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The long-standing joke among the LGBTQ+ community finally has data behind it.
The 2020 United States censushas proven what many in the LGBTQ+ community have long joked about.
The data reveals that gay men in couples are drawn towards major cities, typically on the coasts, whereas lesbian couples prefer living in small towns and rural settings.
The counties with the largest amount of partnered gay men included San Francisco, Manhattan, and Boston. San Francisco County had the highest percentage of gay men in couples, at nearly 6 percent.
The counties with the most lesbian couples included the Berkshires, Mass.; Portland, Ore.; and Asheville, N.C. The Berkshires, a mountainous area of New England known for its colleges and fall foliage, had the highest concentration of lesbian households at almost 4 percent.
Areas with overlapping high concentrations of gay men and lesbian couples included Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Richmond, and St. Louis.
Related: Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
The census, which occurs once every ten years, currently only collects data pertaining to LGBTQ+ identity for those living in couples. The Census Bureau added "same sex" and "opposite sex" options in the past decade for both married and unmarried couples living together.
The 2021 American Community Survey, the Census Bureau's annual comprehensive survey of American life, found that there were about 1.2 million same-sex couple households in the United States that year. This compares to the roughly 13.9 million LGBTQ+ people in the country, according to data from the same year from the Williams Institute.
The bureau is currently work-shopping questions to add to the American Community Survey about sexual orientation and gender identity for people ages 15 and older.
