What age can kids be left alone?

I'm a 16 year old guy, and ill be 17 in 2 weeks. It's summer vacation and i'm trying to enjoy it and hang out with me friends like a normal teenager.
But my parents are CONSTANTLY forcing me to stay home all day to watch my little brother. I'm countinuly missing out on everything from parties and going to the beach, and even missing out on going to a 3 day birthday celebration for my bestfriend upstate.
Baby sitting my little brother is making me miss out on everything and its beyond depressing.
He is 11. I feel that is plently old enough to be home alone for ample time.
We live in a gated community, he has his own freaking iphone 4 to call my anyone in emergencys.
So WHY must i stay home all day and babysit this 11 year old?
I can't be wrong here right?
What age is old enough for a child to stay home alone?

I know Illinois has a law for 14 yrs old. I think your brother can be left alone but, not for hours like you said. Always remember to respect your parnets wishes b /c they want both of you safe.

While the first poster is correct for IL, the majority of states have no legal limit. When I was a kid, no one thought much of leaving an 11 year old home alone for some period of time, but now a lot more people other than your parents think it's too young. It depends on the maturity level of the kid. Your brother would likely be fine if left alone, but if something happened, your parents would feel like hell and could be charged.

I empathize with your situation. You're 16. You don't want to be babysitting so frequently. Don't know what to tell you though.

It depends on the law in the state you live in. I know in Missouri it's 14 but not real sure about any where else. I would think it is based on the kid himself too!

I think 16-17

I would say that 12-13 is a good age for a child to be left alone, but some states have age cutoffs stating the legal age a child can be left home alone, ranging from 8-14.