There were approximately 980,000 same-sex couple households in the United States as of 2019, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
That data point was one of many released by the Census Bureau on Thursday, reports the Associated Press. Last year's American Community Survey was the most detailed yet when it came to identifying and counting same-sex households, both male and female. Of the 980,000 households, 58 percent were married, while the remaining 42 percent were unmarried couples; there were slightly more female-led households than male.
The numbers don't represent all the gay, lesbian, and bisexual people living in the U.S., since some live alone or with family or roommates (and some are homeless). More detailed information on all LGBTQ+ Americans was blocked by the Trump administration in 2018. Still, the information elucidates the size of one segment of the LGBTQ+ community as well as this group's income.
On average, same-sex households make more money than opposite-sex couples, with the former averaging $107,210 annually and the latter making $96,932. When broken down by gender, though, the inequality of women's wages becomes apparent — male-led households earn $123,646, while female-led households only earn $87,690.
Another finding from the census found that more women married to women are in the workforce compared to women married to men. The opposite was true for men; fewer men married to men were employed than men married to women.
Washington, D.C., had the highest concentration of same-sex couple households at 2.4 percent, followed by Delaware (1.3%), Oregon (1.2%), Massachusetts (1.2%) and Washington State (1.1%).
READER COMMENTS (