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Although there are vibrant LGBTQ+-friendly communities in all states, we hope our list of the best states for LGBTQ+ families helps you find a place where you have plenty of opportunities to live, work, and play as your authentic self. Here's what you need to know about the cost of living around the country:
- All 7 of our top states have a Cost of Living Index score of at least 100, meaning their average cost of living matches or exceeds the national average.
- The average home value nationwide is $387,855.30.
Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Despite the strides toward equality the US has made in the last decade, as of 2025 there are more than 500 pending state legislative bills that threaten the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. That's more than 19.3 million people. Call Colonial to confirm availability.
Compare LGBTQ+ data across all states
We have so much data to share, we had to split it into two tables!
- Table 1 shows our "Best for LGBTQ+ Families" ranking of all fifty states plus LGBTQ+ population data, cost of living data, and SafeWise.com safety rankings.
- Table 2 shows LGBTQ+ legislation in all fifty states, including current laws that protect LGBTQ+ rights, current laws that discriminate against LGBTQ+ rights, and the Movement Advancement Project's (MAP) overall policy score (higher numbers are better).
Table 1: All 50 states ranked in order from most to least friendly to LGBTQ+ families
Rank | State | Estimated number of LGBTQ+ individuals | LGBTQ+ households with children | Chance of experiencing anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime | Cost of living index | Average home value | Average cost of monthly rent | SafeWise.com LGBTQ+ safety rank |
| 1 | Delaware | 56,600 (7.5% of population) | 36% | 2.66% | 100.8 | $402,791 | $2,062 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Maine | 73,700 (6.8% of population) | 21% | 1.41% | 112.1 | $408,808 | $2,345 | 1 |
| 3 | Colorado | 294,500 (6.8% of population) | 26% | 4.14% | 102 | $574,557 | $3,226 | 3 |
| 4 | Washington | 398,700 (6.9% of population) | 28% | 4.27% | 114.2 | $629,733 | $2,321 | 6 |
| 5 | Nevada | 150,100 (6.6% of population) | 22% | 4.15% | 101.3 | $473,581 | $2,239 | 5 |
| 6 | Vermont | 37,600 (7.4% of population) | 24% | 2.14% | 114.4 | $403,087 | $3,050 | 4 |
| 7 | New York | 853,600 (5.5% of population) | 22% | 5.80% | 123.3 | $475,965 | $2,524 | 2 |
| 8 | Michigan | 467,300 (6% of population) | 28% | 3.02% | 90.4 | $254,636 | $1,654 | 22 |
| 9 | Illinois | 446,600 (4.5% of population) | 28% | 4.49% | 94.4 | $286,847 | $1,454 | 20 |
| 10 | New Mexico | 87,600 (5.5% of population) | 29% | 6.64% | 93.3 | $315,619 | $1,873 | 16 |
| 11 | Minnesota | 267,600 (6.3% of population) | 29% | 2.63% | 95.1 | $353,113 | $1,751 | 17 |
| 12 | Oregon | 253,300 (7.8% of population) | 24% | 3.21% | 112 | $516,682 | $2,226 | 12 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 78,400 (7.2% of population) | 32% | 1.04% | 112.6 | $519,115 | $2,909 | 18 |
| 14 | Maryland | 252,700 (5.4% of population) | 20% | 4.37% | 115.3 | $449,858 | $1,807 | 7 |
| 15 | Kansas | 129,800 (5.9% of population) | 34% | 3.78% | 87 | $238,729 | $238,729 | 25 |
| 16 | Ohio | 557,600 (6.2% of population) | 31% | 2.69% | 94.2 | $240,735 | $1,345 | 29 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | 54,800 (6.5% of population) | 19% | 1.67% | 112.2 | $498,956 | $2,885 | 10 |
| 18 | California | 1,549,600 (5.1% of population) | 24% | 6.73% | 144.8 | $820,061 | $2,932 | 11 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | 356,200 (6.5% of population) | 21% | 1.83% | 145.9 | $681,325 | $2,948 | 9 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | 586,500 (5.8% of population) | 27% | 8.15% | 95.1 | $280,769 | $1,564 | 21 |
| 21 | Alaska | 32,600 (5.9% of population) | 35% | 4.41% | 123.8 | $391,172 | $2,216 | 19 |
| 22 | Connecticut | 170,500 (6% of population) | 20% | 2.46% | 112.3 | $454,245 | $3,436 | 14 |
| 23 | Nebraska | 78,700 (5.5% of population) | 33% | 1.73% | 93.1 | $272,793 | $1,572 | 23 |
| 24 | New Jersey | 367,300 (5.3% of population) | 25% | 4.25% | 114.6 | $584,102 | $2,848 | 14 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | 258,400 (5.7%) of population | 30% | 2.21% | 97 | $329,667 | $1,594 | 24 |
| 26 | Hawaii | 56,900 (5.1% of population) | 30% | 3.84% | 186.9 | $990,445 | $3,557 | 13 |
| 27 | Utah | 133,000 (6.1% of population) | 41% | 3.01% | 104.9 | $549,435 | $2,412 | 28 |
