The rise of same-sex marriage, charted

By the numbers: There were about 1.3 million same-sex couple households nationwide as of 2022, per the latest American Community Survey (ACS) data, compared to about 565,000 in 2008.

• There were about 741,000 married same-sex couple households as of 2022, up from about 150,000 in 2008.
• 58% of same-sex couple households were married as of 2022, compared to just 26.6% in 2008.

Zoom in: Among U.S. states, Delaware (81.4%), New Hampshire (72.3%) and Wyoming (70.7%) have the highest share of same-sex couple households who are married.

• Washington, D.C. (48.2%), Alaska (48.1%) and Tennessee (47.9%) have the lowest.

Caveat: There's no 2020 data here because the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with the Census Bureau's collection efforts.

• The Bureau has also struggled in the past to accurately count same-sex marriages.
• The ACS in 2019 began specifically asking about same-sex spouses and unmarried partners in American households, a tweak meant to improve data collection efforts.
• The Census Bureau is now experimenting with new questions about sexual orientation and gender identity in an effort to better count and understand a historically overlooked group.

Reality check: While Obergefell v. Hodges protected the right to marry at the federal level, lawmakers in many states are still seeking to curtail LGBTQ+ Americans' rights.

• The Supreme Court, meanwhile, ruled last year that businesses can refuse service to same-sex couples on religious objection grounds.

Yes, but: Anti-LGBTQ+ legislative efforts appear to be stalling out nationwide, Axios' April Rubin reports.

• "There's a lot of hope right now," Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson told April.
• "Our opposition is overreaching. They are attacking not only our community, but our kids."

The bottom line: Obergefell clearly had a massive impact on millions of Americans' lives, even if the battle for true equality goes on.