West Hollywood Has 3rd Largest Percentage of Same-Sex Couples

An analysis of 2010 Census data shows that West Hollywood has the third-highest percentage of same-sex couples in California Sunday, behind Palm Springs and Guerneville, a small town north of San Francisco.

The 1,502 households in West Hollywood that identified themselves as same-sex couples represent about 7 percent of the households in that city, according to a new analysis of Census data from the UCLA Williams Institute of Sexual Orientation Law.

The federal census did not count individual gay, lesbian or transgender people, but did inventory the number of same-sex persons who identified themselves as married or domestic partners, the UCLA study said. The census allows people to refer to same-sex roommates as a husband or wife or as an "unmarried partner,'' and the UCLA study used those figures to calculate the number of gay couples.

Palm Springs has 2,621 gay couples who came out to the census-takers, out of a population of 44,552. At about 12 percent, that's a larger percentage than any other California city.

Other Coachella Valley cities also ranked at the top of the list, including Rancho Mirage (4th), Cathedral City (5th), and Desert Hot Springs (10th).

In terms of gay couples per county, Los Angeles County ranked high for same-sex males but low for same-sex females. The top three gay couple counties are San Francisco and two suburban Bay Area counties, followed by Riverside and Santa Cruz counties.