HOW MANY
ADULTS IDENTIFY
AS TRANSGENDER
IN THE UNITED STATES?
Andrew R. Flores, Jody L. Herman, Gary J. Gates, and Taylor N. T. Brown
JUNE 2016
HOW MANY ADULTS IDENTIFY AS TRANSGENDER IN THE UNITED STATES? 2
INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY
Population-based surveys, meaning those that are designed to allow researchers to generalize findings to the
population, rarely ask questions to identify transgender people and, therefore, cannot be used to provide estimates
of the size and characteristics of the transgender population. The federal government administers several large,
national population-based surveys like the American Community Survey and the National Health Interview Survey
that track the demographics, health and well-being of U.S. residents. Unfortunately, these surveys do not currently
measure gender identity.
1
However, there are several state-level population-based surveys that identify transgender
respondents and can be used to estimate the size and characteristics of the transgender population.
In 2011, Gary J. Gates utilized two state-level population-based surveys that collected data from 2003 in California
and from 2007 and 2009 in Massachusetts to estimate that 0.3% of the U.S. adult population, roughly 700,000
adults, identified as transgender.
2
Since then, more state-level data sources have emerged that allow us to utilize
an estimation procedure that would not have been possible with the limited data available in 2011. Compared to the
data used in Gates’ study, these new data sources provide more recent data (2014), larger sample sizes, and more
detailed information about respondents. This allows for the development of more recent, detailed, and statistically
robust estimates of the percentage and number of adults in the United States who identify as transgender.
This report utilizes data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to estimate the
percentage and number of adults who identify as transgender nationally and in all 50 states.
3
We find that 0.6% of
U.S. adults identify as transgender. This figure is double the estimate that utilized data from roughly a decade ago
and implies that an estimated 1.4 million adults in the U.S. identify as transgender.
4
State-level estimates of adults who
identify as transgender range from 0.3% in North Dakota to 0.8% in Hawaii.
5
In addition, due to current state-level
policy debates that specifically target and aect transgender students, we provide estimates of the number of adults
who identify as transgender by age. The youngest age group, 18 to 24 year olds, is more likely than older age groups
to identify as transgender.
Figure 1. Percent of Adults Who Identify as Transgender in the United States
0.00% 0.78%
Percent of adults identifying
as transgender in the U.S.
HOW MANY ADULTS IDENTIFY AS TRANSGENDER IN THE UNITED STATES? 3
National and State-level Estimates of Transgender-Identified Adults
An estimated 0.6% of adults, about 1.4 million, identify as transgender in the United States. States vary in the
percentage of residents who identify as transgender (See Table 1). Hawaii has the highest percentage of adults
who identify as transgender, approximately 0.8% of adults, and North Dakota has the lowest percentage, at 0.3%.
The District of Columbia is notable for its relatively high percentage of transgender-identified adults (2.8%).
6
Twenty
states and the District of Columbia are estimated to have a higher percentage of transgender-identified adults than
the national average.
