Approximately 2.8 million people aged 13 and older—1.0% of the U.S. population in that age group—identify as transgender, according to new estimates from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. This includes about 724,000 youth aged 13 to 17 (3.3% of youth) and around 2.1 million adults aged 18 and older (0.8% of adults).
Transgender individuals tend to be younger than the overall U.S. population, a trend consistently seen in previous research. Three-quarters (76%) of people aged 13 and older who identify as transgender are under 35, compared to 34% of the entire U.S. population in the same age group. One-quarter of individuals who identify as transgender (25%) are between 13 and 17, versus only 8% of the overall population.
“Younger generations are more likely to identify as transgender, and we expect that trend to continue,” said lead author Jody Herman, Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute. “Youth and young adults are more likely to identify as transgender due to a variety of factors, including a greater willingness among younger individuals to disclose that they identify as transgender on surveys.”
Researchers used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS), and advanced statistical modeling to estimate the population of adults and youth who identify as transgender nationally and in each of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia. They also provide estimates regarding gender, age, and race/ethnicity.
This report is the latest in a series of estimates from the Williams Institute on the transgender population, released in 2016, 2017, and 2022. Results show that the percentage and number of all adults who identify as transgender in the U.S. have remained fairly consistent over time. Improvements in data collection for youth have provided a more accurate estimate of youth aged 13 to 17 who identify as transgender.
“Federal datasets that include questions about sexual orientation and gender identity have provided critical information to researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the public,” said study author Andrew R. Flores, Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Williams Institute. “Removal of these questions from federal surveys—such as the BRFSS and the YRBS—would significantly hinder the ability of researchers to assess the health, experiences, and needs of transgender people in the United States.”
Additional Findings
- Of the 2.1 million adults who identify as transgender, 32.7% (698,500) are transgender women, 34.2% (730,500) are transgender men, and 33.1% (707,100) are transgender nonbinary adults.
- Young adults aged 18 to 24 are significantly more likely to identify as transgender (2.7%) than those aged 35 to 64 (0.4%) and those aged 65 and older (0.3%).
- The race and ethnicity distribution of adults and youth who identify as transgender appears similar to that of the U.S. population.
- At the regional level, population estimates range from 0.7% of adults who identify as transgender in the South to 0.9% in the Northeast. Among youth, estimates range from 3.2% who identify as transgender in the South to 3.4% in the Midwest.
- At the state level, estimates range from 0.4% of adults who identify as transgender in New Mexico to 1.2% in Minnesota. Among youth, estimates range from 2.5% who identify as transgender in Delaware to 3.6% in Hawaii.
The Williams Institute will host a webinar to discuss the new estimates of the transgender population on Thursday, August 21, at noon PT. Register to attend at bit.ly/USTransPop.