High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! This list of alcohol laws of the United States by state provides an overview of alcohol-related laws by state throughout the United States. This list is not intended to provide a breakdown of such laws by local jurisdiction within a state; see that state's alcohol laws page for more detailed information. As of 2010, all U.S. states have a minimum purchase age of 21. However, prior to 1988, the minimum purchase age varied from state to state. Unlike the states, the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam have a minimum purchase age of 18 (but it is 21 in the Northern Mariana Islands).