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Press Release
For Immediate Release

April 10, 2008

Media Contacts:
Adam Romero (310)206-0725 / romero@law.ucla.edu
Gary Gates (310)825-1868 / gates@law.ucla.edu

LOS ANGELES - Today, the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law released a new research study providing demographic and economic information about the more than 50,000 same-sex couples in New York. The study shows that 20% of the same-sex couples in New York are raising an estimated 18,335 children. The study also shows that same-sex couples with children have fewer economic resources to provide for their families than their married counterparts: they have lower household incomes and lower rates of homeownership.

The full report may be found at: http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/NewYorkCensusSnapshot.pdf

KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE:
• In 2000, there were 46,490 same-sex couples living in New York. By 2005, the number of same-sex couples increased to 50,854.
• There are an estimated 592,337 gay, lesbian, and bisexual people (single and coupled) currently living in New York.
• Same-sex couples live in every county in New York and constitute 1.3% of coupled households and 0.7% of all households in the state. New York County (Manhattan) reported the most same-sex couples with 9,886 couples (1.34% of all county households), followed by Kings County (Brooklyn) with 6,998 couples (0.79%), and Queens County with 5,180 couples (0.66%). The counties with the highest percentage of same-sex couples are New York County (1.34% of all county households), Tompkins County (1.05%), and Ulster County (0.80%).
• New York’s same-sex couples are significantly more racially and ethnically diverse than their married counterparts: 32% of individuals in same-sex couples are nonwhite, compared to 27% of married individuals.
• Despite the military’s historic policies of excluding gay men and lesbians from service, individuals in same-sex couples have served in the military: 5% of individuals in same-sex couples are veterans, compared to 13% of married individuals.

NEW YORK’S SAME-SEX COUPLES ARE RAISING CHILDREN WITH FEWER ECONOMIC RESOURCES THAN MARRIED PARENTS
• The median household income of same-sex couples with children is $45,300, or 29% lower than that of married parents ($63,700). The average household income of same-sex couples with children is $61,042, significantly less than $83,927 for married parents.

SAME-SEX COUPLES ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE NEW YORK ECONOMY
• Individuals in same-sex couples in New York are significantly more likely to be employed than married individuals: 77% of individuals in same- sex couples are employed, compared to 63% of married individuals.
• Contrary to a popular stereotype, the annual earnings of men in same-sex couples are similar to those of married men. On average, men in same-sex couples in New York earn $56,559 each year, compared to $56,402 for married men. The median income of men in same-sex and married couples in New York is $40,000.
• Women in same-sex couples in New York earn an average of $40,395 per year (with a median of $30,000), more than married women, whose earnings average $31,320 (with a median of $24,000). Women in same-sex couples earn less than married men as well as men in same-sex couples.

The Williams Institute also released today a similar Census Snapshot for Connecticut, which is available at http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/Policy-Census-index.html.

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