US Census Snapshots 2020: Same-Sex Couples

Methodology

Data was compiled using the US Census Bureau’s state, county, city, and Census tract counts for same-sex couples found here. In this analysis, the authors combined incorporated places, independent cities, and consolidated cities to create the “city” category. Geographies listed as “independent cities” (such as Richmond City, VA) are included in both the “county” and “city” designation in this analysis. “Independent cities” are cities that are outside the jurisdiction of any county and are recognized as “county equivalents” by the U.S. Census Bureau. They are assigned a Federal Information Processing Series (FIPS) code. Despite their equivalence to counties, they are also still recognized as cities (as they often have comparable populations to cities of similar geographic size). Independent cities are only located in Virginia, Maryland, Nevada, and Missouri. The householder is the person, or one of the people, who primarily own or rent the house. Same-sex couples are identified in households where householder describes their relationship with another adult of the same sex as either a “husband/wife” or “unmarried partner.” In addition, we utilized the 2020 Census Privacy Protected Microdata Files (PPMF) to identify the race/ethnicity of the householder and the presence of the householder’s own child/children. For our full methodology note, see here.