Somewhat surprisingly, distribution of the LGBT population is fairly even among U.S. metro areas. The Associated Press
Gallup released new data Friday morning on where Americans identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender live in the U.S.
The greatest percentage of LGBT Americans live in the San Francisco metro area, where 6.2 percent of the population identified as LGBT. It was followed by areas around Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; and New Orleans.
Courtesy Gallup
Birmingham, Alabama, was at the bottom of the list with 2.6 percent of residents identifying as LGBT.
Courtesy Gallup
Efforts to quantify the LGBT population, both by the government and outside polling sources, are relatively new, with much still unknown about this subsection of America. The U.S. Census has worked to include new questions and answers to account for LGBT populations. In July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the first comprehensive survey measuring sexual orientation, finding that 1.6 percent of adults identify as gay or lesbian and 0.7 percent identify as bisexual.
The Gallup numbers include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans and estimate the national average of LGBT residents to be 3.6 percent.
Because of the small percentages of LGBT Americans, gathering accurate data is somewhat of a challenge. This survey, for example, was from a random sample of close to 400,000 adults – a large number as survey samples go, even for surveys that drill down past the state level.
Perhaps the most remarkable takeaway from the new Gallup numbers is how little variation there is between metro areas. The difference between Birmingham, at the bottom of the list, and San Francisco, at the top, is only 3.6 percentage points, showing that America's LGBT population is not confined to a particular area or region of the country, but spread out fairly evenly – despite the unequal rights and protections LGBT Americans experience in different states.
In a previous Pew Research Center survey, LGBT Americans indicated the West as the region with the most social acceptance of people who are LGBT, with 51 percent saying there was a lot of acceptance in their Western city or town. When choosing a place to live though, only 12 percent said the level of social acceptance was a major consideration and 20 percent said it was a minor consideration.
Courtesy Pew Research Center
Here's the full list of metro areas from the survey:
Courtesy Gallup
Lindsey Cook is the data editor for news at U.S. News & World Report. You can follow her on Twitter or reach her at lcook@usnews.com.
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