Table 1. Estimated Population of Adults Who Identify as Transgender by State of Residence
STATE
POPULATION PERCENT RANK
United States of America 1,397,150 0.58% -
Alabama 22,500 0.61% 15
Alaska 2,700 0.49% 33
Arizona 30,550 0.62% 12
Arkansas 13,400 0.60% 18
California 218,400 0.76% 2
Colorado 20,850 0.53% 27
Connecticut 12,400 0.44% 37
Delaware 4,550 0.64% 9
District of Columbia
7
14,550 2.77% -
Florida 100,300 0.66% 6
Georgia 55,650 0.75% 4
Hawaii 8,450 0.78% 1
Idaho 4,750 0.41% 43
Illinois 49,750 0.51% 30
Indiana 27,600 0.56% 23
Iowa 7,400 0.31% 49
Kansas 9,300 0.43% 41
Kentucky 17,700 0.53% 26
Louisiana 20,900 0.60% 17
Maine 5,350 0.50% 31
Maryland 22,300 0.49% 32
Massachusetts 29,900 0.57% 22
Michigan 32,900 0.43% 40
Minnesota 24,250 0.59% 20
Mississippi 13,650 0.61% 14
Missouri 25,050 0.54% 25
Montana 2,700 0.34% 47
Nebraska 5,400 0.39% 44
Nevada 12,700 0.61% 13
HOW MANY ADULTS IDENTIFY AS TRANSGENDER IN THE UNITED STATES? 4
STATE
POPULATION PERCENT RANK
New Hampshire 4,500 0.43% 39
New Jersey 30,100 0.44% 36
New Mexico 11,750 0.75% 3
New York 78,600 0.51% 29
North Carolina 44,750 0.60% 16
North Dakota 1,650 0.30% 50
Ohio 39,950 0.45% 34
Oklahoma 18,350 0.64% 8
Oregon 19,750 0.65% 7
Pennsylvania 43,800 0.44% 35
Rhode Island 4,250 0.51% 28
South Carolina 21,000 0.58% 21
South Dakota 2,150 0.34% 46
Tennessee 31,200 0.63% 10
Texas 125,350 0.66% 5
Utah 7,200 0.36% 45
Vermont 3,000 0.59% 19
Virginia 34,500 0.55% 24
Washington 32,850 0.62% 11
West Virginia 6,100 0.42% 42
Wisconsin 19,150 0.43% 38
Wyoming 1,400 0.32% 48
HOW MANY ADULTS IDENTIFY AS TRANSGENDER IN THE UNITED STATES? 5
Estimates of Transgender-Identified Adults by Age
Prior research suggests that individuals who identify as transgender are younger, on average, than non-transgender
individuals.
8
As expected, we find that younger adults are more likely than older adults to identify as transgender. An
estimated 0.7% of adults between the ages of 18 and 24 identify as transgender. Lower percentages of older adults
identify as transgender, with 0.6% of adults age 25 to 64 and 0.5% of adults age 65 or older identifying as transgender.
Table 2. Estimated Population of Adults Who Identify as Transgender by Age and State of Residence
STATE
AGE
1824 2564 65 AND OLDER
POPULATION PERCENTAGE POPULATION PERCENTAGE POPULATION PERCENTAGE
United States
of America
205,850 0.66% 967,100 0.58% 217,050 0.50%
Alabama 3,250 0.67% 15,450 0.61% 3,700 0.53%
Alaska 500 0.60% 1,950 0.48% 250 0.42%
Arizona 4,700 0.72% 20,800 0.63% 4,850 0.50%
Arkansas 1,850 0.65% 9,150 0.61% 2,300 0.52%
California 33,450 0.84% 154,750 0.77% 29,050 0.63%
Colorado 3,200 0.63% 14,900 0.53% 2,750 0.45%
Connecticut 1,750 0.52% 8,450 0.44% 2,100 0.40%
Delaware 700 0.73% 3,050 0.64% 800 0.55%
District of Columbia 2,600 3.14% 9,900 2.66% 1,950 2.72%
Florida 13,450 0.75% 66,750 0.67% 19,350 0.55%
Georgia 8,700 0.86% 39,500 0.75% 7,450 0.66%
Hawaii 1,200 0.89% 5,700 0.77% 1,550 0.72%
Idaho 750 0.47% 3,250 0.41% 750 0.35%
Illinois 7,150 0.57% 34,500 0.50% 7,750 0.46%
Indiana 4,100 0.62% 18,950 0.56% 4,450 0.50%
Iowa 1,100 0.35% 4,900 0.31% 1,350 0.29%
Kansas 1,500 0.49% 6,300 0.43% 1,500 0.38%
Kentucky 2,400 0.57% 12,200 0.52% 3,000 0.49%
Louisiana 3,150 0.66% 14,550 0.60% 3,100 0.52%
Maine 650 0.56% 3,650 0.50% 1,050 0.45%
Maryland 3,200 0.57% 15,650 0.49% 3,300 0.43%
Massachusetts 4,550 0.66% 20,150 0.56% 5,050 0.53%
Michigan 4,800 0.48% 22,400 0.43% 5,600 0.39%
Minnesota 3,450 0.69% 16,750 0.58% 3,950 0.54%
Mississippi 2,100 0.66% 9,400 0.62% 2,150 0.53%
Missouri 3,600 0.60% 17,000 0.54% 4,400 0.50%
Montana 400 0.40% 1,800 0.34% 450 0.30%
HOW MANY ADULTS IDENTIFY AS TRANSGENDER IN THE UNITED STATES? 6
STATE
AGE
1824 2564 65 AND OLDER
POPULATION PERCENTAGE POPULATION PERCENTAGE POPULATION PERCENTAGE
Nebraska 800 0.44% 3,650 0.39% 900 0.35%
Nevada 1,750 0.70% 9,100 0.61% 1,750 0.49%
New Hampshire 650 0.50% 3,100 0.43% 750 0.39%
New Jersey 3,950 0.51% 21,050 0.44% 5,050 0.41%
