
Nationwide, 4.5 percent of Americans identify as LGBTQ+ – but the population density of queer people varies dramatically from one state to the next, according to new survey data.

The national figure is higher than previous estimates, which put the U.S. LGBTQ+ population (which includes people who are gay, lesbian, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual) at roughly 10 million adults, or 4.1 percent of the population.

The findings are based on a survey conducted from 2012-2017 by Gallup Daily Tracking, which polled around 350,000 different people over the age of 18 each year. The data was compiled by The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.

Oregon was the state with the highest concentration of queer people, at 5.6 percent, followed by Nevada (5.5 percent), Massachusetts (5.4 percent), California (5.3 percent) and Vermont and Washington (5.2 percent each).

This map illustrates the proportion of the population in each state that identifies as LGBTQ+. The darker the shade, the higher the population in each state. Source: Gallup Daily Tracking and The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law

At 5.1 percent, New York was the final state with 5 percent or more of its population identifying as LGBTQ+.

North Dakota had the smallest population of queer Americans (2.7 percent), followed by Idaho (2.8 percent), Montana (2.9 percent), South Dakota (3 percent) and Alabama (3.1 percent).

The trends show larger concentrations of LGBTQ+ Americans in coastal states and Hawaii, with Indiana (4.5 percent) a Midwest outlier.

The survey also broke down demographic data on the queer population, looking at factors such as race, sex and socio-economic circumstances.

White people were the least likely to identify as LGBTQ+, with 3.9 percent of all white people identifying that way. Asians were next (4.4 percent), followed by African Americans (4.6 percent) and Hispanics (6 percent).

Women were significantly more likely to identify as LGBTQ+, at 5.1 percent, compared to 3.9 percent of men. The survey did not offer a non-binary gender option, which could have affected those results.

Notably, members of the LGBTQ+ people were more likely to be unemployed (9 percent compared to 5 percent of straight Americans.

This chart illustrates what proportion of the LGBTQ+ population faces different socio-economic challenges, compared to the population of straight U.S. adults

They were also more likely to go without health insurance (15 percent compared to 12 percent) and struggle with food security (27 percent compared to 15 percent).

They also tended to have lower incomes than straight Americans, with a quarter reporting making less than $24,000 a year, compared to 18 percent of the straight population.

Those socio-economic disparities were consistent across all races. For example, white people who identify as queer were more likely to be low-income than white people who identify as straight.

The disparity in incomes can't be explained by educational attainment: LGBTQ+ people had college graduation rates similar to their straight counterparts.

'We know that LGBTQ people face pervasive discrimination in many areas of life - so it's unsurprising to see lower incomes, more unemployment, lack of insurance, and heightened food insecurity in this data,' said Liam Miranda, senior research manager for the Human Rights Coalition.

'It's so important that we have such accessible information about these experiences, as this will allow countless activists, researchers, organizations, leaders, and community members to better advocate on behalf of our community to create programs and policies that address this discrimination and resulting negative outcomes,' Miranda told DailyMail.com.

White LGBTQ+ people were the least likely to have children younger than 18 (21 percent), followed by Asians (25 percent), African Americans (34 percent) and Hispanics (39 percent).

Women were more likely than their male counterparts in the LGBTQ+ community to have young children (39 percent and 17 percent, respectively).