Where Do All The LGBT People Live?

A new poll out from Gallup ranks all states (and Washington D.C.) in terms of how large the self-identifying LGBT population is.

Surprisingly, Massachusetts -- home of Provincetown and the vanguard of gay rights in the United States -- is only ranked 7th, with 4.4 percent of U.S. adults who identify as LGBT. D.C. has by far the largest population, at 10 %, but most of the state's percentages don't vary very much; all states are within two percentage points of the national average of 3.5%. Gallup breaks it down further:

States with high LGBT percentages tend to be more liberal and have more supportive LGBT legal climates, while those at the lower end of the LGBT spectrum are generally the most conservative. This suggests that one explanation for the variation across states is the relationship between the willingness to disclose LGBT identity and the environment of one's state of residence. It is also possible that LGBT adults make conscious choices to reside in certain states rather than others, but this possibility is difficult to assess and seems less likely.