New data shows number of same-sex marriages in California. How does it compare to US?

As California’s legislature considers a constitutional amendment to protect marriage equality, new census data shows that about 100,000 same-sex couples in the state have tied the knot.

San Francisco allowed same-sex couples to legally marry in 2004, setting off a series of court challenges. The state’s Supreme Court briefly made gay marriage legal in mid-2008, but voters soon passed Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment that prohibited gay marriage. The proposition was overturned in court in 2013 and the U.S. Supreme Court made gay marriage legal across America in 2015.

The language of Proposition 8, however, remains in the California constitution. The proposed amendment working its way through the state legislature would get rid of the language and instead affirm the right to gay marriage. It comes amid fears that a conservative U.S. Supreme Court could restrict same-sex marriage. The amendment recently passed the state Assembly and is under consideration by the Senate. It is expected to go before voters for approval in 2024.

The new data on same-sex marriage comes from 2020 U.S. Census. It shows that 1.5% of marriages in California involve same-sex couples. That rate is among the nation’s highest, trailing Delaware, Vermont, Massachusetts and Nevada and essentially tied with Hawaii.

The lowest rates of same-sex marriage, the data show, are in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

Rates of same-sex marriage vary considerably between counties in California. San Francisco has long been at the vanguard for gay rights, and it has the highest rates of same-sex marriage, more than three times higher than the statewide rate.

Same sex marriage is also more common in Sonoma, Alameda and Riverside counties. It is least common in several rural counties: Sierra, Glenn, Colusa, Imperial, Tehama, Inyo and Plumas.

About 1.8% of marriages in Sacramento County involve same-sex couples, compared to 1.5% in Yolo County, 0.8% in Placer County and 0.9% in El Dorado County.

Palm Springs, by far, is the city with the highest rates of gay marriage in California. About 35% of marriages in the city involve same-sex couples. West Hollywood also stands out, with about 25% of marriages involving same-sex couples.

Large cities with relatively few same-sex marriages include Calexico, Cupertino, Los Altos and Saratoga.

There are big disparities in the Sacramento region when it comes to same-sex marriage.

Among cities with at least 10,000 households, Sacramento ranks as one of the most common places for same-sex marriage in California. About 3% of marriages in the city involve same-sex couples. West Sacramento also ranks high, with about 2.2% of marriages involving same-sex couples.

Same-sex marriage is much less common in Folsom and El Dorado Hills, where about 0.5% of marriages involve same-sex couples. That’s among the lowest rates in the state.

This story was originally published June 30, 2023 at 9:50 AM.