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Study: Same-Sex Marriage Generated $3.8B In The U.S. Over 5 Years

Since same-sex marriage was legalized in 2015, a UCLA study shows same-sex weddings have generated close to $4 billion.

Study: Same-Sex Marriage Generated $3.8B In The U.S. Over 5 Years
Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
By Antoinette Miller
SMS
June 1, 2020

A new study released on the first day of LGBTQ+ Pride Month shows same-sex marriages and weddings have generated close to $4 billion over five years.

According to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 decision on Obergefell v. Hodges — the ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the U.S. — almost 300,000 same-sex couples have gotten married.  

In that time, the study found local and state businesses across the country have taken in $3.8 billion in related revenue.

It based that number on the average number of out-of-state guests as well as couples' direct spending for weddings, amongst other factors.

Researchers say while same-sex weddings cost about $4,000 less on average than heterosexual weddings, they've still helped to support around 45,000 jobs since June 2015.