Gayest places in California research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to research the cities in California with the highest percent of same-sex households for 2026. The data comes from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year vintage, which counts same-sex married spouses and same-sex unmarried partners at the city level.
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16.7% gay households · #1 gayest in California
Located in
Riverside County, CaliforniaPalm Springs is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 55mi east of San Bernardino, 107mi east of Los Angeles, 123mi northeast of San Diego, and 268mi west of Phoenix, Arizona. The population was 44,552 as of the 2010 census. Palm Springs covers approximately 94 square miles, making it the largest city in the county by land area.
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12.5% gay households · #2 gayest in California
Located in
Riverside County, CaliforniaRancho Mirage is a resort city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal population can exceed 20,000. Located between Cathedral City and Palm Desert, it is one of the nine cities of the Coachella Valley. Rancho Mirage was incorporated in 1973 from a merger of Mirage Cove with five unincorporated areas known as the “Cove communities”, and had 3,000 permanent residents at the time. Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States, died at his home in the city in 2006, and Jane Wyman died one year later at her home in the same city.
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7.8% gay households · #3 gayest in California
Cathedral City is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. Colloquially known as Cat City, the population was 51,200 at the 2010 census. Located between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, it is one of the nine cities of the Coachella Valley in Southern California. Cathedral City has the second largest population in the Coachella Valley, after Indio.
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7.5% gay households · #4 gayest in California
Located in
Los Angeles County, CaliforniaWest Hollywood, occasionally referred to locally as WeHo, is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2010 census, its population was 34,399. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages in the United States.
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7.4% gay households · #5 gayest in California
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3.8% gay households · #6 gayest in California
Crescent City is the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Del Norte County, California. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city, Crescent City had a total population of 7,643 in the 2010 census, up from 4,006 in the 2000 census. The population includes inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison, also within the city limits, and the former census-designated place Crescent City North annexed to the city. The city is also the site of the Redwood National Park headquarters, as well as the historic Battery Point Light. Due to the richness of the local Pacific Ocean waters and the related catch, and ease of access, Crescent City Harbor serves as home port for numerous commercial fishing vessels.
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3.6% gay households · #7 gayest in California
Located in
Riverside County, CaliforniaDesert Hot Springs, also known as DHS, is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The city is located within the Coachella Valley geographic region, sometimes referred to as the Desert Empire. The population was 25,938 at the 2010 census, up from 16,582 at the 2000 census. The city has undergone rapid development and high population growth since the 1970s, when there were 2,700 residents.
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3.4% gay households · #8 gayest in California
Located in
Los Angeles County, CaliforniaSignal Hill is a city in California located in the Greater Los Angeles area. Situated on a hill, the city is an enclave completely surrounded by the city of Long Beach. Signal Hill was incorporated on April 22, 1924, roughly three years after oil was discovered there. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,465.
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3.0% gay households · #9 gayest in California
Located in
San Mateo County, CaliforniaSouth San Francisco is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 63,632 at the 2010 census.
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2.9% gay households · #10 gayest in California
Located in
Orange County, CaliforniaLaguna Beach is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for a mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation, and an artist community. The population in the 2010 census was 22,723.
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Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is California’s statewide median.
On the map
Where California’s LGBTQ households are
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the gayest places in California for 2026
In order to rank the gayest cities in California, we used Saturday Night Science and the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census. We looked at:
- Percentage of all households that are unmarried, same-sex partners
We limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 1,000 households.
We ranked each place from 1 to 450 with the city containing the highest percentage of unmarried, same-sex partner households being the most gay.
In the end, Palm Springs ended up being the most gay place with 16.7% gay households.
Skip to the end to see the list of all the places in the state from gayest to straightest.
We updated this report for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the gayest places in California.
The full plate
Gayest Places In California
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Households | LGBTQ Households | % Gay Households |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palm Springs | 24,567 | 4,105 | 16.7% |
| 2 | Rancho Mirage | 9,003 | 1,122 | 12.5% |
| 3 | Cathedral City | 18,979 | 1,484 | 7.8% |
| 4 | West Hollywood | 22,920 | 1,717 | 7.5% |
| 5 | Avalon | 1,374 | 101 | 7.4% |
| 6 | Crescent City | 1,693 | 64 | 3.8% |
| 7 | Desert Hot Springs | 11,379 | 406 | 3.6% |
| 8 | Signal Hill | 4,545 | 153 | 3.4% |
| 9 | South San Francisco | 21,838 | 650 | 3.0% |
| 10 | Laguna Beach | 10,839 | 317 | 2.9% |
| 11 | Palm Desert | 24,690 | 722 | 2.9% |
| 12 | Del Mar | 1,855 | 54 | 2.9% |
| 13 | Sonoma | 5,285 | 152 | 2.9% |
| 14 | San Francisco | 363,970 | 10,457 | 2.9% |
| 15 | Orinda | 7,277 | 206 | 2.8% |
| 16 | Healdsburg | 4,651 | 129 | 2.8% |
| 17 | Berkeley | 47,135 | 1,198 | 2.5% |
| 18 | Oakland | 176,584 | 4,475 | 2.5% |
| 19 | Mammoth Lakes | 3,318 | 83 | 2.5% |
| 20 | Twentynine Palms | 9,291 | 232 | 2.5% |
| 21 | Hillsborough | 3,610 | 88 | 2.4% |
| 22 | Long Beach | 170,927 | 4,111 | 2.4% |
| 23 | Fairfax | 3,265 | 78 | 2.4% |
| 24 | Nevada City | 1,323 | 31 | 2.3% |
| 25 | Santa Cruz | 21,713 | 482 | 2.2% |
| 26 | Cloverdale | 3,462 | 76 | 2.2% |
| 27 | Emeryville | 7,838 | 172 | 2.2% |
| 28 | Dos Palos | 2,099 | 46 | 2.2% |
| 29 | Claremont | 11,950 | 260 | 2.2% |
| 30 | Grand Terrace | 4,736 | 101 | 2.1% |
| 31 | Willits | 2,162 | 46 | 2.1% |
| 32 | Indian Wells | 2,468 | 52 | 2.1% |
| 33 | Brentwood | 21,295 | 448 | 2.1% |
| 34 | San Pablo | 9,743 | 202 | 2.1% |
| 35 | La Quinta | 15,962 | 330 | 2.1% |
| 36 | Loma Linda | 9,386 | 194 | 2.1% |
| 37 | El Cerrito | 10,831 | 222 | 2.0% |
| 38 | Yountville | 1,489 | 30 | 2.0% |
| 39 | Alameda | 29,988 | 603 | 2.0% |
| 40 | Albany | 7,631 | 149 | 2.0% |
| 41 | Redwood City | 29,951 | 576 | 1.9% |
| 42 | Santa Rosa | 68,321 | 1,310 | 1.9% |
| 43 | Corte Madera | 4,036 | 76 | 1.9% |
| 44 | Sacramento | 200,321 | 3,744 | 1.9% |
| 45 | La Mesa | 25,038 | 465 | 1.9% |
| 46 | San Diego | 530,412 | 9,748 | 1.8% |
| 47 | Scotts Valley | 5,036 | 92 | 1.8% |
| 48 | Corcoran | 4,226 | 77 | 1.8% |
| 49 | Azusa | 14,870 | 269 | 1.8% |
| 50 | Woodside | 1,784 | 32 | 1.8% |
| 51 | Pasadena | 57,425 | 1,024 | 1.8% |
| 52 | Sebastopol | 3,319 | 59 | 1.8% |
| 53 | San Rafael | 22,910 | 407 | 1.8% |
| 54 | Richmond | 40,806 | 715 | 1.8% |
| 55 | Beverly Hills | 14,449 | 252 | 1.7% |
| 56 | Auburn | 6,055 | 105 | 1.7% |
| 57 | Larkspur | 6,018 | 104 | 1.7% |
| 58 | Escalon | 2,854 | 49 | 1.7% |
| 59 | Fortuna | 4,925 | 84 | 1.7% |
| 60 | Palo Alto | 26,021 | 443 | 1.7% |
| 61 | Shafter | 5,677 | 95 | 1.7% |
| 62 | Orange Cove | 2,403 | 40 | 1.7% |
| 63 | Piedmont | 3,864 | 64 | 1.7% |
| 64 | Rio Dell | 1,480 | 24 | 1.6% |
| 65 | Yucaipa | 18,506 | 298 | 1.6% |
| 66 | Sierra Madre | 4,620 | 74 | 1.6% |
| 67 | Calexico | 10,069 | 160 | 1.6% |
| 68 | Waterford | 2,581 | 41 | 1.6% |
| 69 | West Sacramento | 19,367 | 305 | 1.6% |
| 70 | Marysville | 4,901 | 77 | 1.6% |
| 71 | Culver City | 17,529 | 274 | 1.6% |
| 72 | Merced | 27,950 | 436 | 1.6% |
| 73 | Los Angeles | 1,439,097 | 22,148 | 1.5% |
| 74 | Petaluma | 24,239 | 371 | 1.5% |
| 75 | Chico | 42,943 | 653 | 1.5% |
| 76 | Westlake Village | 2,967 | 45 | 1.5% |
| 77 | Arcata | 7,884 | 117 | 1.5% |
| 78 | Burbank | 42,995 | 633 | 1.5% |
| 79 | Davis | 25,358 | 373 | 1.5% |
| 80 | Atascadero | 11,579 | 170 | 1.5% |
| 81 | Jackson | 2,385 | 35 | 1.5% |
| 82 | San Marcos | 31,350 | 459 | 1.5% |
| 83 | McFarland | 3,570 | 52 | 1.5% |
| 84 | Apple Valley | 25,184 | 366 | 1.5% |
| 85 | Tiburon | 3,510 | 51 | 1.5% |
| 86 | Duarte | 7,515 | 109 | 1.5% |
| 87 | South Pasadena | 10,220 | 148 | 1.4% |
| 88 | Mountain View | 35,767 | 515 | 1.4% |
| 89 | Oakley | 13,685 | 196 | 1.4% |
| 90 | Monterey Park | 20,646 | 290 | 1.4% |
| 91 | East Palo Alto | 8,267 | 116 | 1.4% |
| 92 | La Habra | 20,538 | 288 | 1.4% |
| 93 | Bell Gardens | 9,713 | 135 | 1.4% |
| 94 | Grass Valley | 6,769 | 94 | 1.4% |
| 95 | Santa Fe Springs | 5,716 | 79 | 1.4% |
| 96 | Novato | 20,056 | 275 | 1.4% |
| 97 | Barstow | 9,145 | 125 | 1.4% |
| 98 | Martinez | 14,723 | 201 | 1.4% |
| 99 | Pleasant Hill | 13,258 | 180 | 1.4% |
| 100 | Glendora | 16,734 | 227 | 1.4% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. Places with over 1,000 households.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most LGBT Friendly Cities In California For 2026
If you’re looking at the number of gay households in California, this is an accurate list.
The gayest cities in California are Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City, West Hollywood, Avalon, Crescent City, Desert Hot Springs, Signal Hill, South San Francisco, and Laguna Beach. Wondering how Palm Springs stacks up against a bigger name? See Palm Springs, CA vs. Scottsdale, AZ side by side.
