Same-Sex Couples in Ohio

Introduction

This research brief offers analyses of data from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) to describe the characteristics of same-sex couples and their families in Ohio compared to their different- sex married counterparts.

Same-sex couples are identified in the ACS when an adult in the household is identified as either the “husband/wife” or “unmarried partner” of the person who filled out the survey, referred to as the householder, and both partners or spouses are of the same sex. These analyses combine ACS Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files from 2011 and 2012, yielding sample sizes of:

• 323 same-sex couples
• 103 children under age 18 being raised by same-sex couples
• 46,868 different-sex married couples
• 33,283 children under age 18 being raised by different-sex couples

Same-sex couples

Tabulations from Census 2010 show that there are 19,684 same-sex couples living in Ohio. These couples were identified in all but three of Ohio’s counties. The majority of same-sex couples are female (54%).1

Age

The average age of individuals in same-sex couples in Ohio is nine years younger than that of different-sex married couples—42.7 and 51.7 years old, respectively. Table 1 shows the percentages of adults in same-sex and different-sex married couples by age group. The lowest percentage of same-sex couples is in the 65 and over group (6%) while the lowest percentage of different-sex married couples is in the youngest age group of those under age 30 (6%).

More than one tenth of individuals in same-sex couples in Ohio are members of racial or ethnic minorities. Table 2 shows that 13% of individuals in same-sex couples are members of racial or ethnic minorities compared to 11% of individuals in different-sex married couples.

Same-sex couples with children

Nearly one in five same-sex couples in Ohio (19%) are raising children under age 18 in their homes. More than 3,760 same-sex-couple households in the state are raising nearly 6,800 children.

More than half (53%) of children being raised by same-sex couples in Ohio are biological children, 6% are stepchildren, 13% are adopted, and 0.1% are foster children. This implies that same-sex couples in the state are raising an estimated 3,600 biological children, 400 stepchildren, and 900 adopted children. More than a quarter (28%) of children being raised by same-sex couples in Ohio, approximately 1,900 children, are identified as grandchildren, other relatives, or other children who are not relatives.