What percentage of people in the US have gender dysphoria?

1. What claimants said — short and sharp: researchers, advocates, and reporters disagree on one number

Multiple pieces presented as “the” percentage actually reflect different measurements: population surveys of self‑reported transgender identity yield figures around 0.5–1.3%, with prominent summaries often citing roughly 0.6% (≈1.4 million adults) as a convenient midpoint ^{[1] [5] [6]}. By contrast, clinic‑based diagnoses—records of people formally diagnosed with gender dysphoria—produce much lower counts: a Reuters analysis of health records found tens of thousands of diagnoses among children and teens over several years, not hundreds of thousands ^[3]. These two approaches measure different phenomena—identity versus clinical diagnosis—and conflating them leads to systematic overstatements or understatements depending on which data stream you cite ^{[7] [8]}.

2. The headline adult estimate — why 0.5–0.6% is often quoted

National survey estimates that ask about gender identity rather than medical diagnosis cluster around half a percent to slightly more than one percent, and multiple recent syntheses present ~0.6% of U.S. adults as a defensible single‑figure summary ^{[1] [5]}. These figures come from population‑based probability samples and meta‑regressions that weight multiple studies to project total counts. Surveys capture people who identify as transgender whether or not they have sought care or a diagnosis, so they are substantially higher than clinic referrals. Analysts caution that social desirability, evolving language, and changing cohort experiences all affect these survey responses, so the 0.6% number is best read as an approximate prevalence of identity, not a clinical caseload ^{[2] [8]}.

3. Young people changing the picture — rising proportions but different metrics

Data show increasing prevalence among adolescents and young adults, with self‑reported transgender identity rising more rapidly in younger cohorts: for example, one source documented a jump in identification among 18–24 year‑olds to several percentage points, and separate studies found higher reporting among teenagers than among older adults ^{[2] [1]}. Clinic diagnosis trends for children and teens show growing numbers too—Reuters reported roughly 42,000 children and teens diagnosed in 2021 and about 122,000 between 2017 and 2021—yet those counts represent a small fraction of the total youth population and do not equal prevalence of identity ^[3]. The key distinction is that youth increases are robust in identity surveys but smaller and more variable in medical diagnosis data.

4. Data quality problems and a retraction that matters

Not all published figures are equally reliable. Axios reported a high‑visibility dataset that was later retracted by the data provider, and reporters flagged that diagnosis‑based counts in that piece were therefore unreliable ^[4]. Researchers warn that clinic‑based reporting is sensitive to changes in coding, insurance claims, healthcare access, and provider practices, while survey estimates are sensitive to question wording and social climate. Both streams are useful but vulnerable to distinct biases, and the retraction episode underscores the need to check the provenance of headline numbers before using them in policy discussions ^{[4] [7]}.

5. Bottom line for readers and policymakers — what to use depending on your question

If you are asking how many people identify as transgender in the U.S., use population survey estimates: roughly 0.5–0.6% of adults currently, with higher percentages among younger cohorts ^{[1] [2]}. If you need the number who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria or received medical care, rely on clinical records—but expect substantially lower counts and greater year‑to‑year fluctuation ^{[3] [7]}. Both perspectives matter: identity prevalence informs social and demographic planning, while diagnosis and treatment counts inform healthcare capacity and clinical policy.