Majority of Same-Sex Couples Can Now Marry in the U.S.

The majority of U.S. same-sex couples now live in states that recognize same-sex marriage, according to a report by visual journalist David Mendoza.

On The Mendoza Line, he reports that with Illinois (home to 3.9 percent of same-sex couples in the U.S.) becoming the latest state to offer equal marriage rights, it pushes the figure into the majority, with 51 percent of U.S. same-sex couples being able to marry in a state that recognizes their unions. California has the largest portion of same-sex couples in the U.S., with 14 percent of the national total.

The conclusion comes from the Census Bureau's 2012 American Community Survey, which found 639,000 married and unmarried cohabiting same-sex couples living in the United States and broke out the number for each state.

Support for same-sex marriage is on the rise as noted in a poll taken by Gallup in May, with 55 percent of its respondents agreeing that same-sex marriage "should be valid."