US States Where People Are Questioning Their Sexuality the Most
According to a January 2026 report on sexual identities in America, Vermont residents look up "Am I gay?" and similar questions most often in the country. The study by the adult toy shop Babeland examined all 50 states based on Google Trends data to find where residents explore their sexuality more frequently.
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Nearly one in ten residents in Vermont questions their sexuality and searches for information about being gay, bi, or any other sexual identity, the highest rate in the country.
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People in Utah are more bi-curious than most other Americans, looking up "Am I bi?" and bisexuality signs about 28K times each month.
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Oregon residents often look up tips for coming out, with over 5K people seeking advice on how to share their identity with others.
The research tracked how often people Google common phrases related to questioning their sexuality. This includes searches like "Am I gay?", "bisexual signs", "lesbian signs", and others. To compare states fairly, the study counted searches per 100K residents. This way, smaller states don't get overlooked because they have fewer people overall. The rankings show in which states people explore their sexual orientation at higher rates.
Here's a look at the top 10 states where people are most curious about their sexuality:
|
State |
Monthly Gay Questioning Searches |
Monthly Bisexual Questioning Searches |
Total Asexual Questioning Searches |
Monthly Lesbian Questioning Searches |
Monthly searches of "How to come out?" |
Total sexuality self-discovery searches |
LGBT adult population |
Searches per 100k ppl |
|
Vermont |
29,700 |
10,200 |
3,100 |
6,600 |
1,600 |
55,200 |
7.4% |
8,515 |
|
North Dakota |
36,000 |
9,900 |
2,600 |
6,600 |
2,300 |
62,300 |
4.9% |
7,748 |
|
Utah |
166,900 |
32,400 |
9,400 |
28,200 |
5,400 |
256,800 |
6.1% |
7,205 |
|
Wyoming |
23,300 |
7,700 |
2,000 |
3,600 |
1,600 |
41,000 |
5.9% |
6,947 |
|
Maine |
55,000 |
16,500 |
4,100 |
12,100 |
2,900 |
96,700 |
6.8% |
6,856 |
|
New Hampshire |
53,500 |
15,600 |
3,600 |
14,200 |
2,500 |
95,900 |
7.2% |
6,773 |
|
Rhode Island |
43,000 |
13,600 |
2,200 |
7,500 |
1,800 |
49,300 |
6.5% |
6,629 |
|
Alaska |
25,200 |
8,700 |
3,300 |
6,700 |
2,500 |
73,500 |
5.9% |
6,556 |
|
Delaware |
37,200 |
11,500 |
4,300 |
8,700 |
2,100 |
68,300 |
7.5% |
6,399 |
|
Oregon |
165,400 |
28,500 |
10,300 |
31,100 |
5,100 |
258,000 |
7.8% |
6,012 |
You can access the complete research findings here.
1. Vermont
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Total monthly sexuality questioning searches: 55.2K
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Searches per 100,000 people: 8,515
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LGBT adult population: 7.4%
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Most common search category: Gay-related questions (29.7K monthly searches)
Vermont residents question their sexuality most often in America. About 1 in 10 residents here look up information about sexual identity each month, which is roughly 20% more than in typical states. Gay-related questions are most common, with people searching things like "Am I gay?" about 30K times monthly. Beyond that, there are many trying to find out more about bisexual and lesbian identities, looking into these topics over 16K times. Vermont is also among the states where people feel most comfortable coming out, with 7.4% of residents identifying as LGBTQ+.
2. North Dakota
North Dakota comes in second, with about 1 in 13 residents looking up questions about their sexuality each month. Unlike Vermont, North Dakota has far fewer openly LGBT adults at 4.9%. But with 36K people searching about what the signs of being gay are, many here could be in the self-discovery phase. There’s also a lot of personal questioning around bisexuality, with 10K people looking for signs that they’re bi, and over 6K more wondering whether they might be a lesbian.
3. Utah
Next on the list is Utah. People here look up sexual identity-related information more than 250K times a month, a much higher rate compared to neighboring Nevada. The most frequently Googled question here is “Am I gay?”, which is asked by over 80K people monthly. This is followed by inquiries about how to figure out if you are bisexual or a lesbian, with both topics getting around 15K lookups. Overall, like those in Vermont, Utahns feel more comfortable about openly sharing their queer identity, as the state’s LGBTQ+ population sits at 6.1%.
4. Wyoming
Wyoming takes fourth place, with about 1 in every 14 residents trying to figure out their sexuality. Like in other states, most people here are asking questions about the signs of being gay, looking up such topics over 20K times each month. About 8K people also question whether they are attracted to different genders, while 2K Wyomingians are curious to see if they might actually be asexual.
5. Maine
Maine comes in fifth, with residents searching about their sexuality roughly 100K times each month. That's about 1 in 15 people looking this up. Gay-related questions get asked most often here (55K), but bisexual identity is explored often too, with more than 16K looking into these topics monthly. Beyond the typical questions, almost 3K people turn to the Internet to find tips on how to come out. This means that despite Maine's high LGBT population at 6.8%, there are still many people preparing to share their orientation with others.
Lisa Finn, sex expert at Babeland, commented on the study:
"The latest polls show about 10% of Americans now identify as LGBTQ+, which is a record high. But this doesn't mean there are suddenly more queer people - it means more people feel safe sharing their identity openly. The internet has played a huge role in this, since people can explore these questions anonymously, read about others' experiences, and figure out their identity without some of the fears they might have felt before. What used to be taboo is now something millions of people discuss and search for online every month, and that openness helps others feel they're not alone."
