Nearly 300,000 same-sex couples have married since gay marriage legalized nationwide: study

Nearly 300,000 same-sex couples have been married in the U.S. since the landmark Supreme Court decision five years ago that guaranteed them the right in every state, according to a new study. 

A study released Monday by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law found that 293,000 same-sex couples have been married since the June 2015 decision, accounting for more than half of the 513,000 same-sex couples married as of March 2020. 

At the time of the Supreme Court’s decision, 13 states did not allow same-sex couples to marry. 

The Williams Institute study used an analysis of data from the American Community Survey. The report noted that it was unable to estimate the impact the COVID-19 pandemic will have on the number of weddings that will take place through June 2020, so it limited its analysis to the first quarter of the year. 

The economic impact study also estimated that wedding spending by same-sex couples and their out-of-state guests generated $3.8 billion in state and local economies since the June 2015 decision. 

Additionally, the report estimated that the nearly 300,000 same-sex weddings in the last five years generated an estimated $244.1 million in state and local tax revenue. 

Cost estimates were based on the 2016 Survey of Contemporary Couples & Current Wedding Trends that found same-sex couples spent an average of $11,000 on their weddings, according to the report. 

The report estimated an additional $543.8 million was spent at the weddings by out-of-state guests. 

As the five-year anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision approaches, support for same-sex marriage matches a record high, according to Gallup. 

A Gallup poll released Monday found that 67 percent of Americans said they support gay marriage, matching the record high recorded by Gallup in 2018.