Most gay men living together are in the city. Most lesbian couples find homes in the burbs or rural Minnesota. A closer look at newly revised 2010 U.S. Census data revealed this rural-urban split:

There were almost twice as many male same-sex households as female same-sex households in Hennepin County (3479 and 1859, respectively). And the gender split was relatively even in Ramsey County (746 male versus 873 female). But in the rest of the state, the number of female same-sex households outpaced the number of male same-sex households by 17 to 1. There were an estimated 3,080 female same-sex households in the rest of the state last year, compared to 174 male same-sex households. The maps below show the variation:

The data from the U.S. Census was analyzed and published by the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy at UCLA. The snapshot of Minnesota data is here. The figures are revised from the original 2010 U.S. Census counts, which substantially overcounted the number of same-sex couples and same-sex spouses in the U.S. The Williams Institute looked at the error rates for individual counties and cities and used them to calculate new same-sex household estimates at the local level.

In Minnesota, there were 15 counties with 40 or more female same-sex households and zero male households, according to the institute's data. But the institute's demographer, Gary Gates, stressed that these are only estimates based off of the revised Census data. (The institute's figures, for example, show 294 female same-sex households and zero male same-sex households in suburban Washington County. That is unlikely.)

Gates said gay men nationally tend to cluster in urban centers more than women. One reason is that men still on average earn more than women, so a two-income male couple is more likely to be able to afford an urban residence than a two-income female couple. Another reason, he said, is that lesbian couples living together are more likely to be raising children, and seeking suburban or rural environments that are family-friendly. A map showing the percent of same-sex households with children seems to reflect that as well:

Gates said this is not a situation in which female same-sex couples in rural areas are more open about their lifestyles than male same-sex couples. Research has not found any variation by gender in couples' willingness to disclose their relationships on Census forms, he said.

The institute also used its estimates to calculate communities (at least those with 50 or more same-sex households) with the highest rates of same-sex couples living together. Golden Valley ranked 43rd out of 1,415 such communities in the nation with an estimated 196 same-sex households and a rate of 22.23 same-sex couples per 1,000 households.