New Mexico 1,800 0.85% 8,000 0.75% 1,850 0.62%
New York 11,150 0.56% 54,150 0.51% 12,850 0.47%
North Carolina 6,600 0.68% 31,050 0.60% 7,150 0.53%
North Dakota 300 0.34% 1,050 0.30% 300 0.29%
Ohio 5,550 0.50% 27,150 0.45% 7,000 0.41%
Oklahoma 2,800 0.72% 12,600 0.64% 2,900 0.55%
Oregon 2,800 0.76% 13,700 0.65% 3,150 0.55%
Pennsylvania 6,100 0.48% 29,250 0.44% 8,250 0.40%
Rhode Island 650 0.56% 2,800 0.51% 750 0.46%
South Carolina 3,150 0.64% 14,250 0.58% 3,450 0.50%
South Dakota 350 0.39% 1,400 0.34% 350 0.30%
Tennessee 4,250 0.68% 21,550 0.63% 5,150 0.56%
Texas 19,600 0.73% 88,950 0.66% 15,700 0.55%
Utah 1,350 0.42% 4,950 0.36% 800 0.30%
Vermont 450 0.67% 2,000 0.59% 550 0.53%
Virginia 5,150 0.62% 24,000 0.54% 5,200 0.49%
Washington 4,850 0.73% 23,150 0.62% 4,700 0.52%
West Virginia 750 0.44% 4,150 0.42% 1,200 0.38%
Wisconsin 2,700 0.49% 13,150 0.43% 3,250 0.39%
Wyoming 200 0.37% 1,000 0.32% 200 0.29%
Discussion
Our current best estimate of the percentage of adults who identify as transgender in the United States is double
that of the estimate produced by Gary J. Gates in 2011. Several reasons may account for this dierence. A perceived
increase in visibility and social acceptance of transgender people may increase the number of individuals willing
to identify as transgender on a government-administered survey. The Gates estimate was based on data from only
two states with very small samples. The current study analyzes population-based data from 19 states that identify
transgender individuals. This provides larger samples and a wealth of information about transgender-identified adults
not previously available. As a result, more sophisticated estimation procedures are now possible that produce more
detailed and robust estimates than were possible in 2011. As new data collection eorts emerge at the state and
national levels, estimates can continue to be refined to improve our understanding of the size and characteristics of
the transgender population.
HOW MANY ADULTS IDENTIFY AS TRANSGENDER IN THE UNITED STATES? 7
Appendix: Methodology and Credible Intervals of Population Estimates
Methodology
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) collects state-specific data on health-related factors
across the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of the United States. The survey is designed to
be representative within each state. The survey is conducted by an interviewer via landline and cellular telephone.
The national response rate for the 2014 BRFSS was 48.7% for landline telephones and 40.5% for cellular telephones
(American Association of Public Opinion Research, Response Rate calculation 4).
The BRFSS contains optional module questionnaires in addition to its standard questionnaire for each state.
9
The
2014 BRFSS had 19 optional modules that states were able to opt-into. One of the modules contained the following
question:
Do you consider yourself to be transgender?
Ye s
No
[If Yes] Do you consider yourself to be male-to-female, female-to-male, or gender non-conforming?
If the interviewer is asked for a definition of transgender, they respond:
Some people describe themselves as transgender when they experience a dierent gender
identity from their sex at birth. For example, a person born into a male body, but who feels female
or lives as a woman would be transgender. Some transgender people change their physical
appearance so that it matches their internal gender identity. Some transgender people take
hormones and some have surgery. A transgender person may be of any sexual orientation –
straight, gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
Since this question is included in an optional module, some states did not ask this question while others did. The
19 states that did ask this question include: Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
In total, 0.52% of BRFSS respondents in these states identified as transgender, and 151,456 respondents answered
this question.
