1 in 5 Same-Sex US Couples Married

Between the 2000 census and the 2010 census, the number of same-sex couples increased a whopping 80%—showing, demographers say, that gay couples are increasingly willing to identify themselves. And of the US’ 646,000 same-sex couples, one in five say they are married. Those 646,000 couples, who make up just 1% of all couples in the nation, include all those who identified themselves as spouses or cohabitating partners to the census.

Despite more couples being open, a post-census study still found that 10% of same-sex couples did not identify themselves to the confidential census. The Washington Post notes that the number of married same-sex couples likely rose after the census, when New York legalized gay marriage. Both supporters and opponents of gay marriage were happy with the figures. One supporter cheered the fact that more same-sex couples are “willing to stand up and be counted,” while an opponent counters that the census shows that even in states where gay marriage is legal, “most same-sex couples living together do not choose to marry." (More same-sex couples stories.)