The Williams Institute

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, this report provides demographic and economic information about same-sex couples and same-sex couples raising children in Maryland. We compare same-sex “unmarried partners,” which the Census Bureau defines as an unmarried couple who “shares living quarters and has a close personal relationship,” to different-sex married couples in Maryland.

In many ways, the over 15,600 same-sex couples living in Maryland are similar to married couples. According to Census 2000, they live throughout the State, are racially and ethnically diverse, have partners that depend upon one another financially, and actively participate in Maryland’s economy. Census data also show that 21% of same-sex couples in Maryland are raising children. However, same-sex parents have fewer economic resources to provide for their families than do their married counterparts: they have significantly lower household incomes, on average, and significantly lower rates of home ownership.