This wikipedia article has information about the minimum ages for every state, but doesn't say much about the wait period:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver%27s_licenses_in_the_United_StatesHaving recently gone through it with my son, I know that NY has some of the following rules:
- If you're under 18, you need to have a permit for at least 6 months before taking a road test
- You need to pass driver's ed, and/or take the 5-hour course before scheduling a road test
- You need someone (a person or a driving school) to sign a certificate showing that you've had at least 50 hours of driving experience.
- You need to follow the rules of driving in the state you are driving in, not where your license is from, for example, if you have a florida license that you got at 16, you still can't use it to drive in NYC during the hours a 16-year-old would be restricted.
If you are not a us citizen, you can drive with your foreign license, but I believe some states would allow you to convert that to a US license only if you had some sort of visa allowing you to be here for a while (i.e. Green Card, H-1, J-1, etc.)