Census Bureau Releases New Estimates of Same-Sex Married Couples (After Earlier Inconsistencies)

The U.S. Census Bureau released new statistics on same-sex married couple and unmarried partner households based on the 2010 Census showing 131,729 same-sex married couple households and 514,735 same-sex unmarried partner households in the U.S.

The Census Bureau said that these figures revised the estimates that were released earlier this summer. They discovered an inconsistency in the responses during the initial census that artificially inflated the number of same-sex couples. They originally reported that there were 349,377 same-sex married couple households and 552,620 same-sex unmarried partner households.

The new estimates have been peer-reviewed by Gary Gates, a demographer with the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, by Philip Cohen, a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and by Megan Sweeney, professor of sociology at UCLA. These experts concluded the methodology behind these revised estimates was sound.

Stressing the need for accuracy, Census Bureau Director Robert Groves, said:

“We understand how important it is for all groups to have accurate statistics that reflect who we are as a nation. As scientists, we noticed the inconsistency and developed the revised estimates to provide a more accurate portrait of the number of same-sex couples.”

It is important that census is accurate as much as possible. Aside from ensuring that each community gets the right number of representatives in government, it also helps in equitably distributing public funds.

We cannot deny the fact that we have same-sex couples in our communities and should be properly represented.