Table 4: Number and percentage of students, by sexual identity
| Site | Sexual identity | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heterosexual (straight) | Gay or lesbian | Bisexual | Not sure | |||||||||
| No. | % | CI* | No. | % | CI | No. | % | CI | No. | % | CI | |
| National survey | ||||||||||||
| Total | 10,853 | 84.4 | (83.4–85.3) | 380 | 2.5 | (2.1–3.0) | 1,151 | 8.7 | (8.0–9.4) | 591 | 4.5 | (3.9–5.0) |
| Male | 5,728 | 91.2 | (90.1–92.3) | 157 | 2.1 | (1.6–2.7) | 201 | 3.4 | (2.8–4.1) | 223 | 3.2 | (2.7–3.9) |
| Female | 5,048 | 77.6 | (75.9–79.3) | 211 | 2.9 | (2.3–3.6) | 929 | 13.9 | (12.7–15.2) | 350 | 5.6 | (4.7–6.6) |
| State surveys | ||||||||||||
| Alabama | 1,587 | 80.8 | (75.0–85.5) | 115 | 5.7 | (3.3–9.8) | 164 | 8.5 | (7.1–10.0) | 98 | 5.0 | (3.7–6.6) |
| Arizona | 1,452 | 82.1 | (79.5–84.5) | 60 | 3.4 | (2.6–4.2) | 158 | 9.2 | (7.2–11.7) | 91 | 5.3 | (4.0–7.0) |
| Arkansas | 1,631 | 83.7 | (80.3–86.7) | 73 | 3.7 | (2.5–5.5) | 159 | 8.4 | (6.3–11.1) | 92 | 4.1 | (3.1–5.3) |
| California | 1,106 | 83.2 | (81.1–85.1) | 28 | 2.1 | (1.4–3.3) | 120 | 9.1 | (7.9–10.4) | 74 | 5.6 | (3.9–8.0) |
| Colorado | 1,119 | 84.5 | (82.6–86.3) | 31 | 2.3 | (1.5–3.5) | 117 | 8.3 | (6.4–10.7) | 65 | 4.8 | (3.8–6.1) |
| Connecticut | 1,537 | 80.3 | (76.7–83.5) | 60 | 2.9 | (2.0–4.3) | 202 | 9.9 | (7.9–12.3) | 124 | 6.9 | (5.6–8.4) |
| Florida | 4,435 | 81.8 | (80.6–82.9) | 189 | 3.4 | (3.0–4.0) | 511 | 9.1 | (8.3–10.0) | 309 | 5.7 | (4.9–6.5) |
| Hawaii | 4,877 | 83.7 | (81.9–85.3) | 162 | 3.0 | (2.3–3.8) | 429 | 7.3 | (6.4–8.4) | 299 | 6.0 | (4.9–7.4) |
| Illinois | 2,427 | 82.8 | (79.8–85.4) | 94 | 3.1 | (2.0–4.7) | 296 | 9.1 | (8.0–10.4) | 162 | 5.0 | (4.0–6.2) |
| Iowa | 1,271 | 82.7 | (77.8–86.8) | 49 | 3.7 | (2.7–5.0) | 130 | 8.9 | (6.4–12.2) | 71 | 4.7 | (3.6–6.2) |
| Kentucky | 1,639 | 84.0 | (80.8–86.8) | 61 | 3.0 | (2.3–4.0) | 194 | 9.8 | (7.3–13.0) | 64 | 3.1 | (2.3–4.3) |
| Maine | 6,848 | 82.6 | (81.5–83.7) | 241 | 3.0 | (2.6–3.4) | 836 | 10.0 | (9.3–10.8) | 386 | 4.4 | (3.9–4.9) |
| Maryland | 34,016 | 82.7 | (81.9–83.5) | 1,127 | 2.8 | (2.5–3.1) | 3,544 | 9.1 | (8.5–9.7) | 1,862 | 5.4 | (5.0–5.9) |
| Massachusetts | 1,835 | 84.2 | (82.0–86.2) | 62 | 3.0 | (2.2–4.2) | 208 | 8.9 | (7.4–10.8) | 87 | 3.8 | (3.0–4.9) |
