The Williams Institute at UCLA estimated that if 9,500 in-state same-sex
couples marry in Washington in the next three years, they will boost
the state’s economy by as much as $88 million and likely generate
$8 million in state and local tax revenues.
Extending marriage to same-sex couples in Illinois, starting June 1st 2014, would generate up
to $103 million in spending to the state and local economy. According to
the 2010 U.S. Census, 23,049 same-sex couples live in Illinois. Of
those couples, the report estimates that 50% (11,525 couples) would
choose to marry in the first three years, a pattern that has been
observed in Massachusetts and elsewhere. Of the couples that will
marry, 64% of those marriages will occur during the first year, 21% in
the second year and 15% in the third year.
In the first three years of extending marriage to same-sex couples,
the study estimates that the state’s wedding business would see an
increase by $74 million, and an increase of $29 million in tourism
expenditures made by out-of-town guests over the same period; total
state and local tax revenue would rise by $8.5 million, including an
estimated $1-2 million in local sales taxes. The first year would
produce $5.4 million of this spending; the boost in wedding spending
will generate approximately 281 jobs in the state.
California has seen a boost in demand of gay wedding services since the enactment of the same-sex marriage law four months ago.
“About 45, 50 percent of our business has been gay weddings in the last couple of months,” says wedding planner David Stern.
“I don’t know if it’ll stay that high,” he adds. “Maybe there was an
immediate rush after the law got overturned, but I think you’re going to
see it as an ongoing trend.”
New York City alone made $259 million from all festivities that the
8,200+ gay-marriage licenses spawned. That’s over three times what Brokeback Mountain grossed at the domestic box office. Gay pays.