Here’s how many same-sex couples have wed in US since equal marriage ruling 10 years ago

More than 800,000 same-sex couples have married in the US, 10 years on from “gay marriage” becoming legal.

On 26 June 2015, after hearing the Obergefell vs Hodges case, the US Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage was a constitutional right.

LGBTQ+ rights activist Jim Obergefell was the lead plaintiff in the case. His legal battle began after his home state of Ohio refused to recognise his marriage to terminally ill partner John Arthur. The justices voted 5-4 in his favour. Prior to the ruling, equality marriage was decided on a state-by-state basis.

Massachusetts was the first to signal its approval, in 2004.

Ahead of the anniversary of the ruling, which is considered the greatest leap forward for LGBTQ+ rights in the US, the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law published a report detailing the impact of the verdict, including the number of same-sex couples who have married, the geographic spread of queer couples across the country and the economic benefits of the verdict.

The research showed there are an estimated 823,000 married same-sex couples in the US now, more than double the number in June 2015.

In 2014 – the last full year before same-sex marriage became legal – 43 per cent of all cohabiting same-sex couples were married. That figure has increased to around 60 per cent today and these couples are raising close to 299,000 children.

The study revealed that the court ruling has had the largest impact on southern states, with figures from 2013 to 2023 showing the percentage of cohabiting same-sex couples who were married in the South grew from 38 per cent to 59 per cent.

In addition, the research revealed that spending on same-sex weddings has generated a $5.9 billion (£4.3 billion) boost to economies across the country, and an estimated $432.2 (close to £317.5 million) in state and local sales tax revenue, as well as a rise in job numbers.

The report noted that 31 states still have dormant statutes and/or constitutional amendments in place that ban marriage equality, with around 433,000 married same-sex couples and 305,000 unmarried same-sex couples living in those areas. Due to the Obergefell verdict, the legislation cannot be enforced but the study highlighted where couples would be most vulnerable if the Supreme Court ruling were to be overturned.

Since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, a number of Republican politicians have introduced bills aimed at encouraging the Supreme Court to strike down the ruling.

If it was overturned, same-sex marriage rights would once again be decided on a state-by-state basis. However, protections were strengthened in 2022 when president Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law.

The act “requires that interracial and same-sex marriage must be recognised as legal in every state in the nation”, but it does not require states to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

This means that any state that elected to no longer perform same-sex marriages would still have to recognise a queer couple’s union as legal if they were legally married elsewhere.

A recent survey showed that more than 79 per cent of married same-sex couples were very or somewhat concerned about the Obergefell decision being overturned, with about a quarter having taken steps to solidify the legality of their relationships.

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