Washington, D.C., by far, leads the nation in LGBT population, Gallup says

Fully 10 percent of Washington, D.C., respondents in a Gallup poll identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, making the nation’s capital the largest population for LGBTs in America.

“The percentage of U.S. adults who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender ranges from 1.7 percent in North Dakota to 5.1 percent in Hawaii and 10 percent in the District of Columbia,” Gary Gates and Frank Newport wrote, in Gallup’s latest survey.

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The numbers aren’t as far-ranging as first glance would believe. The District took the top spot at 10 percent — but second was Hawaii at 5.1 percent, and the remaining states ranged between 4.9 percent and 1.7 percent.

“All states are within 2 percentage points of the nationwide average of 3.5 percent,” Gallup reported.

The survey was conducted between June 1 and Dec. 30, 2012, and it’s the largest one to measure the LGBT population in U.S. history, Gallup said.

“Of the 10 states and D.C. where at least 4 percent of respondents identified as LGBT, seven are among the most liberal states in the country,” according to the Gallup authors. “Conversely, six of 10 states with the lowest percentage of LGBT-identified adults are among the top 10 conservative states in the country.”

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