Data About LGBT Population In New Mexico Released

As the New Mexico Supreme Court considers a decision on whether to allow marriage for same-sex couples, the Williams Institute, a leading research institute on sexual orientation and gender identity law and policy at the UCLA School of Law, released data that offers context for the decision.

All of the data below is based on Williams Institute analyses, with the source of the data or supporting publication in parentheses.

Same-Sex Couples and Their Families in New Mexico:
Same-sex couples: 5,825 (1)                                      
LGBT individuals (18yrs+): ~45,000 (2)                                 
Percentage of same-sex couples with children: 18 percent.
More than 1,030 same-sex couples are raising approximately 2,000 children under 18. (3)
Same-Sex Couples with a Latino/a Householder (4)

New Mexico is the state with the highest proportion of Latino or Latina same-sex couples among households.

There are approximately 1,900 same-sex couples with a Latino or Latina householder in New Mexico.

Four counties in New Mexico are listed in the Top 10 Counties in the nation with the highest proportion of Latino or Latina same-sex couples among households.
Sante Fe County, Bernalillo County, Rio Arriba County,  Socorro County

Wedding Spending and Revenue:
An estimated 2,912 couples will marry in New Mexico over the next three years.
Extending marriage benefits to same-sex couples is expected to generate approximately $15 million in additional wedding spending in the state.
This wedding spending  is expected to generate an additional $797,800 in tax revenues for the New Mexico state budget.
These estimates do not include out-of-state same-sex couples that may travel to New Mexico to marry, nor do they account for the approximately 900 couples that have filed for same-sex marriage licenses in 8 New Mexico counties in recent months.

(1) Census Snapshot 2010: New Mexico
(2) LGBT Latino/a Individuals and Latino/a Same-sex Couples Report
(3) Census Snapshot 2010: New Mexico
(4) Gallup