To estimate the population by state, we relied on multilevel regression and post-stratification.
10
The method fits
multilevel logistic regression to the data to predict the likelihood that an individual identifies as transgender relying
on demographic attributes about the respondents (e.g., race and ethnicity; age cohorts; and educational attainment).
State and regional characteristics were accounted for and state-level characteristics were included to add information
about how states dier from one another (e.g., racial composition, median income, percentage of households that are
of same-sex couples, and percentage of the population that identifies as Evangelical). This method has been applied
to measure statewide political attitudes
11
and to measure Jewish populations.
12
Further, the estimation strategy has
undergone rigorous evaluation by other scholars, and these evaluations often show the method produces reliable
and valid estimates.
13
While the estimation approach is not without its criticisms,
14
the method remains the best
available approach to perform this estimation procedure. A recent research grant was awarded by the National
Science Foundation to further refine and build upon the method.
15
We extend the application of the estimation technique by incorporating all of the states in the BRFSS, even though
respondents in only 19 states received the gender identity question. By doing so, we impute the states that did
not ask the gender identity question by modeling the probability that a respondent identifies as transgender. The
hierarchical model still incorporates the statewide covariates to increase precision in the estimation.
16
All models were
estimated using a Hamiltonian Monte Carlo as implemented by the Stan probabilistic programming language.
17
The
model was evaluated for appropriate diagnostics before results were presented. In the tables below, 95% credible
intervals are provided for both the population estimates and the population estimates by age. A credible interval is a
Bayesian equivalent of a confidence interval. A 95% credible interval represents the upper and lower bounds where
there is a 0.95 probability an estimate falls between them.
HOW MANY ADULTS IDENTIFY AS TRANSGENDER IN THE UNITED STATES? 8
Table A1. Estimated Population of Adults Who Identify as Transgender by State of Residence,
95% Credible Intervals
STATE
POPULATION PERCENT
LOWER BOUND UPPER BOUND LOWER BOUND UPPER BOUND
United States of
America
854,066 2,293,511 0.36% 0.95%
Alabama 11,487 46,858 0.31% 1.27%
Alaska 1,634 4,323 0.30% 0.80%
Arizona 17,137 53,889 0.35% 1.09%
Arkansas 6,898 25,072 0.31% 1.12%
California 120,074 378,513 0.42% 1.31%
Colorado 12,094 35,295 0.31% 0.89%
Connecticut 7,454 19,824 0.27% 0.71%
Delaware 3,195 6,176 0.45% 0.87%
District of Columbia 2,608 66,391 0.50% 12.63%
Florida 58,364 163,960 0.38% 1.07%
Georgia 31,243 97,981 0.42% 1.32%
