Number of married same-sex couples in Virginia has tripled since legalization

The number of same-sex married couples in Virginia has increased substantially since the state began recognizing them in 2014, a year ahead of the Supreme Court's 2015 decision that made them legal them nationwide.

Why it matters: In Virginia, 6% of the population identifies as LGBTQ — the highest rate in the Southeast .

By the numbers: There were 16,603 married same-sex couples in Virginia as of 2022, per the American Community Survey (ACS), up from nearly 5,167 in 2013.

• And a whopping 59% of same-sex couple households in Virginia were married as of 2022, compared with just 26.5% the year before it was legalized in the state.

Fun fact: The first legal same-sex marriage in Virginia was in Richmond , moments after legalization.

The big picture: There were about 741,000 married same-sex couple households in America as of 2022, up from about 335,000 in 2014.

• 58% of same-sex couple households were married as of 2022, compared with just 42.8% in 2014.

Zoom out: Among U.S. states, Delaware (81.4%), New Hampshire (72.3%) and Wyoming (70.7%) have the highest share of households with same-sex married couples.

• Washington, D.C. (48.2%), Alaska (48.1%) and Tennessee (47.9%) have the lowest.

Caveat: There's no 2020 data here because the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with the Census Bureau's collection efforts.

• The Bureau has also struggled in the past to accurately count same-sex marriages.
• The ACS in 2019 began specifically asking about same-sex spouses and unmarried partners in American households, a tweak meant to improve data collection efforts.

Reality check: While the Supreme Court's 2015 decision protected the right to marry at the federal level, lawmakers in many states are still seeking to curtail LGBTQ+ Americans' rights.

• The Supreme Court, meanwhile, ruled last year that businesses can refuse service to same-sex couples on religious objection grounds.

Yes, but: Virginia passed a bill this year protecting same-sex marriages at a state level — and Gov. Youngkin, a Republican, signed it into law .

The bottom line: The 2015 Supreme Court ruling clearly had a massive impact on millions of Americans' lives, even if the battle for true equality goes on.