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This report examines data from 2015 to 2020. Differences are examined by LGBTQ, Non LGBTQ, Lesbian and Gay, and Bisexual buyers and sellers. There were distinct differences between LGBTQ and Non LGBTQ homebuyers and sellers.
A February 2021 Gallup estimate suggests that the proportion of U.S. adults who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or genderqueer/non-binary has increased steadily from 3.5% in 2012 to 4.5 in 2017 to 5.6% in 2021, representing almost 19 million U.S. adults. This increase was driven partly by Millennials, born between 1980 and 1996: the proportion of this generation who identified as LGBTQ rose from 5.8% in 2012 to 9% in 2021. The proportion of Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2002, is even higher: 15% identify as LGBTQ.
NAR first added a question about sexual orientation to its annual Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers study in 2015. The percentage of home buyers and sellers who identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual has held steady at 4% since 2015. NAR added questions regarding gender and gender identity in 2019, and while transgender and gender non-binary individuals made up less than 1% of buyers and sellers, they are at least 8% of those identifying as LGBTQ. Given that Millennials now make up 37% of home buyers (2020 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers), and given further shifting attitudes regarding orientation and identity among Generation Z, the proportion of buyers and sellers identifying as LGBTQ is likely to increase as well. NAR Research studies buyer behavior and characteristics of dozens of demographic profiles. This was a population of buyers NAR felt was important to study as a growing segment in order to better inform members and the public.
This report examines data from 2015 to 2020. Differences are examined by LGBTQ, Non-LGBTQ, Lesbian and Gay, and Bisexual buyers and sellers. There were distinct differences between LGBTQ and Non-LGBTQ home buyers and sellers. LGBTQ buyers and sellers were less likely to be married couples than others and more likely to be single men and unmarried couples. They were more likely to identify as male than as female,* and more likely to be in one-person households. They purchased older and smaller homes than Non-LGBTQ buyers and sellers, and were more likely to have done so in urban areas. They expect to live in their new homes five years less than Non-LGBTQ buyers.
There were also significant differences for those who identified as bisexual. Some of these differences were factors of age: the typical bisexual home buyer or seller was 34, vs. 45 among lesbians and gay men and 46 among Non-LGBTQs. Bisexuals were less likely to identify as White/Caucasian, more likely to identify as Hispanic/Latino, and more likely than lesbians and gay men to cite a primary household language other than English, reflecting the increasing diversity of younger U.S. adults. But some of these differences show patterns related not to age, but to gender: two-thirds of bisexual buyers were female, while two- thirds of lesbian or gay buyers were male. Bisexuals were more likely to report single-income households than other home buyers, even when controlling for age, and they are more likely than lesbians or gay men to report children in the household. Bisexuals across age groups were more likely than others to be first-time home buyers, to report lower incomes, and to be single females. And bisexuals spent less than other home buyers on the homes they purchased, regardless of age.
LGBTQ Home Buyers and Home Sellers
- More likely to be first-time home buyers
- Lower median age (42), income ($93,200), and purchased home price ($245,000)
- More likely to identify as male (51%) than female (40%); 8% are gender non-binary
- Most likely married couples, but one- fifth each are unmarried couples and single males
- Typically two-person households, but more likely than Non-LGBTQ to be one-person households
- Less likely to have purchased a multi- generational home; more likely to have purchased a townhouse, row house, duplex or condo
- Median square footage of purchased home is 1,730 sq. ft.; median year built is 1977
- More likely than Non-LGBTQ to have purchased in urban areas/central cities
- Expect to stay in newly-purchased home for 10 years
- More likely to place importance on convenience to entertainment, leisure and veterinarian
Bisexual Home Buyers and Home Sellers
- Most likely of all groups to be first- time home buyers and sellers
- Lower median age (34), income ($78,100) and home price ($215,000)
- Almost twice as likely to be female (63 percent) as male (35 percent)
- One-third (32 percent) are single females
- Twice as likely to have children in the household
- Almost half (46 percent) have one income earner
- Most likely of all groups to identify as Hispanic/Latino
- Median square footage of purchased home is 1,600 sq. ft.; median year built is 1974
- More likely to place importance on convenience to jobs and overall affordability
- Most likely of all groups to have made at least one compromise on home purchased
- Most likely of all groups to have used FHA and VA loans
Non-LGBTQ Home Buyers and Home Sellers
- As likely as LGBTQ to be first-time home sellers
- Higher median age (46) and income ($97,000), and purchased home price ($268,000)
- Slightly more likely to identify as male (51%) than female (49%).
- Almost twice as likely as LGBTQ buyers/sellers to be married
- Typically two-person households
- More likely to have purchased a detached single-family home
- Median square footage of purchased home is 1,900 sq. ft.; median year built is 1992
- More likely than LGBTQ to have purchased in small towns or rural areas
- Expect to stay in new home for 15 years
- Less likely to place importance on affordability and more likely to place importance on convenience to family/friends