| 28 | Virginia | 390,700 (5.9% of population) | 27% | 2.82% | 100.7 | $414,085 | $1,918 | 26 |
| 29 | Indiana | 277,100 (5.4% of population) | 34% | 3.70% | 90.5 | $251,444 | $1,399 | 36 |
| 30 | Louisiana | 202,600 (5.7% of population) | 29% | 5.64% | 92.2 | $209,109 | $1,416 | 33 |
| 31 | North Dakota | 28,400 (4.9% of population) | 10% | 3.50% | 91.9 | $283,596 | $1,687 | 27 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 164,600 (5.5% of population) | 39% | 4.07% | 85.7 | $216,516 | $1,257 | 43 |
| 33 | Arizona | 317,200 (5.9% of population) | 25% | 4.55% | 111.5 | $444,315 | $2,100 | 30 |
| 34 | Kentucky | 168,600 (4.9% of population) | 26% | 3.13% | 93 | $225,931 | $1,529 | 34 |
| 35 | Missouri | 282,000 (6% of population) | 27% | 3.55% | 88.7 | $260,992 | $1,406 | 40 |
| 36 | Iowa | 113,600 (4.7% of population) | 27% | 3.33% | 89.7 | $231,745 | $1,426 | 39 |
| 37 | West Virginia | 60,000 (4.1% of population) | 31% | 3.15% | 84.1 | $167,040 | $1,327 | 38 |
| 38 | North Carolina | 353,100 (4.4% of population) | 26% | 4.80% | 97.8 | $338,185 | $1,871 | 31 |
| 39 | Arkansas | 121,900 (5.3% of population) | 37% | 4.83% | 88.7 | $217,700 | $1,312 | 44 |
| 40 | South Dakota | 34,500 (5.3% of population) | 30% | 3.45% | 92.2 | $317,153 | $1,753 | 41 |
| 41 | Georgia | 402,900 (5.1% of population) | 27% | 3.59% | 91.3 | $339,288 | $1,685 | 32 |
| 42 | Wyoming | 26,300 (5.9% of population) | 29% | 2.76% | 95.5 | $361,742 | $1,520 | 35 |
| 43 | Texas | 1,071,300 (5.1% of population) | 29% | 4.95% | 92.7 | $309,101 | $1,750 | 37 |
| 44 | Mississippi | 93,300 (4.1% of population) | 34% | 5.71% | 87.9 | $188,963 | $1,575 | 46 |
| 45 | Tennessee | 328,900 (6.3% of population) | 30% | 4.06% | 90.5 | $332,842 | $1,770 | 50 |
| 46 | Florida | 898,000 (5.4% of population) | 24% | 6.59% | 102.8 | $409,707 | $2,354 | 42 |
| 47 | Alabama | 173,000 (4.6% of population) | 24% | 4.22% | 88 | $231,868 | $1,486 | 45 |
| 48 | Idaho | 68,100 (5.3% of population) | 45% | 1.78% | 102 | $476,002 | $1,859 | 48 |
| 49 | South Carolina | 192,800 (4.9% of population) | 30% | 4.47% | 95.9 | $305,096 | $1,962 | 46 |
| 50 | Montana | 41,800 (5.1% of population) | 19% | 3.72% | 94.9 | $463,518 | $2,166 | 49 |
Table 2: Protective and discriminatory LGBTQ+ legislation in all 50 states (alphabetical order)
State | Laws Protecting Sexual Orientation | Laws Discriminating Against Sexual Orientation | Laws Protecting Gender Identity | Laws Discriminating Against Gender Identity | MAP Overall Policy Score |
| Alabama | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 | -10.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8.25 |
| Arizona | 7 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7.5 |
| Arkansas | 3 | 5 | 2 | 10 | -12.25 |
| California | 24 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 45 |
| Colorado | 25 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 45.25 |
| Connecticut | 20 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 40.75 |
| Delaware | 14 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 30.25 |
| Florida | 4 | 4 | 3 | 8 | -3 |
| Georgia | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | -1 |
| Hawaii | 14 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 31.25 |
| Idaho | 4 | 5 | 2 | 11 | -9.5 |
| Illinois | 23 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 43 |
| Indiana | 7 | 2 | 2 | 6 | -2.75 |
| Iowa | 13 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 6.5 |
| Kansas | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Kentucky | 6 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Louisiana | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -6.75 |
| Maine | 23 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 44.5 |
| Maryland | 20 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 43 |
| Massachusetts | 20 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 39 |
| Michigan | 16 | 2 | 20 | 2 | 30 |
| Minnesota | 18 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 36.75 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 3 | 2 | 8 | -7.5 |
| Missouri | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -1.5 |
| Montana | 7 | 4 | 3 | 10 | -3.75 |
| Nebraska | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1.25 |
| Nevada | 23 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 41.25 |
| New Hampshire | 17 | 1 | 18 | 3 | 32.5 |
| New Jersey | 21 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 41.75 |
