How Many Of Nation’s 1.2M Same-Sex Couples Live In MI

MICHIGAN — There are an estimated 27,069 same-sex households in Michigan, about 56 percent of whom are married, according to new data from the American Community Survey, a companion to the decennial Census, that shows a cultural shift toward acceptance of such living arrangements.

Nationally, about 710,000 of the 1.2 million same-sex couples were married in 2021. That’s up from 2019, when the Census Bureau estimated there were 1,012,000 same-sex couples, 543,000 of them married and 469,000 living together.

The District of Columbia had the highest percentage of same-sex couple households at 2.5 percent. South Dakota had the lowest, with 0.4 percent same-sex households.

The number of same-sex households in Michigan has steadily grown from 2005, when 22,701 reported living together, according to data from the American Community Survey.

The number of married same-sex couples has increased sharply since 2016, a year after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in the Obergefell v. Hodges decision.

Landmark legislation moving through Congress with bipartisan support protects same-sex and interracial marriage. The June Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade sparked fears other landmark cases, including the Obergefell decision, could fall next. In his concurring opinion in the abortion case, Justice Clarence Thomas argued that if the Constitution's Due Process Clause doesn't guarantee the right to an abortion, it doesn't guarantee other substantive rights, either.

The House, which previously approved the Respect for Marriage Act with the support of 47 Republicans, must again approve the legislation before it goes to President Joe Biden for his signature. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the measure will be taken up next week.

The data also reveals a larger share of same-sex (31.6 percent) than opposite-sex married couples (18.4 percent) were interracial. Also, according to the data:

• The average age of same-sex married couples (48.9 years) was lower than for opposite-sex married couples (52.8 years). But same-sex unmarried couples were older (42.0 years) than unmarried opposite-sex couples (39.9 years).
• Following national trends that show women earn less than men, same-sex female couples earned less ($92,470 per household) than male same-sex couples ($116,800). The share of female-female and male-male couples with both partners employed did not change significantly.
• Both partners had at least a bachelor’s degree in a larger share of same-sex (29.6 percent) than opposite-sex (18.1 percent) unmarried couples.

The American Community Survey is sent annually to about 3.5 million households across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. It asks questions not asked in the Census count every 10 years, providing more detailed information on education, employment, internet access, transportation and living arrangements in U.S. communities.