One in Five Gay Couples Now Live in Marriage Equality States

Thanks to Tuesday's votes establishing marriage equality in Maine, Maryland, and Washington State, one in five U.S. same-sex couples now live in a state where they can legally marry, according to the Williams Institute.

The institute's analysis of 2010 Census data indicates that there are approximately 35,000 same-sex couples in those three states. The votes this week mean that nine states and the District of Columbia now have marriage equality, and 20% of the same-sex couples in the nation live in those jurisdictions, the institute reports.

If the U.S. Supreme Court affirms or lets stand a federal appeals court decision striking down California's anti-equality Proposition 8, 35% of same-sex couples in the U.S. will live in states where they can marry, the institute notes.

The Williams Institute, a national think tank on law and public policy regarding sexual orientation and gender identity, is located at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law. For more of its analysis of Census data and other topics, click here.