii | 18 | Regulated by cities and municipalities | - Adult entertainment permit, - Business license |
| 10 |  New Hampshire | 18 | — | — |
| 10 |  Maine | 18 | — | — |
| 10 |  Montana | 18 | Regulated by cities and municipalities | — |
| 10 |  Rhode Island | 18 | — | — |
| 10 |  Delaware | 18 | - Strip clubs must close by 10pm, - Only Fairways Inn may legally have topless performers | — |
| 10 |  South Dakota | 18 | - No touching allowed | - License, - Background check |
| 10 |  North Dakota | 18 | Regulated by cities and municipalities | - License and background check |
| 10 |  Alaska | 18 | — | — |
| 10 |  Vermont | 18 | — | - Adult entertainment license |
| 10 |  Wyoming | 18 | Regulated by cities and municipalities | — |
What correlates with Minimum Age to be a Stripper?
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 be a Stripper tend to score higher on these
Opposite directions
Places that have a higher Minimum Age to be a Stripper tend to score lower on these
Quick answers
- Which state has the highest Minimum Age to be a Stripper?
- California has the highest Minimum Age to be a Stripper, at 21, followed by Texas (21) and Florida (21).
- Which state has the lowest Minimum Age to be a Stripper?
- Wyoming has the lowest Minimum Age to be a Stripper, at 18.
- What is the median Minimum Age to be a Stripper across US states?
- The median is 18 across the 50 US states with data.
- Where does this stripping laws by state data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Topless dancers wrongly cited - Arizona Daily Star; Alcohol agency accuses Little Rock club of 48 violations, including prostitution - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; Forming LLC Adult Business - BusinessNameUSA; Exotic Dancing - CT.gov.