| Michigan | 3,686 | 84.7 | (82.5–86.7) | 149 | 2.7 | (2.1–3.5) | 411 | 9.3 | (7.7–11.2) | 162 | 3.3 | (2.8–4.0) |
| Mississippi | 1,435 | 84.1 | (82.2–85.8) | 72 | 4.3 | (3.2–5.7) | 150 | 8.7 | (7.3–10.4) | 59 | 2.9 | (2.2–3.9) |
| Missouri | 975 | 83.4 | (80.3–86.1) | 45 | 3.3 | (2.2–5.1) | 118 | 9.4 | (7.5–11.7) | 48 | 3.9 | (2.7–5.5) |
| Nebraska | 1,128 | 85.0 | (82.1–87.5) | 29 | 2.2 | (1.4–3.4) | 91 | 7.9 | (6.5–9.6) | 59 | 4.9 | (3.6–6.7) |
| Nevada | 1,112 | 81.9 | (77.6–85.5) | 46 | 3.5 | (2.6–4.8) | 153 | 10.1 | (8.2–12.4) | 65 | 4.5 | (3.1–6.4) |
| New Hampshire | 11,199 | 84.0 | (83.2–84.8) | 294 | 2.3 | (2.0–2.7) | 1,327 | 9.3 | (8.7–9.9) | 636 | 4.4 | (4.0–4.8) |
| New Jersey | 1,195 | 87.2 | (83.5–90.1) | 30 | 2.3 | (1.4–3.7) | 96 | 6.6 | (5.1–8.5) | 57 | 4.0 | (2.8–5.8) |
| New Mexico | 5,966 | 80.8 | (78.5–82.9) | 268 | 3.8 | (3.2–4.5) | 788 | 10.7 | (9.2–12.5) | 342 | 4.7 | (4.1–5.3) |
| New York | 8,432 | 79.4 | (77.7–81.0) | 363 | 4.2 | (3.2–5.6) | 1,095 | 10.1 | (9.2–11.1) | 656 | 6.3 | (5.3–7.4) |
| North Carolina | 2,531 | 85.9 | (84.2–87.4) | 90 | 2.8 | (2.3–3.4) | 266 | 7.6 | (6.5–8.8) | 118 | 3.8 | (2.8–5.1) |
| North Dakota | 1,651 | 86.2 | (84.0–88.2) | 52 | 3.0 | (2.2–4.1) | 127 | 6.5 | (5.2–8.1) | 81 | 4.3 | (3.2–5.8) |
| Ohio | 1,017 | 87.6 | (85.2–89.7) | 32 | 2.4 | (1.4–4.2) | 94 | 7.4 | (5.6–9.7) | 39 | 2.5 | (1.7–3.7) |
| Oklahoma | 1,650 | 83.6 | (81.1–85.8) | 65 | 3.1 | (2.1–4.4) | 195 | 9.7 | (7.9–11.8) | 72 | 3.7 | (2.5–5.4) |
| Pennsylvania | 1,929 | 84.8 | (82.8–86.7) | 61 | 2.8 | (2.2–3.6) | 211 | 9.2 | (7.8–10.8) | 75 | 3.2 | (2.5–4.1) |
| Rhode Island | 1,316 | 84.2 | (81.2–86.9) | 42 | 2.7 | (1.9–3.8) | 134 | 8.6 | (7.1–10.4) | 76 | 4.5 | (3.3–6.0) |
| South Carolina | 877 | 81.6 | (77.9–84.8) | 60 | 5.1 | (3.4–7.5) | 101 | 9.8 | (8.1–11.8) | 41 | 3.5 | (2.4–5.0) |
| Texas | 1,656 | 85.6 | (84.0–87.1) | 63 | 3.0 | (2.0–4.4) | 170 | 8.2 | (6.8–9.8) | 62 | 3.2 | (2.6–4.0) |
| Utah | 1,349 | 88.1 | (85.7–90.2) | 23 | 1.6 | (0.8–3.2) | 95 | 6.3 | (5.1–7.7) | 60 | 4.0 | (3.0–5.2) |
| Vermont | 15,137 | 82.0 | (81.4–82.6) | 496 | 2.7 | (2.5–2.9) | 1,828 | 9.8 | (9.4–10.2) | 1,041 | 5.5 | (5.2–5.9) |
| Virginia | 3,771 | 84.5 | (82.8–86.0) | 113 | 2.5 | (2.0–3.2) | 368 | 8.4 | (7.3–9.5) | 245 | 4.7 | (3.9–5.5) |
| West Virginia | 1,145 | 84.2 | (81.4–86.8) | 47 | 3.9 | (2.6–5.6) | 126 | 8.4 | (6.7–10.5) | 50 | 3.5 | (2.2–5.4) |
