How many Americans identify as LGBTQ? Poll finds big increase — mostly due to 1 group

The share of Americans who identify as LGBTQ+ ticked up in 2024 — largely due to more young people describing themselves as bisexual, according to new polling.

In the latest Gallup survey, 9.3% of respondents said they identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something other than heterosexual.

This figure is up slightly from 7.6% in 2023. But, looking back further, it has almost doubled since 2020, when it stood at 5.6%, and nearly tripled since 2012 — the first year Gallup asked about LGBTQ+ identification — when it stood at 3.5%.

The poll, which sampled 14,162 U.S. adults throughout 2024, found the rate of LGBTQ+ identification varied widely across generations.

Generational breakdown

Generation Z and millennials were the most likely to identify as LGBTQ+, with rates of 23.1% and 14.2%, respectively.

Meanwhile, Generation X, baby boomers and the Silent Generation were far less likely to describe themselves as anything other than heterosexual — with 5.1%, 3% and 1.8%, respectively, identifying as LGBTQ+.

The rate of LGBTQ+ identification has also grown among younger generations in recent years. For Gen Z adults, it ticked up from an average of 18.8% between 2020 and 2022 to an average of 22.7% between 2023 and 2024.

Millennials and Gen X have seen smaller increases over the same period, while there has not been significant change among baby boomers and the Silent Generation.

Bisexual boom

In the latest poll, 85.7% of respondents said they were straight, 5.2% were bisexual, 2% were gay, 1.4% were lesbian and 1.3% were transgender.

And among those who identified as LGBTQ+, more than half, 56%, described themselves as bisexual, making it the most common non-heterosexual identity.

More people describing themselves as bisexual, particularly those in their late teens, twenties and thirties, is largely what drove this year’s increase in LGBTQ+ identification, according to Gallup.

In fact, majorities of Gen Z and millennials who identify as LGBTQ+ — 59% and 52% — describe themselves as bisexual. This figure drops with each successive generation, with older people who identify as LGBTQ+ being more likely to identify as lesbian or gay.

Other demographic differences

In addition to generational differences, there were significant disparities across other demographics — including partisan affiliation, gender and geographic location.

Fourteen percent of Democrats and 11% of independents described themselves as LGBTQ+, while 3% of Republicans said the same.

And women were nearly twice as likely as men to identify as LGBTQ+ — with rates of 10% versus 6%. This discrepancy is largely due to women being more likely to say they are bisexual.

Additionally, 11% of people living in cities and 10% of those living in suburbs described themselves as LGBTQ+, while 7% of those living in rural areas said the same.

There was not a significant difference across educational lines, with 9% of college graduates and 10% of non-graduates identifying as something other than heterosexual.

Looking to the future, “the rate of LGBTQ+ identification is likely to continue to grow, given the generational shifts underway,” according to Gallup.

This story was originally published February 20, 2025 at 11:48 AM with the headline "How many Americans identify as LGBTQ? Poll finds big increase — mostly due to 1 group."