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By the numbers: Same-sex marriage

By Caitlin Stark, CNN Library
updated 11:31 AM EDT, Tue March 26, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Thirty-eight states have banned same-sex marriage
  • Six states allow civil unions between same-sex couples, but not marriage
  • Nine states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriage
  • U.S. census showed 646,000 same-sex-couple households in 2010

Editor's note: This story was originally published in May 2012 and was updated in March 2013.

(CNN) -- Same-sex marriage is in the spotlight on the national legal and political stages this week as the Supreme Court hears argument in two landmark cases, one involving California's Proposition 8 and another involving the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

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The high court cases come as public support for same-sex marriage is increasing. A CNN/ORC International Poll released Monday indicates that 53% of Americans support same-sex marriage. In the same survey, 57% of respondents said they had a family member or close friend who is gay or lesbian.

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By the numbers, here's a look at same-sex marriage:

38 -- The number of U.S. states that have banned same-sex marriage, either through legislation or constitutional amendments.

6 -- The number of U.S. states that allow civil unions between same-sex couples, but not marriage. They are Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey and Rhode Island. (Some states that allow civil unions also ban same-sex marriage.)

9 -- The number of U.S. states that allow same-sex marriage, along with the District of Columbia. They are: Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia. However, due to the Defense of Marriage Act, the federal government does not recognize the same-sex marriages in these states.

1,100 -- The number of federal benefits to marriage.

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15% - The approximate percentage of Americans who live in states where same-sex marriage is legal.

2001 -- The year the Netherlands made same-sex marriage legal. It was the first country in the world to so.

2003 -- The year that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to criminalize sodomy.

2004 -- The year that same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts, the first state in the United States to do so.

11 -- The number of countries worldwide where same-sex marriage is legal in the entire country. They are: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Sweden.

3 -- The number of countries where same-sex marriage is legal in some areas. They are: Brazil, Mexico and the United States.

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68% -- The percentage of Americans opposed to same-sex marriage in 1996, according to a Gallup Poll.

48% -- The percentage of Americans opposed to same-sex marriage in 2012, according to a Gallup Poll.

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3.5% -- The approximate percentage of Americans identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA.

646,000 -- The number of same-sex-couple households in the United States in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

80.4% -- The percentage growth of same-sex couple households in the U.S. between 2000 and 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

10% -- The percentage of people identifying as LGBT living in the District of Columbia, according to a 2012 Gallup Poll. This is the highest percentage in the country.

1.7% -- The percentage of people identifying as LGBT living in North Dakota, according to a 2012 Gallup Poll. This is the lowest percentage in the country.

7% - Approximate percentage of same-sex couple households who live in states that recognize same-sex marriage, as of 2010.

115,064 -- Number of same-sex couple households in the United States with children, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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