| New Mexico | 18 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 36 |
| New York | 22 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 44.5 |
| North Carolina | 7 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 7.25 |
| North Dakota | 7 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 10.5 |
| Ohio | 6 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 2.25 |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -5.5 |
| Oregon | 18 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 37.5 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 16.75 |
| Rhode Island | 18 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 38 |
| South Carolina | 5 | 3 | 1 | 7 | -7.75 |
| South Dakota | 4 | 3 | 3 | 7 | -7.5 |
| Tennessee | 5 | 6 | 4 | 11 | -14 |
| Texas | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1.75 |
| Utah | 8 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| Vermont | 20 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 39.5 |
| Virginia | 14 | 1 | 16 | 4 | 24.5 |
| Washington | 19 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 40.25 |
| West Virginia | 6 | 1 | 4 | 7 | -0.75 |
| Wisconsin | 12 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 17.75 |
| Wyoming | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | -6 |
This data is accurate as of May 31, 2025.
She’s also the lead reporter and in-house expert for SafeWise. We also used ACLU data to see how many anti-LGBTQ+ laws have been proposed, advanced, passed, or defeated so far in 2025.
Only 10% do.
Protective laws
- The average state has about 11 laws that protect sexual orientation and about 11 laws that protect gender identity.
Hate crimes and LGBTQ+ legislation
Some LGBTQ+ people worry that being out will cause backlash.
- Meme
- Status
- Confirmed
- Type:
- Participatory Media, Social Game
- Year
- 2024
- Origin
- TikTok
- Region
- United States
- Tags
- whoever move first is gay, gay, if you move youre gay, if you move you're gay, tiktok, tiktok trend, edits, edit, tiktok edits, alfonsopinpon_, english or spanish, alfonsopinpon, whoever moves first is gay, baby youve got something in your nose, steve lac
About
English or Spanish? also known as Whoever Moves Is GayDo You Speak English or Spanish?Whoever Moves First Is Gay or If You Move You're Gay, refers to a series of TikTokprank videos posted by TikToker @alfonsopinpon_ in which he asks men in public, "English or Spanish?" and then tells them in their preferred language that whoever moves first is gay.
Over three months, the video received roughly 185,500 plays and 7,900 likes (shown below).
Spread
On February 26th, 2024, TikToker @alfonsopinpon_ posted another video following the premise, receiving over 3.2 million plays and 418,200 likes in three months (shown below, left). Pricing data collected by requesting estimates from top moving container companies for four home sizes across six distances.
*There are 10 states where Colonial can't pick up your belongings, and four where they can't deliver.
Higher scores are better. Here's what we learned about LGBTQ+ populations around the country:
- Nationwide, about 5.7% of the population is LGBTQ+. The MAP Overall Policy Score comes from the Movement Advancement Project's analysis of LGBTQ+ legislation. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of places in the US where LGBTQ+ individuals and families regularly experience discrimination and abuse.
Learn which states are more likely to welcome your family with open arms and which ones you should examine more closely before you move.
Top 7 most LGBTQ+ friendly states
How we ranked the safest states for LGBTQ+ families
For this year's report, we teamed up with SafeWise, a website committed to helping people live a safer life at home and in their community.
We examined each state from multiple angles:
- Population: A higher percentage of LGBTQ+ households, including those with children, suggests those states are already welcoming, safe places where LGBTQ+ people want to live.
Here's a closer look at our key findings.
It's nice to have a community of other LGBTQ+ households in your area to know that you're not alone. We used the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center's cost of living indices. The average monthly rent is $2,009.31.
Ready to make a move?
If you’re eager to start your family ASAP, but you first need to move to a state where you and your loved ones will feel safer and more accepted, use one of our favorite moving companies to get there.
