The number of U.S. households with same-sex couples has exceeded 1 million for the first time, according to new government figures.
The American Community Survey says there were 1.2 million such households in 2021, an increase of 120% from 540,000 in 2008.
Nearly 6 in 10 of these households (59%) involved married couples and about 42% were unmarried.
An uptick in same-sex married couples followed the landmark 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage nationwide.
The Senate, fearful the court could revisit that decision, recently voted to codify the right to same-sex marriage with the Respect for Marriage Act.
The bill will head to the House for final passage before reaching President Biden’s desk.
Hawaii had the highest percentage of same-sex couple households of any state, at 1.4%, followed by Oregon and Delaware at 1.3% each, according to NBC News.
However, the District of Columbia had a higher rate of 2.5%.
South Dakota had the lowest percentage of same-sex couple households, at 0.4%, followed by Kansas, Mississippi, Idaho, North Dakota and Montana — each at 0.5%.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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