Denver Among Top Same Sex Couple-Friendly Cities In The Country, Data Shows

DENVER (CBS4) - New information from the University of Colorado Denver shows the Mile High City is among the top gay-friendly cities in the country. The conclusion comes from multiple sources including the Census Bureau and the Human Rights Campaign's Municipal Equality Index.

According to 2019 data from the Census, Colorado is among 11 states and Washington, D.C. having more same-sex couple households than the national average (1.5%).

The same data shows Denver, Aurora and Lakewood have a total of 639,286 coupled households which makes up 2% of coupled households. The San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley area had the greatest percentage of same-sex coupled households of 2.8%.

According to a 2019 Municipal Equality Index report card, Denver received a score of 100, the highest, when it comes to non-discrimination laws, city employment benefits, city services, law enforcement and leadership. Lakewood received a score of 58; Aurora scored 72.

The university also pointed to legislation passed in 2019 to better protect the LGBTQ community and Denver's PrideFest as being recognized as the largest pride event in the West.