Data Surfer: Can we count the number of gay couples?

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Data Surfer

Spotlight on valuable information sources on the Web

November 7, 2008

Can we count the number of gay couples?

Three days after the election, the Prop. 8 battle rages on with opponents vowing to challenge the gay marriage ban in the state Supreme Court. (The Bee recently posted a slick interactive map breaking down the Prop. 8 vote by Sacramento-area neighborhood.)

The approval of this constitutional amendment prompts the question: how many gay and lesbian couples are there? The U.S. Census Bureau provides rough estimates in its 2007 American Community Survey. The Bureau doesn't directly ask the sexual orientation of individuals, but it does track the number of households that include an unmarried same-sex partner. (The Census defines an unmarried partner as having a "close personal relationship" with the householder -- they are not just roommates.) Below is a table of estimates of the number of gay and lesbian households in the nation, state, region and Sacramento city areas. Bear in mind these figures do not count same-sex couples who are not living together.

Household type (2007)	United States	California	Sacramento MSA	Sacramento city
Total households -- all types	112,377,977	12,200,672	766,216	170,358
Male householder and male partner	395,572	57,662	3,564	1,325
Female householder and female partner	358,046	47,061	4,148	1,156
Total same sex households	753,618	104,723	7,712	2,481

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