Question: How Many Children Have Gay Parents in the US?
Answer:
According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, between 8 and 10 million children are being raised in gay and lesbian families.
History of Gay and Lesbian Families by the Numbers
There were an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 gay and lesbian biological parents in 1976. In 1990, an estimated 6 to 14 million children have a gay or lesbian parent.
Latest statistics from the U.S. Census 2000, the National Survey of Family Growth (2002), and the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (2004) include:
- An estimated two million GLB people are interested in adopting.
- An estimated 65,500 adopted children are living with a lesbian or gay parent.
- More than 16,000 adopted children are living with lesbian and gay parents in California, the highest number among the states.
- Gay and lesbian parents are raising four percent of all adopted children in the United States.
- Adopted children with same-sex parents are younger and more likely to be foreign born.
Back to Gay Adoption Basics.