Hawaii 6,310 11,215 0.58% 1.03%
Idaho 3,403 6,800 0.29% 0.58%
Illinois 30,519 77,228 0.31% 0.79%
Indiana 21,867 35,060 0.44% 0.71%
Iowa 4,558 10,398 0.19% 0.44%
Kansas 7,183 11,706 0.33% 0.54%
Kentucky 13,092 23,060 0.39% 0.69%
Louisiana 15,582 27,230 0.45% 0.78%
Maine 3,202 8,895 0.30% 0.84%
Maryland 17,177 28,088 0.38% 0.62%
Massachusetts 17,251 49,307 0.33% 0.94%
Michigan 19,132 52,059 0.25% 0.68%
Minnesota 19,368 30,211 0.47% 0.74%
Mississippi 6,731 27,122 0.30% 1.21%
Missouri 13,512 43,611 0.29% 0.94%
Montana 1,880 3,669 0.24% 0.47%
Nebraska 3,247 8,207 0.23% 0.59%
Nevada 8,570 18,018 0.41% 0.86%
New Hampshire 2,693 7,362 0.26% 0.70%
New Jersey 17,981 49,987 0.26% 0.73%
New Mexico 6,613 19,959 0.42% 1.27%
New York 57,043 103,813 0.37% 0.68%
HOW MANY ADULTS IDENTIFY AS TRANSGENDER IN THE UNITED STATES? 9
STATE
POPULATION PERCENT
LOWER BOUND UPPER BOUND LOWER BOUND UPPER BOUND
North Carolina 26,299 76,786 0.35% 1.03%
North Dakota 961 2,785 0.18% 0.51%
Ohio 30,705 50,183 0.35% 0.56%
Oklahoma 9,049 37,798 0.31% 1.31%
Oregon 10,774 36,440 0.35% 1.20%
Pennsylvania 33,506 56,799 0.33% 0.57%
Rhode Island 2,493 6,979 0.30% 0.84%
South Carolina 12,139 38,343 0.33% 1.05%
South Dakota 1,279 3,592 0.20% 0.57%
Tennessee 16,601 60,319 0.33% 1.22%
Texas 71,791 212,200 0.38% 1.11%
Utah 3,338 16,157 0.17% 0.82%
Vermont 2,126 4,034 0.42% 0.80%
Virginia 26,945 44,697 0.43% 0.71%
Washington 18,574 57,196 0.35% 1.08%
West Virginia 3,518 10,477 0.24% 0.71%
Wisconsin 13,920 25,364 0.32% 0.58%
Wyoming 945 2,073 0.22% 0.47%
HOW MANY ADULTS IDENTIFY AS TRANSGENDER IN THE UNITED STATES? 10
Table A2. Estimated Population of Adults Who Identify as Transgender by Age and State of Residence,
95% Credible Intervals
STATE
AGE
1824 2564 65 AND OLDER
POPULATION
LB, UB
PERCENTAGE
LB, UB
POPULATION
LB, UB
PERCENTAGE
LB, UB
POPULATION
LB, UB
PERCENTAGE
LB, UB
United States of
America
[121,074, 354,454] [0.39%, 1.13%]
[569,753,
1,649,712]
[0.34%, 1.00%] [132,175, 360,271] [0.31%, 0.84%]
Alabama
[1,624, 7,089] [0.33%, 1.46%] [7,630, 32,564] [0.30%, 1.29%] [1,868, 7,887] [0.27%, 1.13%]
Alaska
[282, 806] [0.35%, 0.99%] [1,132, 3,210] [0.28%, 0.81%] [157, 434] [0.25%, 0.69%]
Arizona
[2,562, 8,556] [0.39%, 1.31%] [11,120, 37,886] [0.34%, 1.14%] [2,708, 8,560] [0.28%, 0.88%]
Arkansas
[966, 3,550] [0.34%, 1.23%] [4,614, 17,456] [0.31%, 1.16%] [1,185, 4,384] [0.27%, 0.99%]
California
[18,464, 60,029] [0.46%, 1.50%] [83,407, 274,478] [0.41%, 1.36%] [15,871, 51,075] [0.35%, 1.11%]
Colorado
[1,796, 5,616] [0.35%, 1.10%] [8,404, 25,994] [0.30%, 0.92%] [1,595, 4,612] [0.26%, 0.76%]
Connecticut
[1,024, 2,942] [0.30%, 0.86%] [4,988, 14,281] [0.26%, 0.74%] [1,253, 3,458] [0.24%, 0.65%]
Delaware
[451, 974] [0.49%, 1.05%] [2,061, 4,417] [0.43%, 0.92%] [541, 1,074] [0.38%, 0.76%]
District of
Columbia
[470, 11,880] [0.57%, 14.48%] [1,786, 47,078] [0.48%, 12.65%] [361, 9,351] [0.51%, 13.10%]
Florida
