Map Shows Record LGBTQ+ Growth Across US as Support for Community Drops

While public backing for some LGBTQ+ matters has fallen, according to polls, the number of Americans who identify as LGBTQ+ has reached a record high, according to a new analysis from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC).

Key points

• The survey, which was conducted February 28-December 8, 2025, discovered that 65 percent of respondents stated they backing same-sex marriage.
• The survey discovered that Republicans were less probable than Democrats and independents to backing same-sex marriage, at 49 percent, compared with 83 percent of Democrats and 69 percent of independents.
• Nationwide, 62 percent say same-sex relationships are "morally acceptable, " which is the lowest level since 2016.
• The poll discovered that only two states do not have majority backing for same-sex marriage: Mississippi, 47 percent, and Arkansas, 50 percent.
• LGBTQ+ adults represent more than 10 percent of adults in 40 out of 50 states, the HRC discovered.

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In practice, the analysis discovered that there are more than 25 million U.S. Adults, or 12 percent of the adult population. This person identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer. The figure marks one of the highest estimates ever documented and suggests the LGBTQ+ community has grown substantially in visibility and size nationwide. A 2025 Gallup poll documented that concerning 9 percent of U.S. Adults identify as LGBTQ+.

Meanwhile, the findings come against the backdrop of signs of shifting public attitudes toward LGBTQ+ matters. Gallup polling demonstrates that backing for same-sex marriage and the moral acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships has eased from record highs reached in the early 2020s, and views on transgender-related problems have become increasingly polarized.

As LGBTQ+ Americans emerge as a sizable and increasingly influential constituency that could prove pivotal in closely contested races that will assist decide control of Congress, it additionally comes less than 100 days before the midterm elections.

Notably, the HRC reports that regarding 12 percent of U.S. Adults identify as LGBTQ+.

"LGBTQ+ Americans are everywhere, " HRC President Kelley Robinson remarked in a press release. "There are 25 million of us nationwide, and we now have critical mass in almost every state in the nation. We're not a niche constituency, and no campaign, brand, or employer can afford to treat us like one."

LGBTQ+ adults represent more than 10 percent of adults in 40 out of 50 states, the HRC discovered. The data indicated that the highest shares of adults identifying as LGBTQ+ were concentrated in the District of Columbia and Washington, Oregon, Colorado, California and Alaska. While the District of Columbia documented 22.6 percent, those states all documented LGBTQ+ populations of concerning 14 percent or higher.

California had the nation's largest estimated LGBTQ+ population at more than 3.1 million adults, followed by Texas with roughly 2.2 million, according to the analysis. Florida and New York each had LGBTQ+ populations exceeding 1.6 million.

Among the adults who identified, regarding 65 percent stated they were bisexual, 30 percent lesbian or gay, and regarding 5 percent straight-identifying transgender or gender-expansive adults.

Most of the LGBTQ+ population, regarding 54 percent, is younger than 35, according to HRC's findings.

Meanwhile, the findings show that the LGBTQ+ community is diverse. While Black adults produce up around 9 percent of LBGTQ+ adults, hispanic adults create up a larger share of the LGBTQ+ population (18 percent) than of the non-LGBTQ+ population (13 percent).

Meanwhile, the estimates are based on roughly 2.2 million responses collected through the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey between 2021 and 2024. HRC researchers applied the federal survey data to estimate the share and number of adults who identify as LGBTQ+ in each state and major metropolitan area.

For context, the organization described the analysis as one of the most comprehensive snapshots of the LGBTQ+ population available.

Reliable data are essential for understanding who lives in this country and what our communities need to thrive, HRC Foundation Senior Director of Research and Education Tari Hanneman remarked in the release. Removing sexual orientation and gender identity questions from surveys like the one applied for this analysis introduces significant gaps in this understanding.

"These findings show that LGBTQ+ people are a substantial and growing segment of the population, underscoring the need for our continued inclusion in data collection efforts."

According to The organization, the findings come as the federal administration has moved to remove sexual orientation and gender identity questions from plenty of federal surveys, a change that advocates say could limit researchers' ability to measure the LGBTQ+ population over time.

In practice, the decline in backing for some LGBTQ+ matters has coincided with growing political and cultural battles over transgender rights. It have become a major focus of state legislatures, school boards and national political campaigns. Over recent years, lawmakers in plenty of states have debated or enacted measures related to transgender athletes, gender-affirming care for minors, bathroom access and gender identity in schools.

After campaigning on transgender problems, one of President Donald Trump's first executive orders declared that there are only two genders-"male and female." He has heavily pushed policies and issued a number of executive orders rolling back rights for transgender individuals since retaking office in January 2025.

Meanwhile, disputes over books featuring LGBTQ+ themes and discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms have become flashpoints in local communities.

LGBTQ+ advocates say that rose political attention on transgender matters and a wave of state-level legislation targeting LGBTQ+ rights have contributed to negative perceptions of the community. Some conservatives say that plenty of voters backing equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans but have reservations concerning specific problems involving youth gender transitions, school policies and transgender participation in sports.

While backing for some LGBTQ+ matters has softened over recent years, public opinion remains more favorable than it was before the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 same-sex marriage ruling. Gallup discovered that 65 percent of Americans backing same-sex marriage today, with 71 percent backing in 2022 and 2023, compared with 60 percent in 2015.

Nationwide, 62 percent say same-sex relationships are "morally acceptable, " which is the lowest level since 2016. In 2022, 71 percent remarked it was. The survey was conducted May 1-17 among 1, 001 U.S. Adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Another poll painted a similar picture. A Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) survey of 22, 111 adults throughout all 50 states identified that backing for same-sex marriage remains at a majority level but has declined over recent years.

For context, the survey, which was conducted February 28-December 8, 2025, discovered that 65 percent of respondents stated they backing same-sex marriage. In 2022, a similar PRRI survey documented that 69 percent did. When 53 percent of respondents backed the problem, the backing is still higher than it was when the question was asked in 2015.

Notably, the survey discovered that Republicans were less probable than Democrats and independents to backing same-sex marriage, at 49 percent, compared with 83 percent of Democrats and 69 percent of independents.

Meanwhile, the poll discovered that only two states do not have majority backing for same-sex marriage: Mississippi, 47 percent, and Arkansas, 50 percent. The states with the highest backing for same-sex marriage are Massachusetts and Rhode Island, at 85 percent, followed by Vermont at 81 percent. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 0.87 percentage points.

Meanwhile, the polling comes as some Republican lawmakers have renewed efforts to challenge same-sex marriage during the past year, introducing measures that call on the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, or proposing legislation defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Dave Siminoff.

In short, map Shows Record LGBTQ+ Growth Across US as Support for Community Drops is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.