Gayest places in Michigan research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to research the cities in Michigan 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.
The city with the highest rate of same-sex houesholds in Michigan is Ferndale. 5.43% of households in Ferndale are gay.
The city in Michigan with the most same-sex houesholds is Detroit with 1,943 gay households.
Michigan is the 37th most gay in the United States.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
An estimated 0.71% of Michigan residents are gay.
That means there are a total of 29,018 gay households in The Wolverine State.
Our goal with this post is to use Saturday Night Science and data to determine the gayest cities in Michigan.
After analyzing 227 cities with over 1,000 households, we’ve determined these are The Gayest Cities in Michigan for 2026.
The 10 Gayest Places In Michigan For 2026
What’s the gayest place in Michigan? According to the facts, Ferndale is the gayest place in Michigan for 2026.
For more on how we calculated the top ten, and for more information about these places, read on.
For more Michigan reading, check out:
- Gayest cities in the United States
- Best Places To Live In Michigan
- Cheapest Places To Live In Michigan
- Most Dangerous Places in Michigan
The 10 Gayest Cities In Michigan For 2026
/10
Households: 10,348
Gay Households: 562 (5th highest)
% Gay Households: 5.43% (1st highest)
More on Ferndale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
2. Pleasant Ridge
/10
Households: 1,139
Gay Households: 58 (68th highest)
% Gay Households: 5.09% (2nd highest)
More on Pleasant Ridge: Crime | Movers
3. Norway
/10
Households: 1,222
Gay Households: 44 (80th highest)
% Gay Households: 3.6% (3rd highest)
More on Norway: Crime | Movers
/10
Households: 2,456
Gay Households: 81 (46th highest)
% Gay Households: 3.3% (4th highest)
More on Richmond: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Households: 3,206
Gay Households: 97 (39th highest)
% Gay Households: 3.03% (5th highest)
More on Marshall: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Households: 3,991
Gay Households: 112 (35th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.81% (6th highest)
More on Saline: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
7. Bad Axe
/10
Households: 1,355
Gay Households: 36 (86th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.66% (7th highest)
More on Bad Axe: Crime | Movers
8. Hancock
/10
Households: 1,818
Gay Households: 47 (78th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.59% (8th highest)
More on Hancock: Crime | Movers
/10
Households: 2,565
Gay Households: 61 (66th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.38% (9th highest)
More on Dowagiac: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Households: 8,903
Gay Households: 206 (16th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.31% (10th highest)
More on Marquette: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
How do you determine the best cities for same-sex households in Michigan for 2026
In order to rank the gayest cities in Michigan, 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 227 with the city containing the highest percentage of unmarried, same sex partners households being the most gay.
In the end, ended up being the the most gay place with 5.43% gay households.
Skip to the end to see the list of all the places in the state from gayest to straighest.
We updated this report for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the gayest places in Michigan.
There You Have It – The Most LGBT Friendly Cities In Michigan For 2026
If you’re looking at the number of gay households in Michigan, this is an accurate list.
The gayest cities in Michigan are .
If you’re curious enough, here are the least gay places in Michigan:
- Almont
- Gladwin
