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Which state has the least transgender people? These are the bottom 10

Huntsville Alabama LGBTQIA Pride Parade
Katssoup/Shutterstock

LGBTQ+ Pride Parade, Huntsville, Alabama, 2022

These are the states with the lowest number of trans people per capita.

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Less than 1%

Huntsville Alabama LGBTQIA Pride ParadeLGBTQ+ Pride Parade, Huntsville, Alabama, 2022Katssoup/Shutterstock

No matter where transgender people live, they share one thing in common — their legislators are passing laws that target less than one percent of the population.

Over 2.8 million people in the U.S. are trans, according to a new report from the Williams Institute, including 724,000 youth ages 13 to 17. This accounts for one percent of the nation's total population 13 and older, 0.8 percent of adults (over 2.1 million people), and 3.3 percent of young people.

Related: Which state has the most transgender people? Here are the top 10

There isn't one state or one region where trans people tend to gather — the amount of those 18 and older who identify as trans are "similar across regions and range," according to the report, with the lowest being 0.7 percent in the South and the highest 0.9 percent in the Northeast.

That doesn't mean laws targeting the trans community don't have an impact on where they live. The majority of states with low amounts of trans people are aggressively proposing and passing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, suggesting that the community could be avoiding these areas.

Related: These are the 5 states with the smallest amount of LGBTQ+ people

Here are the states with the lowest number of trans people per capita, and the laws they've passed so far this year targeting them.

10 (tie). Virginia

Pride Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia

Pride Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia (September 2019)

Kim Kelley-Wagner/Shutterstock

Trans people only make up 0.64 percent of Virginia's adult population, amounting to 44,100 total.

The state is one of just two on this list that have not passed an anti-LGBTQ+ law so far in 2025.

10 (tie). Idaho

February 2023 Boise Idaho protect transgender youth rallyProtect transgender youth rally, Boise, Idaho, 2023Venture Out Media/Shutterstock

Idaho's total percentage of trans people is tied with Virginia at 0.64 percent, though the state has a smaller population at 9,600.

The state has enacted seven anti-LGBTQ+ laws in 2025, including a trans bathroom ban and protections for employers who do not wish to provide access to gender-affirming care.

9. Alabama

Huntsville Alabama pride parade\u200bOctober 1, 2022: Huntsville Alabama pride parade

Katssoup/Shutterstock

Alabama's adult trans community accounts for 0.63 percent of its total population — 25,100 people.

The state has passed one anti-LGBTQ+ law this year, which bans trans people from single-sex spaces that do not align with their sex at birth.

8. Kentucky

LGBTQ pride mural says Equality for all with rainbow in downtown Louisville Bourbon DistrictLGBTQ+ mural, Louisville, KY, 2022M T Bostic/Shutterstock

The trans adults in Kentucky make up 0.62 percent of the state's population, totaling 21,900.

The state has passed four anti-LGBTQ+ laws so far this year, including a ban on gender-affirming care for youth, restrictions against the care for incarcerated people, and policy prohibiting Medicaid from covering the care.

7. Louisiana

People watch the Southern Decadence parade in the French Quarter from balconies above Bourbon Street in New OrleansSouthern Decadence parade in the French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2024

Scott Colesby/Shutterstock

Louisiana's adult trans community makes up 0.61 percent of the state's population, totaling 21,600.

The state has passed one anti-LGBTQ+ law so far this year, which creates religious exemptions for those discriminating against anti-LGBTQ+ people.

6. Oklahoma

Pride Parade in OklahomaPride Parade in Oklahoma (June 26, 2023)

Kit Leong/Shutterstock

Oklahoma has 18,000 trans adults, accounting for 0.58 of the state's population.

The state has passed three anti-LGBTQ+ laws so far this year, including policies allowing anti-LGBTQ+ parents to foster LGBTQ+ children, banning incarcerated trans people from facilities aligning with their gender identities, and requiring biological sex to be listed on birth certificates while prohibiting nonbinary designations.

5. Georgia

annual pride parade on October 15, 2023 in Atlanta, GALGBTQ+ pride parade, Atlanta, GA, 2023BluIz70/Shutterstock

The trans adults in Georgia account for 0.56 percent of the state's population, amounting to 47,400 total.

The state has passed three anti-LGBTQ+ laws this year, including policies banning trans students from facilities and sports teams that align with their gender identities and restricting gender-affirming care for incarcerated people

4. North Dakota

North Dakota state flag with transgender flag

North Dakota state flag with transgender flag

Shuttershock Creative

North Dakota's trans community accounts for 0.53 percent of the population — 3,300 total.

The state has passed one anti-LGBTQ+ law so far this year, which bans trans students from facilities that align with their gender identities.

3. North Carolina

2014 Charlotte Pride ParadeLGBTQ+ Pride Parade, Charlotte, NC, 2014 Little Adventures/Shutterstock

The trans adults in North Carolina make up 0.45 percent of the population, totaling 38,600.

The state has passed two anti-LGBTQ+ law so far this year, incorrectly recognizing male and female as the only sexes, restricting sex marker changes on birth certificates, banning trans college students from facilities that align with their gender identity, and limiting state funding for gender-affirming care for adults.

2. Arkansas

Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas - June, 4 2021: 3rd annual Pride WalkLGBTQ+ Pride Walk, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, 2021Danielsen_Photography/Shutterstock

Trans adults make up 0.44 percent of Arkansas' population. That's 10,500 people.

The state has passed six anti-LGBTQ+ laws this year, including policies banning trans people from using single-sex spaces that do not align with their sex at birth, allowing doctors to refuse gender transition treatments, defining gender-affirming care for youth as "malpractice," and restricting public funds from covering the care.

1. New Mexico

\u200bPride parade in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Pride parade in Santa Fe, New Mexico (2018)

Tom Lohr/Shutterstock

The state with the smallest amount of trans adults per capita is New Mexico, with 6,900 people accounting for 0.41 percent of the population.

The state has not passed any anti-LGBTQ+ laws so far in 2025.

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Ryan Adamczeski

Ryan is a reporter at The Advocate, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She first became a published author at the age of 15 with her YA novel "Someone Else's Stars," and is now a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics, and the IRE, the society of Investigative Reporters and Editors. Her first cover story, "Meet the young transgender teens changing America and the world," has been nominated for Outstanding Print Article at the 36th GLAAD Media Awards. In her free time, Ryan likes watching the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild, listening to the Beach Boys, and practicing witchcraft.
Ryan is a reporter at The Advocate, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She first became a published author at the age of 15 with her YA novel "Someone Else's Stars," and is now a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics, and the IRE, the society of Investigative Reporters and Editors. Her first cover story, "Meet the young transgender teens changing America and the world," has been nominated for Outstanding Print Article at the 36th GLAAD Media Awards. In her free time, Ryan likes watching the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild, listening to the Beach Boys, and practicing witchcraft.