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The American Community Survey, 2002

The American Community Survey is a sampled survey of United States Population, which the Census Bureau will make every year in order to update the figures of the Decennial Census. The American Community Survey uses three modes of data collection - mail, telephone and personal visit. The sample has a three month data collection period; the first month is by mail and the second month by telephone.

Since it is not yet a nation-wide method of counting households, but rather a rehearsal of sampling, it is not yet indicative of the number of same-sex households. Rather, just like the PUMS, it is an indication of how those households with same-sex couples look.

The ACS homepage has a detailed list and map of the test sites.

A total of 2,778 households were counted. The state-by-state list is here.

These are a few key figures:

Age:

  • Average age of a same-sex couple: 46.8 years.
  • Average age of females in same-sex couple: 46 years, 3 months (46.2823 years).
  • Average age of males in same-sex couple: 47 years, 2 months (47.1667 years).
  • Age difference: 39% have an age difference of 2 years or less. 27% have an age difference of 3 to 5 years. 19% have an age difference of 6 to 10 years. 8% are aged between 11-15 years and 7% of same-sex couples counted in the ACS have an age difference of over 16 years.

Family:

  • Persons in household: A little over two-thirds of households (67.6%) live by themselves. 25% live with one or two more persons in the household. The rest (7.2%) live with three or more persons.
  • Children: More than a quarter (27%) of same-sex households live with their own children. 15% of all households have 2 children, while 6.8% of the households have 3 or more children.
  • Other relatives: A little more than 2% of all households take care of their grandchildren, and the same number is true of parents of the same-sex couple who live with them.

 

Income:

  • Average household income: $83,745 (this includes same-sex couple households with more persons than the couple living there).
  • Average personal income: $36,160 . Lesbians in same-sex couples make on average $32,630, while the average yearly income of gay men is $39,344. On average, the person considered the main householder makes 33% more than the partner ($50,048 to $33,697).

Years living together:

Contrary to the PUMS in the 2000 Decennial Census, the ACS only asks where the person lived 1 year ago. If the main householder was living in the same house a year before the survey, then the unmarried same-sex partner was counted. In 95.8% of the cases, the partner lived in the same house previously.