| Wisconsin | 1,554 | 86.1 | (83.7–88.3) | 42 | 2.4 | (1.8–3.3) | 126 | 6.9 | (5.4–8.7) | 90 | 4.6 | (3.4–6.1) |
| Median | 83.9 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 4.5 | ||||||||
| Range | 79.4–88.1 | 1.6–5.7 | 6.3–10.7 | 2.5–6.9 | ||||||||
| Site | Sexual identity | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heterosexual (straight) | Gay or lesbian | Bisexual | Not sure | |||||||||
| No. | % | CI* | No. | % | CI | No. | % | CI | No. | % | CI | |
| Local school district surveys | ||||||||||||
| Albuquerque, NM | 2,462 | 79.7 | (77.4–81.8) | 125 | 4.3 | (3.3–5.6) | 373 | 11.1 | (9.8–12.5) | 161 | 4.9 | (4.0–6.0) |
| Boston, MA | 805 | 79.9 | (77.2–82.3) | 41 | 4.2 | (3.0–6.0) | 109 | 10.6 | (8.5–13.1) | 54 | 5.3 | (4.0–6.9) |
| Broward County, FL | 916 | 80.9 | (77.5–83.8) | 42 | 3.9 | (2.7–5.6) | 124 | 9.8 | (8.1–11.9) | 68 | 5.4 | (4.1–7.1) |
| Chicago, IL | 1,167 | 78.9 | (75.3–82.1) | 48 | 3.9 | (2.4–6.1) | 169 | 11.8 | (9.4–14.7) | 83 | 5.5 | (4.4–6.9) |
| Cleveland, OH | 925 | 76.8 | (73.1–80.1) | 62 | 5.0 | (3.5–7.1) | 154 | 12.2 | (9.5–15.4) | 74 | 6.0 | (4.5–8.0) |
| District of Columbia | 8,180 | 80.3 | (79.5–81.1) | 464 | 4.5 | (4.1–5.0) | 1,209 | 11.4 | (10.8–12.1) | 436 | 3.7 | (3.4–4.1) |
| Duval County, FL | 2,876 | 75.7 | (73.7–77.6) | 229 | 6.1 | (5.3–7.1) | 504 | 12.5 | (11.2–14.0) | 226 | 5.7 | (4.8–6.7) |
| Eaton Consortium, MI | 824 | 81.2 | (77.9–84.1) | 29 | 2.6 | (1.7–4.0) | 103 | 10.4 | (8.6–12.6) | 61 | 5.8 | (4.1–8.1) |
| Ft. Worth, TX | 1,566 | 82.2 | (80.0–84.2) | 68 | 3.7 | (2.8–4.9) | 199 | 10.1 | (8.8–11.6) | 80 | 4.0 | (3.2–4.9) |
| Gaston County, NC | 1,093 | 84.4 | (82.1–86.3) | 40 | 2.9 | (2.1–4.0) | 116 | 8.5 | (7.1–10.2) | 58 | 4.2 | (3.3–5.3) |
| Genesee Consortium, MI | 822 | 80.3 | (77.5–82.9) | 53 | 5.2 | (3.8–7.1) | 113 | 10.7 | (8.6–13.1) | 45 | 3.7 | (2.6–5.4) |
| Hillsborough County, FL | 1,209 | 79.9 | (77.2–82.4) | 68 | 4.8 | (3.4–6.7) | 146 | 10.1 | (8.5–12.1) | 77 | 5.1 | (4.1–6.4) |
| Houston, TX | 1,617 | 81.2 | (78.9–83.2) | 76 | 3.9 | (2.9–5.0) | 186 | 9.4 | (8.0–10.9) | 117 | 5.6 | (4.6–6.8) |
| Los Angeles, CA | 1,173 | 84.7 | (81.7–87.2) | 32 | 2.2 | (1.4–3.4) | 110 | 7.9 | (6.0–10.3) | 70 | 5.2 | (4.3–6.3) |
