The Number of Children Being Raised by Gay or Lesbian Parents

Corbin Miller, Cornell University
Joseph P. Price, Brigham Young University

We use data from the American Community Survey and National Survey of Family Growth to calculate the number of children being raised by either same-sex couples or gay or lesbian single parents. We estimate there are 190,000 children being raised by gay or lesbian couples, 83% of which are being raised by lesbian couples and 17% by gay couples. In addition, there are another 150,000 children being raised by a lesbian single parent and 60,000 being raised by a gay single parent. These estimates are significantly lower than previous estimates, to part, due the way in which parents who report being bisexual are categorized.