It’s pride month in the US, but data shows that gay people exist year-round.
Two key data sources from the Census Bureau offer a snapshot of the LGBTQ+ community in America. Beginning in July 2021, the Household Pulse Survey, which gauges the economic well-being of Americans in the wake of the pandemic, started collecting information on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Meanwhile, the Bureau’s annual American Community Survey collects income, age, race, housing, and other demographic data for married and unmarried same-sex couples, although it has not collected data directly on sexual orientation or same-sex couples living in different households.
Data collection on the LGBTQ+ community has been historically limited — which can, in turn, lead to further marginalization. A 2023 Brookings report found that up to 17.3 million adults are not identified as LGBTQ+ in the American Community Survey due to incomplete questions surrounding their sexual orientation and gender identity.
The 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) will pilot asking about sexual orientation and gender identity, potentially resulting in a trove of high-quality data on who in America is gay. But with the available data, here’s what we know about the LGBTQ+ community in America.
DC, Vermont, and Massachusetts have the highest concentrations of gay couples
According to Business Insider’s analysis of individual-level Household Pulse Survey data from April 2024, around 3% of the population identifies as gay or lesbian. A greater share — about 5% — identifies as bisexual. And around 0.4% of Americans identify as transgender.
Around 1.7% of those who identify as gay or lesbian also identify as transgender. Around a third of gay and lesbian adults are married, per HPS, compared to around 58% of straight adults.
ACS data from 2022 shows that Washington, DC, has the highest percentage of same-sex couple households, at 3.6%. Vermont has the next highest, at 1.8%, followed by Massachusetts at 1.5%. California has the highest number of same-sex households, at over 162,100, followed by Texas at over 107,200.
The average age of the householder of a married same-sex couple is 48.6, compared to 52.9 for married opposite-sex couples. Among opposite same-sex couples, about a third are between 25 and 44, while it’s 42% for married same-sex couples. The age distributions were mostly similar for unmarried opposite- and same-sex couples.
Same-sex couples are much more likely to be interracial than opposite-sex couples — 32.2% of same-sex couples are interracial, compared to 18.6% of married opposite-sex couples and 28.6% of unmarried opposite-sex couples.
Same-sex couples are also more likely to have bachelor’s degrees. Overall, 54.8% of same-sex householders have a bachelor’s degree, while both partners have degrees 35.7% of the time. For married same-sex couples, these values jump to 57.3% and 38.2% respectively. Meanwhile, these values are 44.5% and 28.6%, respectively, for married opposite-sex couples.
Gay Americans are more likely to rent and earn more than straight families
According to ACS data, the majority of same-sex couples make six figures, and the median household income for this demographic is $110,600. For married same-sex couples, this number jumps to $123,500, compared to $109,700 for married opposite-sex couples. Married male-male couples earn a median of $138,700 a year, while married female-female couples earn $111,100 a year. By contrast, unmarried same-sex couples make $94,650 a year.
Business Insider’s analysis of individual-level data from the Household Pulse Survey shows the shares of gay and lesbian Americans in different income brackets. Around 9% of gay and lesbian respondents report earning under $25,000 while 10% said they earned over $200,000.
About 62.6% of same-sex couples own their homes, while 37.4% rent. About 72.7% of married same-sex couples own, compared to 81.9% of married opposite-sex couples. Married male-male couples are slightly more likely to own homes than married female-female couples. Unmarried same-sex couples own just 48.7% of the time, slightly above 47.9% of unmarried opposite-sex couples.
According to Household Pulse Survey data, around 15% of LGBTQ+ Americans own homes outright, while around 35% own with a mortgage or loan.
In nearly two-thirds of same-sex couples, both partners are working, though this drops to 61.9% for married same-sex couples. However, same-sex couples are significantly less likely to have children in the household at just 14.6%, compared to 38.1% of married opposite-sex couples and 34.5% of unmarried opposite-sex couples.
And, as more data emerges about who in the US is gay, the LGBTQ+ population is also getting bigger — underscoring the importance of capturing who, exactly, makes up this growing group. Recent Gallup polling shows that around 7.6% of American adults identify as non-heterosexual, up from 3.5% in 2012.
You can chalk some of that up to the youths — just over 22% of Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ+, suggesting that gay Americans could become an even bigger force in the not-so-distant future.
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