- Romeo
For more Michigan reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Michigan
- Safest Places In Michigan
- Worst Places To Live In Michigan
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Michigan
Table: Gayest Places To Live In Michigan
| Rank | City | Households | % Gay Households |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferndale | 10,348 | 5.43% |
| 2 | Pleasant Ridge | 1,139 | 5.09% |
| 3 | Norway | 1,222 | 3.6% |
| 4 | Richmond | 2,456 | 3.3% |
| 5 | Marshall | 3,206 | 3.03% |
| 6 | Saline | 3,991 | 2.81% |
| 7 | Bad Axe | 1,355 | 2.66% |
| 8 | Hancock | 1,818 | 2.59% |
| 9 | Dowagiac | 2,565 | 2.38% |
| 10 | Marquette | 8,903 | 2.31% |
| 11 | River Rouge | 2,749 | 2.26% |
| 12 | Oak Park | 12,452 | 2.13% |
| 13 | Sault Ste. Marie | 5,860 | 2.08% |
| 14 | Lapeer | 3,701 | 2.08% |
| 15 | Fenton | 5,208 | 2.05% |
| 16 | Corunna | 1,476 | 2.03% |
| 17 | Wixom | 8,720 | 2.02% |
| 18 | New Baltimore | 4,703 | 1.93% |
| 19 | Wyandotte | 10,737 | 1.93% |
| 20 | Clio | 1,176 | 1.87% |
| 21 | Grosse Pointe Woods | 6,418 | 1.87% |
| 22 | Clare | 1,409 | 1.85% |
| 23 | Ypsilanti | 8,790 | 1.82% |
| 24 | North Muskegon | 1,590 | 1.76% |
| 25 | Highland Park | 3,825 | 1.7% |
| 26 | Petoskey | 2,648 | 1.66% |
| 27 | Center Line | 3,713 | 1.62% |
| 28 | Harper Woods | 5,595 | 1.61% |
| 29 | Iron Mountain | 3,582 | 1.59% |
| 30 | Alpena | 5,088 | 1.57% |
| 31 | Kalamazoo | 29,523 | 1.57% |
| 32 | Royal Oak | 29,110 | 1.56% |
| 33 | St. Ignace | 1,171 | 1.54% |
| 34 | Niles | 5,016 | 1.54% |
| 35 | Grosse Pointe Park | 4,586 | 1.53% |
| 36 | Howell | 4,862 | 1.5% |
| 37 | Rockwood | 1,273 | 1.49% |
| 38 | Rogers City | 1,619 | 1.48% |
| 39 | Burton | 12,432 | 1.47% |
| 40 | Otsego | 1,511 | 1.46% |
| 41 | West Branch | 1,056 | 1.42% |
| 42 | Bay City | 14,677 | 1.27% |
| 43 | Kentwood | 21,245 | 1.27% |
| 44 | Grand Rapids | 80,222 | 1.26% |
| 45 | Ann Arbor | 50,499 | 1.23% |
| 46 | Lansing | 51,588 | 1.22% |
| 47 | Owosso | 6,320 | 1.19% |
| 48 | New Haven | 1,989 | 1.16% |
| 49 | Saginaw | 17,789 | 1.15% |
| 50 | Troy | 33,372 | 1.11% |
| 51 | Grand Ledge | 3,578 | 1.09% |
| 52 | Chelsea | 2,764 | 1.09% |
| 53 | Berkley | 6,840 | 1.07% |
| 54 | Ishpeming | 2,514 | 1.03% |
| 55 | Northville | 2,620 | 1.03% |
| 56 | Port Huron | 12,734 | 1.02% |
| 57 | Davison | 2,377 | 1.01% |
| 58 | Mount Clemens | 6,783 | 1.0% |
| 59 | Essexville | 1,311 | 0.99% |
| 60 | South Lyon | 4,976 | 0.98% |
| 61 | Plymouth | 4,185 | 0.98% |
| 62 | Franklin | 1,032 | 0.97% |
| 63 | Clawson | 5,680 | 0.97% |
| 64 | Traverse City | 7,191 | 0.9% |
| 65 | Kalkaska | 1,118 | 0.89% |
| 66 | Milan | 2,605 | 0.88% |
| 67 | Flushing | 3,629 | 0.88% |
| 68 | Hamtramck | 7,120 | 0.87% |
| 69 | Cedar Springs | 1,495 | 0.87% |
| 70 | Lathrup Village | 1,611 | 0.87% |
| 71 | Portage | 20,844 | 0.86% |
| 72 | Westland | 35,932 | 0.85% |
| 73 | Reed City | 1,069 | 0.84% |
| 74 | Zeeland | 2,396 | 0.83% |
| 75 | Ecorse | 3,614 | 0.8% |
| 76 | Manistique | 1,521 | 0.79% |
| 77 | Eastpointe | 13,251 | 0.78% |
| 78 | Oxford | 1,538 | 0.78% |
| 79 | Caro | 1,945 | 0.77% |
| 80 | Blissfield | 1,306 | 0.77% |
| 81 | Hazel Park | 6,804 | 0.76% |
| 82 | Detroit | 257,998 | 0.75% |
| 83 | Coldwater | 4,458 | 0.74% |
| 84 | Cheboygan | 2,164 | 0.74% |
| 85 | Melvindale | 4,250 | 0.73% |
| 86 | Battle Creek | 21,128 | 0.73% |
| 87 | Grand Haven | 5,510 | 0.73% |
| 88 | Williamston | 1,794 | 0.72% |
| 89 | Wyoming | 29,417 | 0.72% |
| 90 | Milford | 2,627 | 0.72% |
| 91 | Southgate | 12,553 | 0.71% |
| 92 | Belding | 2,157 | 0.7% |
| 93 | Mount Pleasant | 7,872 | 0.69% |
| 94 | Iron River | 1,314 | 0.68% |
| 95 | Trenton | 7,888 | 0.68% |
| 96 | Utica | 2,489 | 0.68% |
| 97 | Portland | 1,611 | 0.68% |
| 98 | Warren | 54,744 | 0.66% |
| 99 | Wayland | 1,661 | 0.66% |
| 100 | Birmingham | 9,440 | 0.66% |