Pricing Out Marriage
Who says you can’t put a price tag on marriage equality? Not the Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, a think tank at the UCLA School of Law that studies the economic impact of same-sex marriage and other public policy issues of importance to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.
Consider these findings from two recent studies.
Number of married, same-sex couples living in Massachusetts (as of September 2008):
12,167
Average cost of a same-sex wedding:
$7,400
Average number of out-of-state guests attending a same-sex wedding:
16
Approximate increase in state room- occupancy-tax revenue per same-sex marriage:
$1,600
Approximate total economic boost to the state economy from same-sex marriage:
$111 million
Increased likelihood that young, highly educated same-sex couples would move to Massachusetts after legalization of gay marriage:
2.5 times
The studies, Marriage Equality and the Creative Class and The Business Boost from Marriage Equality, were released in mid-May on the eve of the fifth anniversary of same-sex marriages in Massachusetts.