[7,554, 23,144] [0.42%, 1.29%] [37,404, 114,026] [0.37%, 1.14%] [11,453, 32,341] [0.33%, 0.92%]
Georgia
[4,847, 16,177] [0.48%, 1.59%] [21,496, 71,304] [0.41%, 1.35%] [4,147, 13,309] [0.37%, 1.17%]
Hawaii
[845, 1,662] [0.62%, 1.23%] [4,005, 7,975] [0.54%, 1.08%] [1,088, 2,098] [0.51%, 0.99%]
Idaho
[500, 1,087] [0.32%, 0.69%] [2,224, 4,882] [0.28%, 0.61%] [525, 1,068] [0.25%, 0.50%]
Illinois
[4,255, 11,778] [0.34%, 0.94%] [20,559, 55,749] [0.30%, 0.81%] [4,668, 12,533] [0.28%, 0.74%]
Indiana
[3,045, 5,579] [0.46%, 0.84%] [14,012, 25,792] [0.41%, 0.76%] [3,457, 5,802] [0.39%, 0.65%]
Iowa
[656, 1,617] [0.21%, 0.52%] [2,963, 7,376] [0.19%, 0.47%] [841, 1,939] [0.18%, 0.41%]
Kansas
[1,065, 1,978] [0.36%, 0.66%] [4,565, 8,465] [0.31%, 0.58%] [1,130, 1,919] [0.29%, 0.49%]
Kentucky
[1,665, 3,374] [0.39%, 0.80%] [8,649, 16,904] [0.37%, 0.73%] [2,190, 3,949] [0.36%, 0.64%]
Louisiana
[2,204, 4,371] [0.46%, 0.92%] [10,310, 20,236] [0.43%, 0.84%] [2,260, 4,181] [0.38%, 0.71%]
Maine
[378, 1,146] [0.32%, 0.98%] [2,120, 6,268] [0.29%, 0.87%] [607, 1,739] [0.27%, 0.77%]
Maryland
[2,303, 4,398] [0.41%, 0.78%] [11,347, 21,316] [0.35%, 0.66%] [2,461, 4,307] [0.32%, 0.57%]
Massachusetts
[2,568, 7,807] [0.37%, 1.13%] [11,326, 34,087] [0.31%, 0.95%] [2,832, 8,391] [0.30%, 0.88%]
Michigan
[2,655, 7,870] [0.27%, 0.79%] [12,593, 37,168] [0.24%, 0.72%] [3,240, 8,999] [0.23%, 0.63%]
Minnesota
[2,541, 4,552] [0.51%, 0.91%] [12,539, 22,498] [0.44%, 0.78%] [3,043, 5,080] [0.42%, 0.70%]
HOW MANY ADULTS IDENTIFY AS TRANSGENDER IN THE UNITED STATES? 11
STATE
AGE
1824 2564 65 AND OLDER
POPULATION
LB, UB
PERCENTAGE
LB, UB
POPULATION
LB, UB
PERCENTAGE
LB, UB
POPULATION
LB, UB
PERCENTAGE
LB, UB
Mississippi
[1,009, 4,310] [0.32%, 1.37%] [4,490, 19,158] [0.29%, 1.26%] [1,036, 4,327] [0.26%, 1.08%]
Missouri
[1,876, 6,423] [0.32%, 1.08%] [8,975, 30,421] [0.29%, 0.97%] [2,324, 7,535] [0.26%, 0.85%]
Montana
[266, 572] [0.27%, 0.58%] [1,222, 2,592] [0.23%, 0.49%] [323, 650] [0.21%, 0.41%]
Nebraska
[473, 1,264] [0.25%, 0.68%] [2,143, 5,820] [0.23%, 0.61%] [551, 1,389] [0.21%, 0.54%]
Nevada
[1,135, 2,646] [0.45%, 1.04%] [5,889, 13,545] [0.40%, 0.92%] [1,150, 2,547] [0.32%, 0.71%]
New Hampshire
[356, 1,067] [0.28%, 0.85%] [1,798, 5,237] [0.25%, 0.72%] [450, 1,244] [0.23%, 0.64%]
New Jersey
[2,265, 6,732] [0.29%, 0.86%] [12,204, 36,508] [0.25%, 0.76%] [3,013, 8,517] [0.24%, 0.68%]
New Mexico
[988, 3,255] [0.46%, 1.53%] [4,389, 14,044] [0.41%, 1.32%] [1,011, 3,160] [0.34%, 1.07%]
New York
[7,732, 15,788] [0.39%, 0.79%] [37,363, 76,111] [0.35%, 0.72%] [9,137, 17,614] [0.33%, 0.64%]
North Carolina
[3,765, 11,609] [0.39%, 1.19%] [17,757, 54,557] [0.34%, 1.06%] [4,194, 12,219] [0.31%, 0.91%]
North Dakota
[170, 531] [0.19%, 0.59%] [593, 1,834] [0.17%, 0.51%] [170, 498] [0.17%, 0.50%]
Ohio
[4,001, 7,561] [0.36%, 0.68%] [19,701, 36,836] [0.32%, 0.61%] [5,251, 9,125] [0.31%, 0.54%]
Oklahoma
[1,351, 6,063] [0.35%, 1.56%] [6,026, 26,649] [0.31%, 1.36%] [1,438, 6,011] [0.27%, 1.13%]