| New York City, NY | 7,425 | 80.6 | (79.1–82.1) | 290 | 3.3 | (2.7–4.0) | 966 | 9.8 | (8.9–10.7) | 579 | 6.4 | (5.7–7.1) |
| Newark, NJ | 850 | 76.2 | (71.7–80.2) | 68 | 6.2 | (4.0–9.6) | 119 | 9.9 | (7.8–12.5) | 91 | 7.7 | (5.9–10.1) |
| Oakland, CA | 829 | 83.4 | (79.9–86.4) | 18 | 2.3 | (1.2–4.5) | 106 | 10.4 | (8.3–12.9) | 46 | 3.9 | (2.7–5.7) |
| Orange County, FL | 1,049 | 80.6 | (78.1–82.9) | 41 | 3.4 | (2.4–4.8) | 135 | 9.9 | (8.3–11.8) | 83 | 6.0 | (4.8–7.6) |
| Palm Beach County, FL | 2,057 | 82.9 | (80.9–84.8) | 91 | 3.8 | (3.1–4.7) | 221 | 8.6 | (7.3–10.1) | 119 | 4.6 | (3.8–5.7) |
| Pasco County, FL | 1,134 | 78.6 | (75.9–81.1) | 67 | 4.6 | (3.5–6.0) | 180 | 12.5 | (10.7–14.6) | 67 | 4.3 | (3.3–5.5) |
| Philadelphia, PA | 859 | 77.5 | (74.5–80.2) | 47 | 4.5 | (3.2–6.3) | 146 | 11.8 | (9.6–14.3) | 64 | 6.2 | (4.7–8.2) |
| Portland, OR | 1,387 | 76.4 | (73.7–78.9) | 63 | 3.5 | (2.7–4.6) | 251 | 13.7 | (11.8–16.0) | 116 | 6.4 | (5.2–7.7) |
| San Diego, CA | 1,171 | 84.6 | (82.4–86.7) | 26 | 2.0 | (1.3–3.1) | 122 | 8.9 | (7.4–10.6) | 59 | 4.5 | (3.2–6.3) |
| San Francisco, CA | 1,757 | 81.6 | (79.3–83.7) | 46 | 2.1 | (1.4–3.1) | 168 | 7.8 | (6.0–10.1) | 152 | 8.5 | (7.0–10.3) |
| Seattle, WA | 1,002 | 80.3 | (77.1–83.2) | 43 | 3.5 | (2.6–4.7) | 135 | 10.3 | (8.3–12.8) | 81 | 5.8 | (4.7–7.2) |
| Shelby County, TN | 1,025 | 78.8 | (76.2–81.2) | 69 | 5.2 | (4.2–6.6) | 160 | 11.5 | (9.6–13.6) | 69 | 4.5 | (3.5–5.8) |
| Spartanburg County, SC | —† | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Median | 80.3 | 3.9 | 10.4 | 5.4 | ||||||||
| Range | 75.7–84.7 | 2.0–6.2 | 7.8–13.7 | 3.7–8.5 | ||||||||
*95% confidence interval.
†Not available.
- Table 1. Number of states and local school districts that conducted a YRBS and number with and without representative data, by year of survey
- Table 2. Number of states and local school districts that included at least one of two questions ascertaining sexual minority status and obtained representative data, by year of survey
- Table 3: Sample sizes, response rates, and demographic characteristics*
- Table 4: Number and percentage of students, by sexual identity
- Table 5: Number and percentage of students, by sex of sexual contacts
- Table 6: Sex of sexual contacts, by sexual identity — United States and selected U.S. sites*
Page last reviewed: August 20, 2020