FACT BRIEF

Has the proportion of Americans identifying as transgender increased in the last decade?

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

By Jessica Doherty

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YES

A 2019 paper by three New York University researchers estimates that the proportion of adults who identify as transgender has increased from about .03% of the U.S. population to about .06% in the last decade. It also finds "a higher proportion of [transgender non-binary] identities among the younger generations."

A 2017 study by UCLA's Williams Institute estimates 0.73% of teens aged 13 to 17 identify as transgender. The study found "the population of individuals who identify as transgender appears similar to the U.S. general population in regard to age"—i.e., 8% of the U.S. general population is 13 to 17 years old and, comparably, 10% of the U.S. transgender population is 13 to 17 years old.

A 2017 Centers for Disease Control survey of select states and school districts found that 1.8% of surveyed high-school students identify as transgender.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

National Library of Medicine: Journal of Translational Andrology and Urology—Trends in transgender identities and gender confirming surgery

UCLA: Williams Institute—Age of individuals who identify as transgender in the US

CDC: Transgender identity and experiences of violence victimization, substance use, suicide risk, and sexual risk behaviors among high school students

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