Census: New Mexico, Rhode Island Heavily Gay

The Census Snapshot of same-sex couples across the U.S. is now complete, with the Census Bureau's release and the Williams Institute's analysis of the data on five final states.

The states for which information was released today include two with significant proportions of gay couples -- New Mexico and Rhode Island -- and three with smaller numbers -- Tennessee, Mississippi, and North Dakota.

New Mexico had 9.8 same-sex couples per 1,000 households, making it one of the gayest states, behind Vermont with 10.9, Massachusetts with 10.2, California with 9.98, and Oregon with 9.9. Rhode Island, where lawmakers failed to pass a marriage equality bill this year but did approve civil unions, had 8.9 gay couples per 1,000 households. The largest concentrations of gay couples in New Mexico were in the Albuquerque-Santa Fe area, while Providence had the largest proportion in Rhode Island.

Tennessee had 6.5 gay couples per 1,000 households, with Nashville and Knoxville being the leading cities. Mississippi had 5.6, with Hattiesburg and Jackson as the top cities, and North Dakota had 4, Fargo being the town with the biggest proportion.

The information is based on the number of gay couples who self-identify on their census forms; the Williams Institute, a University of California, Los Angeles, think tank specializing in LGBT issues, has adjusted and analyzed the data. Find more details, such as numbers for male and female couples and whether they're raising children, at the institute's website.