Oregon
[1,512, 5,190] [0.41%, 1.42%] [7,380, 25,644] [0.35%, 1.22%] [1,714, 5,934] [0.30%, 1.02%]
Pennsylvania
[4,284, 8,404] [0.34%, 0.67%] [21,090, 40,686] [0.31%, 0.60%] [6,172, 10,959] [0.30%, 0.54%]
Rhode Island
[389, 1,143] [0.32%, 0.95%] [1,608, 4,817] [0.29%, 0.87%] [424, 1,219] [0.27%, 0.77%]
South Carolina
[1,784, 5,944] [0.36%, 1.21%] [7,977, 26,549] [0.32%, 1.08%] [1,963, 6,533] [0.28%, 0.94%]
South Dakota
[188, 577] [0.22%, 0.69%] [827, 2,452] [0.20%, 0.58%] [217, 631] [0.18%, 0.52%]
Tennessee
[2,220, 8,664] [0.36%, 1.39%] [11,036, 42,384] [0.32%, 1.24%] [2,740, 9,962] [0.30%, 1.09%]
Texas
[10,763, 33,983] [0.40%, 1.27%] [49,965, 156,972] [0.37%, 1.16%] [8,906, 27,059] [0.31%, 0.95%]
Utah
[617, 3,133] [0.19%, 0.96%] [2,244, 11,329] [0.16%, 0.83%] [385, 1,804] [0.14%, 0.67%]
Vermont
[299, 629] [0.46%, 0.96%] [1,364, 2,844] [0.40%, 0.84%] [372, 745] [0.38%, 0.75%]
Virginia
[3,798, 6,980] [0.46%, 0.85%] [17,590, 33,074] [0.40%, 0.75%] [3,987, 7,026] [0.38%, 0.66%]
Washington
[2,662, 8,550] [0.40%, 1.29%] [12,748, 41,018] [0.34%, 1.10%] [2,655, 8,291] [0.29%, 0.91%]
West Virginia
[427, 1,325] [0.25%, 0.76%] [2,347, 7,299] [0.24%, 0.74%] [687, 2,040] [0.22%, 0.66%]
Wisconsin
[1,883, 3,799] [0.34%, 0.69%] [9,141, 18,414] [0.30%, 0.61%] [2,287, 4,434] [0.28%, 0.54%]
Wyoming
[135, 328] [0.23%, 0.57%] [634, 1,509] [0.21%, 0.49%] [141, 308] [0.19%, 0.41%]
*Note: LB=95% Lower bound; UB=95% Upper bound
HOW MANY ADULTS IDENTIFY AS TRANSGENDER IN THE UNITED STATES? 12
ENDNOTES
1
For a discussion of gender identity data collection in federal population-based surveys and recommended measures, see The
GenIUSS Group. (2014). Best Practices for Asking Questions to Identify Transgender and Other Gender Minority Respondents on
Population-Based Surveys. J.L. Herman (Ed.). Los Angeles, CA: The Williams Institute, available at http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.
edu/wp-content/uploads/geniuss-report-sep-2014.pdf.
2
Gates, G.J. (2011). How many people are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender? Los Angeles, CA: The Williams Institute,
available at http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Gates-How-Many-People-LGBT-Apr-2011.pdf. A more
recent report that was released in March 2016 provided estimates of the transgender population ages 13 and above in 15
states (“Estimates of Transgender Populations in States with Legislation Impacting Transgender People, available at http://
williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/census-lgbt-demographics-studies/estimates-of-transgender-populations-in-states-
with-legislation-impacting-transgender-people/). These estimates were based on Gates’ 2011 study and other estimates of the
transgender youth population. We believe the current study provides more robust estimates of the percentage of transgender-
identified adults in those 15 states.
