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An estimated 200,000 revelers turn out each year for Capital Pride. Washington is the 8th gayest city in the country, according to a new study that analyzes Census data on self-identified same-sex couples. (Blade file photo by Henry Linser)
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Top 10 states
The data, from the 2006 American Community Survey, reflects the
number of same-sex couple households per 1,000 households by state.
- Vermont 9.71
- New Mexico 9.03
- Massachusetts 8.99
- Washington 8.94
- Oregon 8.83
- New Hampshire 8.73
- Maine 8.57
- California 8.50
- Colorado 7.79
- Rhode Island 7.63
Top 10 cities
The data, from the 2006 American Community Survey, reflects the
number of same-sex couple households per 1,000 households in the top
50 most populous cities.
- San Francisco 28.72
- Seattle 21.27
- Minneapolis 18.68
- Portland 16.94
- Sacramento 16.36
- Oakland 15.62
- Boston 14.72
- Washington 13.49
- Atlanta 13.32
- Long Beach 12.80
National change
Same-sex couples
per 1,000 households:
1990 1.56
2000 5.61
2006 6.79 |
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HOME > NEWS > LOCAL
By: LISA KEEN COMMENTS
 
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an estimate of the national total for that year. Gates said he used an average from the years 2004-2006 because the community survey samples are “still relatively small compared to the Census,” and, thus, a single-year ranking of a city or state can vary substantially.
Gates said the questions asked on each of the surveys were “exactly the same,” but noted that the Census Bureau has made improvements in how it counts same-sex couples. He also said that, while the annual community survey is an estimate — compared to the actual head count of the decennial census — the jump in numbers between 2000 and 2006 is still statistically significant.
And politically significant, too.
Gates said his analysis indicates that the largest increases in the number of same-sex couple households occurred in the most politically conservative areas. For instance, states where the public voted on constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage, saw, on average, a 41 percent increase in the number of same-sex couple households between 2000 and 2006. States that did not consider constitutional bans saw only a 27 percent increase.
States that have some form of legal recognition of same-sex relationships saw an increase of 23 percent in the number of same-sex households, compared to states that provided no recognition, which rose by 32 percent.
“If this many people are coming out and being more visible,” Gates said, “over the next couple of years, gay issues aren’t going to have the sort of political resonance they’ve had in the past.”
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