Proponents of legal recognition for same-sex partnerships had a big decade between 2000 and 2010, and new U.S. Census Bureau figures reflect that shift. The 2010 census was the first to allow gay couples to list themselves as married — a status that wasn't legally available before 2004 — but the number of recorded same-sex households of all sorts surged, according to initial estimates released in August. While the bureau's new "preferred estimate" of gay households released Tuesday marks a sizable drop from those August numbers, it's still a "tremendous increase" over previous figures with wide-ranging implications, says Brian Moulton at the Human Rights Campaign. These gay couples aren't "suddenly popping out of nowhere," either, he adds. The new data reflect the "degree people feel comfortable coming out on the census form." Here's a look at the numbers:
646,464
Number of households headed by a same-sex couple in 2010
901,997
Number of same-sex households in the Census Bureau's initial August estimate
358,390
Number of same-sex households in 2000 Census
80
Percentage increase in same-sex households from 2000 to 2010
6
Number of states (including Washington, D.C.) that allowed gay marriage in 2010
0
Number of states that allowed gay marriage in 2000
131,729
Number of same-sex households where the gay couple says they're married
70
Percentage of those couples who are legally married, according to Williams Institute estimates
64,223
Number of married households where the gay couple is male (49 percent)
67,506
Number of married households where the gay couple is female (51 percent)
514,735
Number of same-sex households where the gay couple is not married
0.55
Percentage of U.S. households headed by gay couples
182
Number of opposite-sex households per every 1 same-sex household
44
Percentage of Massachusetts same-sex households where gay couple is legally married
10.3
Percentage of Maine same-sex households where gay couple is legally married
559
Number of same-sex households in North Dakota
4,822
Number of same-sex households in Washington, D.C.
98,153
Number of same-sex households in California
Sources: Businessweek, CNN, Contra Costa Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, AP
