According to a 2021 survey by Statista, around 14 percent of individuals living

According to a 2021 survey by Statista, around 14 percent of individuals living in the District of Columbia identified as LGBT. Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon also had high rates, exceeding ten percentMississippi and North Dakota had the lowest rates of LGBT populations, the only states with less than five percent1.

The Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, has released a report on the adult LGBTQ + population of the United States, revealing some unexpected information about the queer hubs of modern America. Overall, 14.1 million people in the U.S. reported that they “identify as LGBT” between 2020 and 2021, making up a significant portion of the population at 5.6 percent. However, not everyone is living in New York or California — in fact, neither cracked the top ten of states with the most LGBTQ+ people, relative to population. Going by population alone, California is the state with the most LGBTQ+ people (1,549,600). That makes sense, seeing as California has the largest overall population of any state. However, California’s LGBTQ+ people make up a relatively small portion of the state’s total population (just 5.1 percent). When looking at population this way, several states surprised with how large their LGBTQ+ demographic is. Washington D.C. technically has the highest percentage of LGBTQ+ people, with 81,400 making up 14.3 percent of the capital’s population, but until the U.S. government recognizes D.C. statehood, neither will this list. Here are the states with the most LGBTQ+ people, proportionally:

Ohio: 557,600 LGBTQ+ residents account for 6.2 percent of the state’s population.
Minnesota: 267,600 LGBTQ+ residents account for 6.3 percent of the state’s population.
Tennessee: 328,900 LGBTQ+ residents account for 6.3 percent of the state’s population.
Rhode Island: 54,800 LGBTQ+ residents account for 6.5 percent of the state’s population.
Maine: 69,900 LGBTQ+ residents account for 6.5 percent of the state’s population.
Massachusetts: 356,200 LGBTQ+ residents account for 6.5 percent of the state’s population.
Nevada: 150,100 LGBTQ+ residents account for 6.6 percent of the state’s population.
Colorado: 294,500 LGBTQ+ residents account for 6.8 percent of the state’s population.
Washington: 398,700 LGBTQ+ residents account for 6.9 percent of the state’s population.
New Hampshire: 77,000 LGBTQ+ residents account for 7.1 percent of the state’s population23.
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