Experian Marketing Services has released a new report [download page] on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) Americans, analyzing among other aspects their annual income and spending. The report shows that household discretionary spend among gay men trails their heterosexual counterparts ($15,100 vs. $17,400), and the same is the case with lesbian women ($15,000 vs. $16,000). However, on a per capita basis, discretionary spend is higher among gay men ($6,794) than heterosexual men ($6,041). The opposite is true for lesbian women, whose per-capita discretionary spend trails heterosexual women by a sizable amount ($4,764 vs. $5,751).
When it comes to income levels, gay men tend to be fairly on par with heterosexual men. Individually, they earn $800 more annually on average ($60,800 vs. $60,000), although their average household income is $800 less ($94,200 vs. $95,000).
The reverse is true for women. Lesbian women earn $1,700 less on average individually than heterosexual women ($38,300 vs. $42,000), but lesbian households earn a significant $8,300 more on average ($94,100 vs. $85,800).
So where to reach LGBT consumers? Noting that they were early adopters of the internet, the study reveals that their top 5 non-LGBT-focused entertainment sites are:
- YouTube;
- NetFlix;
- HappyPlace.com;
- Hulu; and
- IMDB.
Their top social networking sites? Those are listed as:
- Facebook;
- Twitter;
- Tumblr;
- Reddit; and
- LinkedIn.
Overall, 4.3% non-Hispanic American adults identified as member of the LGBT community last year, up from 3.4% in 2006. 36% are aged 18-34, and another 24% are aged 35-49.
