Same-sex Weddings Have Boosted Economy by $3.8 Billion

According to a study published on Thursday (May 28) by the Williams Institute, same-sex weddings have boosted state and local economies by an estimated $3.8 billion since same-sex marriage was legalized in 2015.

Nearly 300,000 same-sex couples have married in the U.S. since 2015, their weddings generating about $3.2 billion for local and state economies. Traveling wedding guests spent an additional $544 million, $244 million was generated in state and local taxes, and about 45,000 jobs were also supported by same-sex weddings.

“Marriage equality has changed the lives of same-sex couples and their families,” the study’s lead author and state and local policy director at the Williams Institute, Christy Mallory, said. “It had also provided a sizable benefit to business and state and local governments.”

These numbers do not include couples who married prior to the Supreme Court ruling in 2015. According to the study, 242,000 same-sex couples had wed between 2003, when same-sex marriage was first approved in Massachusetts, and 2015. In total, more than half a million gay and lesbian couples have married in the U.S.

The Williams Institute study includes figures and estimates based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau.