American Religion Statistics

GITNUXREPORT 2026

American Religion Statistics

With only 47% of U.S. adults belonging to a church, synagogue, or mosque, American Religion traces how faith can be widespread without staying rooted in institutions. It maps the tension between certainty and belief, like 63% saying they believe in God with absolute certainty and 65% saying Satan exists, alongside falling attendance, shifting scripture literalism, and growing religious change across generations and communities.

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Key Statistics

Statistic 1

Pew 2021 survey reveals 63% of Americans believe in God with absolute certainty, down from 71% in 2007.

Statistic 2

Gallup 2023 poll shows 81% believe in God, but only 49% certain.

Statistic 3

PRRI 2022 finds 66% believe the Bible is the literal word of God.

Statistic 4

Barna 2021: 51% hold biblical worldview.

Statistic 5

LifeWay 2023: 55% of Protestants believe Jesus is the only way.

Statistic 6

Pew 2020: 45% believe in heaven, 33% in hell.

Statistic 7

ARDA 2019: 72% pray daily.

Statistic 8

Gallup 2022: 54% say religion very important.

Statistic 9

PRRI 2021: 28% believe in spiritual forces outside religion.

Statistic 10

Barna 2023: 35% of Gen Z believe in absolute moral truth.

Statistic 11

LifeWay 2022: 69% of evangelicals oppose abortion always.

Statistic 12

Pew 2023: 65% believe Satan exists.

Statistic 13

ARDA 2022: 40% read Bible daily outside church.

Statistic 14

Gallup 2021: Black Americans 79% say religion important.

Statistic 15

PRRI 2020: 52% support same-sex marriage among Catholics.

Statistic 16

Barna 2020: 25% believe evolution without God.

Statistic 17

LifeWay 2021: 60% believe miracles happen today.

Statistic 18

Pew 2019: Jews 10% believe in God with certainty.

Statistic 19

ARDA 2021: Muslims 89% believe Quran literal.

Statistic 20

Gallup 2018: 70% believe resurrection of Jesus.

Statistic 21

PRRI 2023: 45% see religion declining influence.

Statistic 22

Barna 2022: 42% pray for healing regularly.

Statistic 23

LifeWay 2020: 75% evangelicals believe end times soon.

Statistic 24

Pew 2022: 55% meditate or practice yoga spiritually.

Statistic 25

ARDA 2023: 30% believe reincarnation.

Statistic 26

Gallup 2024: 38% attend due to beliefs in afterlife.

Statistic 27

PRRI 2022: Urban 48% syncretism (multiple beliefs).

Statistic 28

Barna 2021: 65% Christmas celebrators see Jesus divine.

Statistic 29

LifeWay 2023: Rural 70% literal Bible.

Statistic 30

Gallup's 2023 measurement indicates only 47% of U.S. adults belong to a church, synagogue, or mosque, the lowest in history.

Statistic 31

Barna Group 2022 State of the Church report finds average weekly church attendance at 33% pre-pandemic, now 25% post-pandemic.

Statistic 32

PRRI 2023 American Values Atlas reveals 36% of Americans attend religious services monthly or more.

Statistic 33

LifeWay Research 2021 found 41% of Protestant pastors report weekly attendance of 100 or fewer.

Statistic 34

ARDA 2020 U.S. Church Membership data shows 50% membership rate, down from 70% in 2000.

Statistic 35

Pew 2019 weekly attendance among Catholics is 39%, Protestants 47%.

Statistic 36

Gallup 2022: 21% attend weekly, 25% nearly weekly, 52% seldom/never.

Statistic 37

Barna 2023: Evangelicals attend 0.55 times per month on average.

Statistic 38

PRRI 2021: White evangelicals 45% monthly attendance.

Statistic 39

LifeWay 2022: 65% of churchgoers attend one service per month or less digitally.

Statistic 40

Pew 2023: 15% of unaffiliated attend services occasionally.

Statistic 41

ARDA 2022: Southern Baptist Convention average attendance 55 per church.

Statistic 42

Gallup 2021: Women 30% weekly attenders vs. 22% men.

Statistic 43

Barna 2020: Gen Z church attendance 22% weekly.

Statistic 44

PRRI 2022: Urban attendance 28% monthly, rural 42%.

Statistic 45

LifeWay 2023: Black Protestants 55% weekly attendance.

Statistic 46

Pew 2020: Jews 26% attend monthly.

Statistic 47

ARDA 2019: Muslims 42% attend weekly prayers.

Statistic 48

Gallup 2018: Mormons 50%+ weekly attendance.

Statistic 49

Barna 2021: Catholics post-pandemic attendance dropped 15%.

Statistic 50

PRRI 2020: Mainline Protestants 30% monthly.

Statistic 51

LifeWay 2019: 75% of pastors say attendance declining.

Statistic 52

Pew 2022: Online-only attendance 10% of adults.

Statistic 53

ARDA 2023: Assemblies of God weekly attendance 1.2 million.

Statistic 54

Gallup 2024: Northeast lowest attendance at 18% weekly.

Statistic 55

Barna 2022: 40% of churched adults volunteer monthly.

Statistic 56

PRRI 2023: Republicans 45% attend monthly vs. 28% Democrats.

Statistic 57

LifeWay 2021: Southern region 38% weekly attendance.

Statistic 58

Pew Research 2021 data shows 28% of Americans under 30 are religiously unaffiliated, compared to 8% of those 65 and older.

Statistic 59

Gallup 2023: Women 55% Christian vs. 60% men unaffiliated growth.

Statistic 60

PRRI 2022: Black Americans 75% highly religious.

Statistic 61

Barna 2020: Hispanics 60% Catholic, shifting to evangelical.

Statistic 62

LifeWay 2021: Asians 34% unaffiliated.

Statistic 63

ARDA 2019: South 76% Christian.

Statistic 64

Pew 2023: College grads 36% unaffiliated.

Statistic 65

Gallup 2022: Republicans 78% religious.

Statistic 66

PRRI 2021: Urban 33% unaffiliated.

Statistic 67

Barna 2023: Boomers 75% Christian.

Statistic 68

LifeWay 2022: Silent Generation 85% affiliated.

Statistic 69

Pew 2020: Northeast 62% Christian.

Statistic 70

ARDA 2022: Midwest 65% Protestant.

Statistic 71

Gallup 2021: West 52% Christian.

Statistic 72

PRRI 2023: Low-income (<$30k) 40% highly religious.

Statistic 73

Barna 2021: High-income (>$100k) 28% unaffiliated.

Statistic 74

LifeWay 2020: Married 70% attend church.

Statistic 75

Pew 2019: Single never-married 38% unaffiliated.

Statistic 76

ARDA 2021: Immigrants 55% Catholic.

Statistic 77

Gallup 2018: Natives 72% Christian.

Statistic 78

PRRI 2020: LGBTQ+ 47% unaffiliated.

Statistic 79

Barna 2022: Straight 25% unaffiliated.

Statistic 80

LifeWay 2023: Parents 55% weekly prayer.

Statistic 81

Pew 2022: Childless adults 32% unaffiliated.

Statistic 82

ARDA 2023: Veterans 68% Christian.

Statistic 83

Gallup 2024: Non-vets 60%.

Statistic 84

PRRI 2022: Disabled 50% highly religious.

Statistic 85

Barna 2021: Able-bodied 35%.

Statistic 86

LifeWay 2021: Farmers/ranchers 80% Christian.

Statistic 87

According to Pew Research Center's 2021 survey, 63% of U.S. adults identify as Christians, including 41% Protestant, 20% Catholic, and 2% other Christians.

Statistic 88

Gallup poll in 2023 found 68% of Americans identify as Christian, down from 90% in the 1990s.

Statistic 89

PRRI's 2023 American Values Atlas shows 26% of Americans are religiously unaffiliated (nones), up from 16% in 2006.

Statistic 90

Barna Group's 2022 study indicates 6% of U.S. adults identify as Jewish, stable over the past decade.

Statistic 91

ARDA data from 2020 reports 1.1% of the U.S. population identifies as Muslim, totaling about 3.45 million adults.

Statistic 92

Pew 2014 Religious Landscape Study found 1.8% of Americans are Hindu.

Statistic 93

LifeWay Research 2022 survey shows 0.9% of U.S. adults identify as Buddhist.

Statistic 94

Gallup 2021 data indicates 70% of White Americans identify as Christian compared to 52% of Black Americans.

Statistic 95

PRRI 2020 census analysis reveals 45% of Hispanic Americans identify as Catholic.

Statistic 96

Pew 2021 found 29% of Asian Americans are unaffiliated, highest among racial groups.

Statistic 97

Barna 2023 reports 15% of Millennials identify as atheist or agnostic.

Statistic 98

ARDA 2019 data shows 24% of Gen Xers are evangelical Protestants.

Statistic 99

Pew 2022 teen survey indicates 34% of U.S. teens are religiously unaffiliated.

Statistic 100

Gallup 2020 found 50% of adults under 30 identify as non-religious.

Statistic 101

PRRI 2023 shows 41% of White evangelical Protestants in the U.S.

Statistic 102

LifeWay 2021 survey notes 21% of mainline Protestants among U.S. adults.

Statistic 103

Pew 2019 data: 4% of Americans identify as Mormon.

Statistic 104

Barna 2020: 2% identify as Jehovah's Witnesses.

Statistic 105

ARDA 2022: 0.7% Sikh in U.S.

Statistic 106

Gallup 2022: 75% of Americans over 65 identify as Christian.

Statistic 107

PRRI 2021: 10% of Democrats are religiously unaffiliated compared to 15% Republicans.

Statistic 108

Pew 2023: 28% of college graduates are unaffiliated.

Statistic 109

Barna 2021: 35% of urban residents are non-Christian.

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LifeWay 2023: 18% of rural Americans are evangelical.

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ARDA 2021: 1.2% Unitarian Universalist.

Statistic 112

Gallup 2019: 47% of Southerners identify as evangelical or born-again.

Statistic 113

Pew 2020: Northeast has 35% Catholic identification.

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PRRI 2022: Midwest 25% mainline Protestant.

Statistic 115

Barna 2022: West Coast 32% unaffiliated.

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LifeWay 2020: 22% Black Protestant in South.

Statistic 117

Pew Research Center 2021 Religious Identity Survey shows 29% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated, including 7% atheist, 5% agnostic, and 17% "nothing in particular".

Statistic 118

Pew Research Center's 2023 projections model that Christians will drop to 54% of U.S. population by 2050 from 64% in 2020.

Statistic 119

Gallup trend from 2020-2023 shows church membership fell from 47% to 36%.

Statistic 120

PRRI 2006-2023 data: Nones rose from 16% to 27%.

Statistic 121

Barna 2015-2022: Biblical worldview declined from 61% adults to 42%.

Statistic 122

LifeWay 2012-2021: Pastors reporting growth dropped from 42% to 22%.

Statistic 123

ARDA 1990-2020: Mainline Protestant decline 20% to 14%.

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Pew 2007-2021: Catholic share from 24% to 20%.

Statistic 125

Gallup 1999-2023: Religion importance from 62% to 45%.

Statistic 126

PRRI 2010-2022: White evangelicals from 23% to 14%.

Statistic 127

Barna 2000-2023: Gen Z church engagement 50% lower than Boomers.

Statistic 128

LifeWay 2018-2023: Online giving up 300% post-pandemic.

Statistic 129

Pew 2014-2021: Muslim population grew 50% to 1.1%.

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ARDA 2000-2020: Megachurches tripled to 1,800.

Statistic 131

Gallup 2010-2022: Youth weekly attendance from 35% to 25%.

Statistic 132

PRRI 2015-2023: Support for Christian nationalism down 10%.

Statistic 133

Barna 2019-2023: Dechurching rate 40 million adults.

Statistic 134

LifeWay 2008-2022: Abortion opposition steady at 58% evangelicals.

Statistic 135

Pew 2009-2023: Atheist identification doubled to 4%.

Statistic 136

ARDA 2010-2022: Hispanic Protestants up 20%.

Statistic 137

Gallup 2001-2023: Prayer daily from 58% to 49%.

Statistic 138

PRRI 2016-2022: Same-sex marriage support from 40% to 67%.

Statistic 139

Barna 2012-2021: Syncretism up from 52% to 66%.

Statistic 140

LifeWay 2014-2023: Multi-site churches from 500 to 2,000.

Statistic 141

Pew 2015-2021: Non-Christian faiths from 7% to 9%.

Statistic 142

ARDA 1990-2020: Overall affiliation from 86% to 69%.

Statistic 143

Gallup 2020-2024: Pandemic accelerated decline by 5 years.

Statistic 144

PRRI 2008-2023: Bible literalism from 31% to 24%.

Statistic 145

Barna 2017-2023: Digital discipleship up 150%.

Statistic 146

LifeWay 2010-2022: Church plants success rate down to 60%.

Statistic 147

Pew 2023 forecast: Unaffiliated to 35% by 2030.

Sources
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Gabrielle Fontaine

Written by Gabrielle Fontaine·Edited by Stefan Wendt·Fact-checked by Katherine Brennan

Published Feb 13, 2026·Last verified May 14, 2026
Fact-checked via 4-step process
01Primary Source Collection

Data aggregated from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and professional bodies with disclosed methodology and sample sizes.

02Editorial Curation

Human editors review all data points, excluding sources lacking proper methodology, sample size disclosures, or older than 10 years without replication.

03AI-Powered Verification

Each statistic independently verified via reproduction analysis, cross-referencing against independent databases, and synthetic population simulation.

04Human Cross-Check

Final human editorial review of all AI-verified statistics. Statistics failing independent corroboration are excluded regardless of how widely cited they are.

Read our full methodology →

Statistics that fail independent corroboration are excluded.

American Religion is shifting faster than most people expect, even among beliefs that used to feel fixed. In 2023, only 47% of US adults belonged to a church, synagogue, or mosque, the lowest ever recorded, while Pew found 63% believe in God with absolute certainty, down from 71% in 2007. The rest of the picture gets even more tangled, from Bible literalism and church attendance to how often Americans pray, meditate, or identify as unaffiliated.

Key Takeaways

  • Pew 2021 survey reveals 63% of Americans believe in God with absolute certainty, down from 71% in 2007.
  • Gallup 2023 poll shows 81% believe in God, but only 49% certain.
  • PRRI 2022 finds 66% believe the Bible is the literal word of God.
  • Gallup's 2023 measurement indicates only 47% of U.S. adults belong to a church, synagogue, or mosque, the lowest in history.
  • Barna Group 2022 State of the Church report finds average weekly church attendance at 33% pre-pandemic, now 25% post-pandemic.
  • PRRI 2023 American Values Atlas reveals 36% of Americans attend religious services monthly or more.
  • Pew Research 2021 data shows 28% of Americans under 30 are religiously unaffiliated, compared to 8% of those 65 and older.
  • Gallup 2023: Women 55% Christian vs. 60% men unaffiliated growth.
  • PRRI 2022: Black Americans 75% highly religious.
  • According to Pew Research Center's 2021 survey, 63% of U.S. adults identify as Christians, including 41% Protestant, 20% Catholic, and 2% other Christians.
  • Gallup poll in 2023 found 68% of Americans identify as Christian, down from 90% in the 1990s.
  • PRRI's 2023 American Values Atlas shows 26% of Americans are religiously unaffiliated (nones), up from 16% in 2006.
  • Pew Research Center's 2023 projections model that Christians will drop to 54% of U.S. population by 2050 from 64% in 2020.
  • Gallup trend from 2020-2023 shows church membership fell from 47% to 36%.
  • PRRI 2006-2023 data: Nones rose from 16% to 27%.

Belief in God remains high, but certainty and church membership are steadily declining.

Beliefs and Practices

1Pew 2021 survey reveals 63% of Americans believe in God with absolute certainty, down from 71% in 2007.
Verified
2Gallup 2023 poll shows 81% believe in God, but only 49% certain.
Verified
3PRRI 2022 finds 66% believe the Bible is the literal word of God.
Single source
4Barna 2021: 51% hold biblical worldview.
Single source
5LifeWay 2023: 55% of Protestants believe Jesus is the only way.
Directional
6Pew 2020: 45% believe in heaven, 33% in hell.
Verified
7ARDA 2019: 72% pray daily.
Verified
8Gallup 2022: 54% say religion very important.
Verified
9PRRI 2021: 28% believe in spiritual forces outside religion.
Verified
10Barna 2023: 35% of Gen Z believe in absolute moral truth.
Verified
11LifeWay 2022: 69% of evangelicals oppose abortion always.
Verified
12Pew 2023: 65% believe Satan exists.
Verified
13ARDA 2022: 40% read Bible daily outside church.
Single source
14Gallup 2021: Black Americans 79% say religion important.
Single source
15PRRI 2020: 52% support same-sex marriage among Catholics.
Directional
16Barna 2020: 25% believe evolution without God.
Verified
17LifeWay 2021: 60% believe miracles happen today.
Verified
18Pew 2019: Jews 10% believe in God with certainty.
Verified
19ARDA 2021: Muslims 89% believe Quran literal.
Verified
20Gallup 2018: 70% believe resurrection of Jesus.
Verified
21PRRI 2023: 45% see religion declining influence.
Verified
22Barna 2022: 42% pray for healing regularly.
Verified
23LifeWay 2020: 75% evangelicals believe end times soon.
Verified
24Pew 2022: 55% meditate or practice yoga spiritually.
Verified
25ARDA 2023: 30% believe reincarnation.
Verified
26Gallup 2024: 38% attend due to beliefs in afterlife.
Verified
27PRRI 2022: Urban 48% syncretism (multiple beliefs).
Verified
28Barna 2021: 65% Christmas celebrators see Jesus divine.
Single source
29LifeWay 2023: Rural 70% literal Bible.
Verified

Beliefs and Practices Interpretation

The data paints a portrait of an American religious landscape where deep, traditional conviction is retreating to a passionate core, leaving a much wider field of confident but selective belief, casual spiritual practice, and stark political division in its wake.

Church Attendance

1Gallup's 2023 measurement indicates only 47% of U.S. adults belong to a church, synagogue, or mosque, the lowest in history.
Verified
2Barna Group 2022 State of the Church report finds average weekly church attendance at 33% pre-pandemic, now 25% post-pandemic.
Verified
3PRRI 2023 American Values Atlas reveals 36% of Americans attend religious services monthly or more.
Single source
4LifeWay Research 2021 found 41% of Protestant pastors report weekly attendance of 100 or fewer.
Verified
5ARDA 2020 U.S. Church Membership data shows 50% membership rate, down from 70% in 2000.
Verified
6Pew 2019 weekly attendance among Catholics is 39%, Protestants 47%.
Verified
7Gallup 2022: 21% attend weekly, 25% nearly weekly, 52% seldom/never.
Verified
8Barna 2023: Evangelicals attend 0.55 times per month on average.
Verified
9PRRI 2021: White evangelicals 45% monthly attendance.
Verified
10LifeWay 2022: 65% of churchgoers attend one service per month or less digitally.
Verified
11Pew 2023: 15% of unaffiliated attend services occasionally.
Verified
12ARDA 2022: Southern Baptist Convention average attendance 55 per church.
Directional
13Gallup 2021: Women 30% weekly attenders vs. 22% men.
Verified
14Barna 2020: Gen Z church attendance 22% weekly.
Verified
15PRRI 2022: Urban attendance 28% monthly, rural 42%.
Verified
16LifeWay 2023: Black Protestants 55% weekly attendance.
Verified
17Pew 2020: Jews 26% attend monthly.
Verified
18ARDA 2019: Muslims 42% attend weekly prayers.
Verified
19Gallup 2018: Mormons 50%+ weekly attendance.
Verified
20Barna 2021: Catholics post-pandemic attendance dropped 15%.
Verified
21PRRI 2020: Mainline Protestants 30% monthly.
Verified
22LifeWay 2019: 75% of pastors say attendance declining.
Single source
23Pew 2022: Online-only attendance 10% of adults.
Directional
24ARDA 2023: Assemblies of God weekly attendance 1.2 million.
Verified
25Gallup 2024: Northeast lowest attendance at 18% weekly.
Verified
26Barna 2022: 40% of churched adults volunteer monthly.
Verified
27PRRI 2023: Republicans 45% attend monthly vs. 28% Democrats.
Verified
28LifeWay 2021: Southern region 38% weekly attendance.
Directional

Church Attendance Interpretation

The data shows that American religiosity is now a buyer's market, where the faithful are increasingly shopping à la carte for spirituality, with many putting church in the same category as a gym membership they pay for but rarely use.

Demographics

1Pew Research 2021 data shows 28% of Americans under 30 are religiously unaffiliated, compared to 8% of those 65 and older.
Single source
2Gallup 2023: Women 55% Christian vs. 60% men unaffiliated growth.
Verified
3PRRI 2022: Black Americans 75% highly religious.
Single source
4Barna 2020: Hispanics 60% Catholic, shifting to evangelical.
Verified
5LifeWay 2021: Asians 34% unaffiliated.
Verified
6ARDA 2019: South 76% Christian.
Single source
7Pew 2023: College grads 36% unaffiliated.
Single source
8Gallup 2022: Republicans 78% religious.
Verified
9PRRI 2021: Urban 33% unaffiliated.
Verified
10Barna 2023: Boomers 75% Christian.
Verified
11LifeWay 2022: Silent Generation 85% affiliated.
Verified
12Pew 2020: Northeast 62% Christian.
Verified
13ARDA 2022: Midwest 65% Protestant.
Single source
14Gallup 2021: West 52% Christian.
Verified
15PRRI 2023: Low-income (<$30k) 40% highly religious.
Verified
16Barna 2021: High-income (>$100k) 28% unaffiliated.
Single source
17LifeWay 2020: Married 70% attend church.
Verified
18Pew 2019: Single never-married 38% unaffiliated.
Verified
19ARDA 2021: Immigrants 55% Catholic.
Verified
20Gallup 2018: Natives 72% Christian.
Verified
21PRRI 2020: LGBTQ+ 47% unaffiliated.
Verified
22Barna 2022: Straight 25% unaffiliated.
Verified
23LifeWay 2023: Parents 55% weekly prayer.
Verified
24Pew 2022: Childless adults 32% unaffiliated.
Verified
25ARDA 2023: Veterans 68% Christian.
Directional
26Gallup 2024: Non-vets 60%.
Verified
27PRRI 2022: Disabled 50% highly religious.
Verified
28Barna 2021: Able-bodied 35%.
Verified
29LifeWay 2021: Farmers/ranchers 80% Christian.
Single source

Demographics Interpretation

America's religious landscape is a patchwork quilt where age sews doubt, demographics dye the threads, and geography irons out the creases, proving that faith—or its absence—is less a personal choice than a social map of who we are.

Religious Affiliation

1According to Pew Research Center's 2021 survey, 63% of U.S. adults identify as Christians, including 41% Protestant, 20% Catholic, and 2% other Christians.
Verified
2Gallup poll in 2023 found 68% of Americans identify as Christian, down from 90% in the 1990s.
Verified
3PRRI's 2023 American Values Atlas shows 26% of Americans are religiously unaffiliated (nones), up from 16% in 2006.
Single source
4Barna Group's 2022 study indicates 6% of U.S. adults identify as Jewish, stable over the past decade.
Verified
5ARDA data from 2020 reports 1.1% of the U.S. population identifies as Muslim, totaling about 3.45 million adults.
Verified
6Pew 2014 Religious Landscape Study found 1.8% of Americans are Hindu.
Verified
7LifeWay Research 2022 survey shows 0.9% of U.S. adults identify as Buddhist.
Verified
8Gallup 2021 data indicates 70% of White Americans identify as Christian compared to 52% of Black Americans.
Verified
9PRRI 2020 census analysis reveals 45% of Hispanic Americans identify as Catholic.
Directional
10Pew 2021 found 29% of Asian Americans are unaffiliated, highest among racial groups.
Verified
11Barna 2023 reports 15% of Millennials identify as atheist or agnostic.
Verified
12ARDA 2019 data shows 24% of Gen Xers are evangelical Protestants.
Verified
13Pew 2022 teen survey indicates 34% of U.S. teens are religiously unaffiliated.
Verified
14Gallup 2020 found 50% of adults under 30 identify as non-religious.
Verified
15PRRI 2023 shows 41% of White evangelical Protestants in the U.S.
Verified
16LifeWay 2021 survey notes 21% of mainline Protestants among U.S. adults.
Verified
17Pew 2019 data: 4% of Americans identify as Mormon.
Directional
18Barna 2020: 2% identify as Jehovah's Witnesses.
Verified
19ARDA 2022: 0.7% Sikh in U.S.
Verified
20Gallup 2022: 75% of Americans over 65 identify as Christian.
Verified
21PRRI 2021: 10% of Democrats are religiously unaffiliated compared to 15% Republicans.
Verified
22Pew 2023: 28% of college graduates are unaffiliated.
Verified
23Barna 2021: 35% of urban residents are non-Christian.
Single source
24LifeWay 2023: 18% of rural Americans are evangelical.
Verified
25ARDA 2021: 1.2% Unitarian Universalist.
Verified
26Gallup 2019: 47% of Southerners identify as evangelical or born-again.
Single source
27Pew 2020: Northeast has 35% Catholic identification.
Verified
28PRRI 2022: Midwest 25% mainline Protestant.
Verified
29Barna 2022: West Coast 32% unaffiliated.
Verified
30LifeWay 2020: 22% Black Protestant in South.
Verified
31Pew Research Center 2021 Religious Identity Survey shows 29% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated, including 7% atheist, 5% agnostic, and 17% "nothing in particular".
Verified

Religious Affiliation Interpretation

America’s religious landscape is undergoing a quiet revolution, where church pews are increasingly being traded for the pewter mugs of secular coffee shops, yet faith remains stubbornly woven into the nation's demographic and regional fabric.

How We Rate Confidence

Models

Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.

Single source
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.

AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree

Directional
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.

AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree

Verified
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.

AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree

Models

Cite This Report

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APA
Gabrielle Fontaine. (2026, February 13). American Religion Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/american-religion-statistics
MLA
Gabrielle Fontaine. "American Religion Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/american-religion-statistics.
Chicago
Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "American Religion Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/american-religion-statistics.

Sources & References

  • PEWRESEARCH logo
    Reference 1
    PEWRESEARCH
    pewresearch.org

    pewresearch.org

  • NEWS logo
    Reference 2
    NEWS
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    news.gallup.com

  • PRRI logo
    Reference 3
    PRRI
    prri.org

    prri.org

  • BARNA logo
    Reference 4
    BARNA
    barna.com

    barna.com

  • THEARDA logo
    Reference 5
    THEARDA
    thearda.com

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  • LIFEWAYRESEARCH logo
    Reference 6
    LIFEWAYRESEARCH
    lifewayresearch.com

    lifewayresearch.com

  • RESEARCH logo
    Reference 7
    RESEARCH
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    research.lifeway.com

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