Almost 10% of Americans Now Identify as LGBTQ+

A new Gallup poll reveals that more adults in the US than ever before identify as LGBTQ+, with bisexual individuals making up the largest segment of this population.

The research firm surveyed 14,000 American adults in 2024 and found that 9.3% identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or something other than heterosexual. Of these, 5.2% identified as bisexual, 2% as gay, 1.4% as lesbian, and 1.3% as transgender.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) noted that when applied to a national population of 341 million people, this equates to approximately 31.7 million LGBTQ+ adults. This includes 17.7 million bisexual people, 6.8 million gay people, 4.8 million lesbians, and 4.4 million transgender individuals.

LGBTQ+ Identification Continues to Rise

According to Gallup, this marks an increase of more than a percentage point since 2023. Notably, the percentage has nearly doubled since 2020 and has risen significantly from 3.5% in 2012, when Gallup first began measuring LGBTQ+ identification.

The company attributed this rise to younger demographics, stating: “LGBTQ+ identification is increasing as younger generations of Americans enter adulthood and are much more likely than older generations to say they are something other than heterosexual.”

Remarkably, more than 23.1% of Generation Z—those born between 1997 and 2006—identify as LGBTQ+, as do 14.2% of Millennials (born 1981–1996).

A Changing Social and Political Landscape

“This polling reflects what we’ve been saying all along: the future that anti-equality politicians are fearmongering about is already here,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson.

“LGBTQ+ Americans have always been here, and we are not going anywhere. There are way too many of us to be ignored, way too many of us to drive out of everyday life, and the politicians who think they can turn back the clock on LGBTQ+ acceptance will fail.”

Robinson continued: “It is a beautiful thing that growing acceptance over the course of recent decades has allowed more and more people to show up as their authentic selves, and we should all be working toward a future where everyone can be exactly who they are.”

LGBTQ+ Rights Under Threat

Ironically, while more Americans are identifying as LGBTQ+, the country is experiencing a rollback of LGBTQ+ rights under the increasingly right-wing Republican Party and the extremist Trump administration.

Separate research conducted by HRC and Bowling Green State University predicts that by 2040, LGBTQ+ individuals could make up nearly 20% of the voting population, solidifying their status as one of the fastest-growing and most influential voting blocs in the country.