LGBTQ+ people now make up an estimated 12% of adults in the United States, accounting for roughly 26.5 million people, according to a new analysis from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
The estimate comes from an analysis of 2.4 million responses collected through the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey between 2021 and 2024. The HRC Foundation used the self-reported data to estimate the number of adults who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender expansive.
According to the analysis, 2.34% of U.S. adults identify as transgender or gender expansive, 3.27% identify as lesbian or gay, and 7.08% identify as bisexual.
Among LGBTQ+ adults, the foundation estimated that approximately 65% are bisexual, 30% are lesbian or gay, and 21% also identify as transgender or gender expansive. About 5% of adults identified as both straight and transgender or gender expansive.
The data also suggests LGBTQ+ adults are significantly younger than the non-LGBTQ+ population. About 54% of LGBTQ+ adults are under 35, compared with 22% of non-LGBTQ+ adults. Nearly one-third of LGBTQ+ adults, or 32%, are between 18 and 24.
The foundation also found differences across racial and ethnic groups. About 18% of LGBTQ+ adults are Hispanic, compared with 13% of non-LGBTQ+ adults. LGBTQ+ adults made up an estimated 4% to 7% of adults across other racial groups.
Geographically, the analysis estimated that LGBTQ+ adults account for at least 10% of the adult population in 40 states. The states falling below that mark included several southern and midwestern states, along with New Jersey and West Virginia.
The new estimate is higher than a Gallup report released earlier this year that found 9% of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ+. The HRC Foundation noted that the difference may be tied in part to methodology, arguing that private, self-reported surveys may make some respondents more comfortable identifying as LGBTQ+ than telephone interviews.
The findings come as federal agencies have removed sexual orientation and gender identity questions from hundreds of federal data collections. Since January 2025, approximately 360 federal data collections have dropped at least one measure related to sexual orientation or gender identity, according to the HRC Foundation.
“Removing LGBTQ+ people from federal data does not make communities disappear—It makes them harder to see, understand, and serve,” the foundation wrote.
Tari Hanneman, senior director of research and education at the HRC Foundation, said the findings show why continued LGBTQ+ inclusion in federal data collection matters.
“Reliable data are essential for understanding who lives in this country and what our communities need to thrive,” Hanneman says. “These findings show that LGBTQ+ people are a substantial and growing segment of the population, underscoring the need for our continued inclusion in data collection efforts.”
While the foundation acknowledged that no single estimate can provide a definitive count of LGBTQ+ adults in the country, the analysis offers one of the highest national estimates to date and points to a population that is both substantial and increasingly visible.