Most friendly states for LGBTQ+ families
- Population: 1,051,917 total general population; 7.5% LGBTQ+; 36% LGBTQ+ with children
- LGBTQ+ hate crime victimization risk: 2.66%
- State government: Democrat trifecta
- Current protective laws: 14 for sexual orientation, 15 for gender identity
- Current discriminatory laws: 1 for sexual orientation, 1 for gender identity
- 2025 anti-LGBTQ+ legislation: 1 advancing
- Average home value price: $402,790.96
- Average rent price:$2,062.13
- Cost of living index: 100.8 (about average)
- SafeWise.com LGBTQ+ Safety Ranking: 8
- Population: 1,405,012 total general population; 6.8% LGBTQ+; 21% LGBTQ+ with children
- LGBTQ+ hate crime victimization risk: 1.41%
- State government: Democrat trifecta
- Current protective laws: 23 for sexual orientation, 25 for gender identity
- Current discriminatory laws: 0 for sexual orientation, 0 for gender identity
- 2025 anti-LGBTQ+ legislation: 4 advancing
- Average home value price: $408,807.50
- Average rent price: $3,225.57
- Cost of living index: 112.1 (higher than average)
- SafeWise.com LGBTQ+ Safety Ranking: 1
- Population: 5,957,493 total general population; 6.8% LGBTQ+; 26% LGBTQ+ with children
- LGBTQ+ hate crime victimization risk: 4.14%
- State government: Democrat trifecta
- Current protective laws: 25 for sexual orientation, 24 for gender identity
- Current discriminatory laws: 1 for sexual orientation, 1 for gender identity
- 2025 anti-LGBTQ+ legislation: 4 defeated
- Average home value price: $574,557.19
- Average rent price:$3,370.90
- Cost of living index: 102 (slightly higher than average)
- SafeWise.com LGBTQ+ Safety Ranking: 3
- Population: 7,958,180 total general population; 6.9% LGBTQ+; 28% LGBTQ+ with children
- LGBTQ+ hate crime victimization risk: 4.27%
- State government: Democrat trifecta
- Current protective laws: 19 for sexual orientation, 24 for gender identity
- Current discriminatory laws: 1 for sexual orientation, 1 for gender identity
- 2025 anti-LGBTQ+ legislation: 4 advancing
- Average home value price: $629,732.65
- Average rent price:$2,280.39
- Cost of living index: 114.2 (higher than average)
- SafeWise.com LGBTQ+ Safety Ranking: 6
- Population: 3,267,467 total general population; 6.6% LGBTQ+; 22% LGBTQ+ with children
- LGBTQ+ hate crime victimization risk: 4.15%
- State government: Split (Republican governor, Democrat majority in House and Senate)
- Current protective laws: 23 for sexual orientation, 23 for gender identity
- Current discriminatory laws: 0 for sexual orientation, 1 for gender identity
- 2025 anti-LGBTQ+ legislation: 1 passed into law, 2 defeated
- Average home value price: $473,581.27
- Average rent price:$1,770.63
- Cost of living index: 101.3 (slightly higher than average)
- SafeWise.com LGBTQ+ Safety Ranking: 5
- Population: 648,493 total general population; 7.4% LGBTQ+; 24% LGBTQ+ with children
- LGBTQ+ hate crime victimization risk: 2.14%
- State government: Split (Republican governor, Democrat majority in House and Senate)
- Current protective laws: 20 for sexual orientation, 23 for gender identity
- Current discriminatory laws: 0 for sexual orientation, 0 for gender identity
- 2025 anti-LGBTQ+ legislation: None
- Average home value price: $403,087.20
- Average rent price:$2,011.40
- Cost of living index: 114.4 (higher than average)
- SafeWise.com LGBTQ+ Safety Ranking: 4
- Population: 19,867,248 total general population; 5.5% LGBTQ+; 22% LGBTQ+ with children
- LGBTQ+ hate crime victimization risk: 5.8%
- State government: Democrat trifecta
- Current protective laws: 22 for sexual orientation, 25 for gender identity
- Current discriminatory laws: 0 for sexual orientation, 0 for gender identity
- 2025 anti-LGBTQ+ legislation: None
- Average home value price: $475,964.87
- Average rent price:$1,746.02
- Cost of living index: 123.3 (higher than average)
- SafeWise.com LGBTQ+ Safety Ranking: 2
Data as of post date.
English or Spanish?
Here's what you need to know about hate crimes and laws around the country:
Hate crimes
- LGBTQ+ individuals have the greatest chance of experiencing a hate crime in Pennsylvania, California, New Mexico, and Florida.