The following demographic information is from Packaged Fact's 2002 report The Gay and Lesbian Market: New Trends, New Opportunities.

• There were an estimated 14.2 million adult gay men and lesbians in the United States in 2002.

  The number is expected to reach 15.8 million in 2007; it is estimated that gay men make up 58% of the gay and lesbian population.

• Gays tend to be younger.

  For example, gay men make up approximately 8% of the U.S. population of males. However, 18 to 29 year old gay men make up 11% of that male population.

• More than 3 million gay and lesbian households are domestic partnerships.

  An estimated 40% of gay men and 50% of lesbians live in domestic partnerships.

• There are more than 2 million gay households that included children under 18. Lesbians are assumed to represent 75% of those households.

  The Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that 49% of the gay and lesbian respondents who were not already parents said they would like to have or adopt children someday.

• The population of gay men is more concentrated than the lesbian population.

  Gay men are more likely to live in metropolitan areas with a population of 2 million or more. Lesbians have a higher propensity to live in the suburbs.

• Gays are twice as likely to be self-employed.

  Both the Kaiser Family Foundation and Gill foundation studies concluded that about 12% of gay men and lesbians are self-employed. Self-employed individuals make up 6% of the general population.

Packaged Fact's "The Gay and Lesbian Market: New Trends, New Opportunities" draws on multiple data sources including the ongoing research conducted by Harris Interactive in partnership with Witeck-Combs Communications, and surveys conducted on behalf of the Gill Foundation and Kaiser Family Foundation. It also includes an extensive analysis of Census 2000 data on same-sex couples.