Interracial Marriages Among Same-Sex Couples Higher Than Opposite-Sex Couples: Study

Newly released data from the United States Census Bureau revealed that in 2022, interracial marriages were more common among same-sex couples compared to their opposite-sex counterparts.

According to the American Community Survey data, approximately 31 percent of married same-sex couples were interracial, a significantly higher proportion than the 19 percent for married opposite-sex couples.

The trend extended beyond marriage: 34 percent of unmarried same-sex couples were interracial, compared to 29 percent of opposite-sex couples.

Further analysis showed that among same-sex couples who were married, a larger share of male couples, 37 percent, were interracial. Female couples who fell in this category clocked in at 25 percent. Similarly, among unmarried same-sex couples, the percentage was higher for males at 39 percent, compared to females at 29 percent.

For Hispanics, data from U.S. Census Bureau's found that 15.4 percent of same-sex households were Hispanic or Latino. Of male same-sex couples, 17 percent were Hispanic or Latino, and for female same-sex couples the figure was 14 percent.

In 2022, the United States had approximately 1.3 million same-sex couple households, with 740,000 being married and 540,000 unmarried. Notably, the average age in same-sex married couples was 48.6 years, lower than that of opposite-sex married couples at 52.9 years. In contrast, the average age of households in same-sex unmarried couples was 40.9 years, slightly higher than opposite-sex unmarried couples at 39.8 years.

Among married-couple households, the data showed that it was more common for both partners in same-sex households to be employed, at 62 percent, compared to opposite-sex households, at 49 percent. Additionally, a larger share of opposite-sex married couples owned their homes at 82 percent, compared to same-sex married couples at 73 percent.

The study also highlighted economic disparities, as the median household income of female same-sex couples was lower at $98,420 compared to male same-sex couples, whose median income was $127,900.

Educational attainment also showed differences, with a greater share of both partners in same-sex unmarried couples having at least a bachelor's degree at 32 percent, compared to 18 percent of opposite-sex unmarried couples.