Suburban same-sex households grow in latest census

Hastings has the fastest growth rate. Eagan has the highest numbers. Mendota Heights has the greatest percentage. And Lakeville has the most kids in the house.

These are among the south-of-the-river discoveries as Census 2010 delivers perhaps its most sensitive set of findings: the growth and characteristics of same-sex-partner households across the nation.

No longer does the radically stripped-down census form ask about such juicy topics as income. But there does remain an innovation that began only 10 years ago: the chance for same-sex couples to record themselves as "partners" on a strictly confidential, official government form.

The result has been a gold mine for demographers interested in the gay community -- not a full count by any means, but at least a clue as to where people are locating and some hints as to what they're up to.

Although Dakota County cities are the leaders in most categories, Scott County emerges with the fastest county-wide rate of growth in same-sex households among the seven metro counties, although its numbers are still tiny.

And experts say that's been the pattern so far across the country, with suburban and rural places showing great statistical gains as their cautious residents become more open.

"We're seeing bigger [on-paper] increases in the more conservative areas because there's a bigger pool of the closeted to draw from," said Gary Gates, of UCLA, co-author of "The Gay and Lesbian Atlas." He added: "My guess would have been that the really big increases in Minnesota were probably well outside Minneapolis," with its prominent gay concentration.

The gay advocacy group OutFront Minnesota has been noticing more and more zip codes of its supporters in suburban and exurban areas, said Monica Meyer, executive director. "There has been a culture change, I really do think, around this issue," she said.

Scott Haubrich, 28, a gay Realtor with offices in Shakopee and Burnsville, agreed. "There's a definite change, even from when I was younger. I hear about people coming out in elementary school. There's a lot more support and acceptance. And many people don't care anymore: They're saying, 'This is who I am!'"

Although the census finds pronounced differences in gay concentrations among Dakota and Scott communities, he said he doesn't suggest to clients that any particular areas are more gay-friendly than others.

"I always just say, 'Drive through places at differing times of the day and see what you see.' Any areas that are really trendy, things like that, will draw the gay buyer. People are, though, more open-minded in certain places than others."

Lots of south-suburban same-sex partners are raising kids, the census discovered -- something else they have in common with other far-from-urban-centers in California and other states.

In Minneapolis, only 459 of 3,249 same-sex partner couples, or 14 percent, have kids in the home, but in Scott and Dakota counties it's almost twice as common in proportion to the smaller numbers: the figure is 290 of 1091, or 27 percent.

That could have to do with the same desire for kids' amenities, good schools and safety that draws others to the suburbs. But it's also related, Gates believes, to who many of these folks are: often previously closeted, then "out," and with kids from an opposite-sex marriage.

Overall, a Star Tribune analysis found that suburban areas registered the greatest growth in same-sex-couple households. Minneapolis' share of all the state's same-sex partners declaring themselves in the census dropped from 29 to 24 percent, St. Paul from 10 to 9 percent. The rest of the seven-county metro jumped from 33 percent to 38 percent.

There were gains -- with miniscule numbers -- in the more remote metro-area counties such as Wright, and in Rochester and Duluth. The rest of the state stayed about the same.

In Dakota and Scott, meanwhile, the biggest cities such as Eagan had the largest numbers but not the highest proportions. The cities with the highest percentages, in order, were Mendota Heights, inner-ring West St. Paul and Northfield, with two liberal-arts colleges.

Metro-wide, Golden Valley -- the place with the quickest shot to downtown Minneapolis -- took the prize, likely a sign of the importance of close proximity to gay institutions in the core city. Haubrich can relate to that, with a home in Shakopee but a rental property in Minneapolis. "I'm constantly in Minneapolis," he said. "I have a large carbon footprint."

Staff writer Glenn Howatt analyzed data for this article. David Peterson • 952-882-9023