More Americans Identify As LGBT Than Ever Before

More than 9% of American adults now identify as LGBT as of 2024, a new poll released Thursday found.

The number of adults reporting to be “something other than heterosexual” has risen from 7.6% in 2023 to 9.3% in 2024, according to Gallup. The newest data shows a drastic increase since Gallup first began its polling on the subject in 2012, when only 3.5% held a non-heterosexual identity.

The statistic is driven largely by Gen Z with nearly a quarter of the generation claiming an LGBT identity, according to Gallup. Less than 15% of millennials and 5% or less of each Gen X, Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation report identifying as part of the group.

Since 2020, the number of people claiming to be LGBT has risen approximately 4 percentage points amongst Gen Z, two points amongst millennials and one point amongst Gen X, according to the poll. Overall, more than 5% of respondents say they are bisexual and just over 1% claim a transgender identity.

The trend is far more common amongst Democrats and liberals than Republicans and conservatives, with the former representing 14% and 21% of those claiming an LGBT identity, respectively, and only 3% of Republicans and conservatives claiming a non-heterosexual identity, the poll shows. Only 11% of independents and 8% moderates identify as LGBT.

Gender also plays a large role in the self-reported identity, with 10% of women claiming to be LGBT compared to only 6% of men. The trend is even more prominent when broken down by sex and by generation, with 31% of Gen Z women and 18% of millennial women claiming an LGBT identity compared to just 12% of Gen Z men and 9% of millennial men.

People living in cities and suburbs are also more likely to claim a different identity than those living in rural areas, Gallup found.