How Many LGBT People Live in the US?

The Henry K. Kaiser Family Foundation recently released an intriguing issue brief on LGBT healthcare entitled “Health and Access to Care and Coverage for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Individuals in the U.S.” The report is chock-full of fascinating statistics from a variety of recent studies. Check out the full report for sources.

One big question that people always ask: How many people in the United States actually identify as LGBT? So, according to the issue brief:

  • 3- 4% of Americans identify as LGBT, or 9 million.
  • 5.1% of women and 3.0% of men, aged 18-44, self-identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual.
  • Racial and ethnic minorities, young people, and women are more likely to identify as LGBT.
  • 20% of LGBT individuals are married (but they may not be married to the same gender).
  • 18% are in a domestic partnership (but they may not be living with the same gender).

How many LGBT people are raising children?

  • 18% of same-sex couples raise children.
    • 11% of male same-sex couples raise children.
    • 24% of female same-sex couples raise children.
  • Compared to 40% of heterosexual couples who are raising children.

Tags: ,

Comments are closed.