Transgender is a term used to describe people whose gender or sense of personal identity does not match the sex they were born with. In other words, a transgender person may have been born as a male but identifies as a female or vice versa.
Transgender people are part of the LGBTQ+ community. According to the Williams Institute, 1.4 million adults identify as transgender in the United States. About 0.5% of adults 18-24 identify as transgender, and 0.3% of adults 65 and older identify as transgender.
Laws Protecting Transgender People
When it comes to LGBTQ rights, the United States has made significant strides over the years. Several states have protections for transgender people, including employment, public accommodations, housing, credit, and schools. Unfortunately, many states do not have these protections in place.
The following 13 states prohibit discrimination against transgender people in employment: California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
The following 14 states protect transgender people from discrimination in public: California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
The following 13 states protect transgender people from discrimination in housing: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
The following seen states protect transgender people from discrimination in the extension of credit: Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, Vermont, and Washington
The following 11 states prohibit gender identity discrimination in public schools (and in some cases, private schools that receive some state funding): California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
Transgender Population by State
Calculating the percentage of the population of people that are transgender is difficult since surveys that respondents voluntarily take are the only way to collect this data.
In the United States, approximately 1.9% of the adult population identifies as being transgender, according to data from 2020. When breaking down the transgender population by state, the District of Columbia has the highest percentage at 2.77%. All states in the United States have transgender adults accounting for less than 1% of the adult population.
There are other nations where being transgender is recognized, but there is very little data on how many transgender people there are in these nations. Some nations, such as India, recognize transgender as a third gender. However, other nations are not so open to this idea. In 36 countries in Europe, a mental health diagnosis is required before a transgender person is legally recognized. Twenty European countries even require the sterilization of transgender people.
Hawaii, California, Georgia, New Mexico
In the United States, there is a total of 1.6 million people who identify as transgender. There are states where the transgender population is much higher. In Hawaii, California, Georgia, and New Mexico, there is the highest transgender population. These four states have the majority of the transgender population, accounting for 0.8% of the total population.
Texas, Florida, California
In some states, the transgender population is significant, totaling more than 100,000 people. Although this large number of transgender people may not make up a substantial percentage of the population (due to a high population in that state in general), it is still a significant number. In California, 218,000 people identify as transgender. Florida has 100,300 people who identify as transgender. In Texas, 125,350 people identify as transgender.
District of Columbia
The highest state or district in the United States with the most transgender population is the District of Columbia. In this district, nearly 14,550 people identify as transgender. This number accounts for almost 2.77% of the state's population. With a small population, to begin with, transgender people make up the most significant portion of the total population.
North Dakota, Iowa, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota
Certain states in the U.S. have a much lower percentage of the population that identifies as transgender. In Montana, North Dakota, Iowa, Wyoming, and South Dakota, the lowest population percentage is transgender. In these states, 0.3% of the population is transgender. Although these states also have a lower population than other states, the number of transgender individuals living in these states is also lower.
Remaining States
The remaining states throughout the United States also have a transgender population. Transgender refers to people who identify with a different gender than what was assigned at birth. Or, transgender people could identify as a gender other than binary male and female designation. The numbers reported in recent studies that contribute to these statistics are all self-reported identification. These states, unsurprisingly, fall between the high and low range of other states. In general, about 0.6% of the population in the United States identifies as transgender.
Age
Most surprisingly, of the transgender population, it seems that the majority of people are from the younger demographics. People who are aged 18 to 24 are more likely to identify as transgender. This age range accounts for 0.7% of the population. Older generations, ages 65 and older, also identify as transgender, albeit a far lower percentage. Of the total population, 0.5% who identify as transgender is over the age of 65.