The LGBTQ+ community is incredibly diverse — but taken as a whole, there must be a statistically average same-sex couple in America. What would their life look like? According to U.S. census data, they’re childless coastal homeowners making at least six figures.
To paint a portrait of the average same-sex couple in America, Business Insider conducted data analysis of a few key surveys by the Census Bureau: the Household Pulse Survey, which asks American households about their social and economic status, and the American Community Survey, which asks same-sex couples about demographics including income, age, race, and housing (though it doesn’t take into account same-sex couples who don’t live together).
Taking the most recent available data from both surveys, here’s what the business publication says is the average same-sex couple in America.
Where do they live?
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By state, Washington, D.C., has the highest proportion of same-sex couple households at 3.6%. It’s followed by Vermont with 1.8%, then Massachusetts with 1.5%. But by sheer number of same-sex households, California tops the list with more than 162,100, making our theoretical gays bicoastal.
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How much do they make?
The median household income for all same-sex couples is $110,600. For married same-sex couples, it’s even higher at $123,500 (compared to $109,700 for married different-sex couples). For unmarried same-sex couples, the median income is $94,650, just under six figures.
The majority of same-sex couples (62.6%) own their homes, with that figure being higher among married couples (72.7%) and lower among unmarried couples (48.7%). Notably, married straight couples are more likely than queer couples to be homeowners at 81.9%, but unmarried straight couples are less likely than queer couples to be homeowners at 47.9%.
What does their family look like?
Children are much less common among same-sex couples than straight couples. Only 14.6% of same-sex households have children, compared to 38.1% of married opposite-sex households and 34.5% of unmarried opposite-sex households — so we’ll assume our couple is living the DINK life.
Same-sex couples are also significantly more likely to be interracial than heterosexual couples at 32.2%, compared to 18.6% for married straight couples and 28.6% for unmarried straight couples.