3
A detailed description of the methodology for this study is included in the Appendix and further details will be included in a
separate document published alongside this report.
4
For national and state estimates provided in this report, adult general population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau’s
American Community Survey, 2011-2013 3-year PUMS, were multiplied by the estimated percentage of transgender-identified
adults to yield the estimated number of transgender-identified adults.
5
The District of Columbia is not included in this range for states. DC had a notably high percentage of transgender-identified
adults (2.8%) and is considered an outlier due to its unique geographic (urban) and demographic profile.
6
See note #5.
7
See note #5.
8
See, for instance, Conron, K.J., Scott, G., Stowell, G.S., and Landers, S. J. (2012). Transgender Health in Massachusetts: Results
from a Household Probability Sample of Adults. American Journal of Public Health, 102(1), 118-122.
9
For more detailed information on gender identity data collection in the BRFSS, see Baker, K.E. & Hughes, M. (2016). Sexual
Orientation and Gender Identity Data Collection in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Washington, DC: The Center
for American Progress, available at https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/29090401/BRFSSdatacollect-
brief-03.31.16.pdf.
10
Park, D.K., Gelman, A., & Bafumi, J. (2004). Bayesian multilevel estimation with poststratification: State-level estimates from
national polls. Political Analysis, 12, 375-385.
11
Flores, A.R., & Barclay, S. (2015). Trends in public support for marriage for same-sex couples by state. Los Angeles, CA: The
Williams Institute, UCLA.
12
Saxe, L., & Tighe, E. (2013). Estimating and understanding the Jewish population in the United States: A program of research.
Contemporary Jewry, 33(1), 43-62; Tighe, E., Livert, D., Barnett, M., & Saxe, L. (2010). Cross-survey analysis to estimate low-
incidence religious groups. Sociological Methods & Research, 39(1), 56-82.
13
Lax, J.R., & Phillips, J.H. (2009). How should we estimate public opinion in the states? American Journal of Political Science,
53(1), 107-121; Warshaw, C., & Rodden, J. (2012). How should we measure district-level public opinion on individual issues?
Journal of Politics, 74(1), 203-219.
14
Buttice, M.K., Highton, B. (2013). How does multilevel regression and poststratification perform with conventional national
surveys? Political Analysis, 21(4), 449-467; Toshokov, D. (2015). Exploring the performance of multilevel modeling and
poststratification with Eurobarometer data. Political Analysis, 23(3), 455-460.
15
NSF-1424962. (2014-2017). Using multilevel regress and post-stratification to measure and study dynamic public opinion.
16
See Flores, A.R. (2016). Estimating the adult population that identifies as transgender in the BRFSS. Los Angeles, CA: The
Williams Institute, UCLA.
17
Stan Development Team. (2016) RStan: The R interface to Stan, version 2.9.0. http://mc-stan.org.
HOW MANY ADULTS IDENTIFY AS TRANSGENDER IN THE UNITED STATES? 13
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Andrew R. Flores, Ph.D. is Public Opinion and Policy Fellow at the Williams Institute and will
enter Mills College as an Assistant Professor of Government in Fall 2016.
Jody L. Herman, Ph.D. is a Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute. She holds a Ph.D.
in Public Policy and Public Administration from The George Washington University.
Gary J. Gates, Ph.D. is a retired Distinguished Scholar at the Williams Institute, and studies the
demographic, economic, and geographic characteristics of the LGBT population.
Taylor N. T. Brown, M.P.P. is a Public Policy Analyst at the Williams Institute. He holds a
Master of Public Policy from The University of Virginia.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
THE WILLIAMS INSTITUTE, UCLA SCHOOL OF LAW
BOX 951476
LOS ANGELES, CA 900951476
310 2674382
WILLIAMSINSTITUTE@LAW.UCLA.EDU
WILLIAMSINSTITUTE.LAW.UCLA.EDU
Suggested citation:
Flores, A.R., Herman, J.L., Gates, G.J., & Brown, T.N.T. (2016). How Many Adults Identify as
Transgender in the United States? Los Angeles, CA: The Williams Institute.
