While America has long imagined itself a Christian nation, a dramatic religious transformation is underway, as the share of U.S. adults who identify as Christian has plummeted from 78% in 2007 to just 63% today, with the religiously unaffiliated now comprising a staggering 28% of the population.
Key Takeaways
- As of 2023, 63% of U.S. adults identify as Christian, down from 78% in 2007 according to Pew Research
- 28% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated ("nones") in 2023, up from 16% in 2007 per Pew
- Protestants make up 40% of U.S. adults in 2023, including 14% evangelical, 14% mainline, 11% historically Black per Pew
- 21% of U.S. adults attend religious services weekly or nearly weekly per Gallup 2023
- 32% attend monthly or less, 47% seldom/never per Gallup 2023 poll
- Church membership fell to 47% in 2020 from 70% in 1999 per Gallup
- 81% of Americans believe in God per 2022 Pew survey
- 58% believe God is involved in daily life per Pew 2022
- 33% believe in God as described in the Bible per Pew 2022
- 77% of Americans aged 65+ say religion important vs. 49% under 30 per Pew 2021
- 83% of Black Americans say religion very important per Pew 2021
- 72% of Hispanic Americans per Pew 2021 religious importance
- Christians dropped from 78% in 2007 to 63% in 2021 per Pew
- Nones rose from 16% in 2007 to 29% in 2021 per Pew RLS
- Mainline Protestants from 18% to 14% 2007-2021 per Pew
Christianity is declining while religiously unaffiliated Americans are rapidly growing.
Beliefs and Doctrines
181% of Americans believe in God per 2022 Pew survey
Verified258% believe God is involved in daily life per Pew 2022
Verified333% believe in God as described in the Bible per Pew 2022
Verified469% believe in heaven per 2023 Gallup
Directional559% believe in hell per Gallup 2023 poll
Single source656% believe Jesus is God incarnate per Pew 2022
Verified746% believe Bible is literal word of God per Gallup 2022
Verified826% view Bible as ancient fables per Gallup 2022
Verified972% of evangelicals affirm biblical inerrancy per Barna 2023
Directional1039% believe in Satan as real entity per PRRI 2021
Single source1141% believe in spiritual energy in objects per Pew 2021
Verified1231% believe in reincarnation per Pew 2021 afterlife survey
Verified1365% believe in angels per 2021 PRRI
Verified1429% of Americans are biblical literalists per Barna 2023
Directional1555% believe miracles still occur today per Pew 2022
Single source1680% of Black Protestants believe Bible is word of God per Pew 2021
Verified1723% of nones believe in God per Pew 2023
Verified1845% believe human evolution without God per Pew 2022
Verified1934% reject evolution entirely per Pew 2022 science views
Directional2062% believe prayer changes outcomes per Barna 2023
Single source2167% of White evangelicals say religion very important per Pew 2021
VerifiedBeliefs and Doctrines Interpretation
The data suggests that while a vast majority of Americans are negotiating with a higher power, the terms of that contract—from the nature of divinity to the literalness of scripture—are under constant and often contradictory revision by the faithful.
Demographic Breakdowns
177% of Americans aged 65+ say religion important vs. 49% under 30 per Pew 2021
Verified283% of Black Americans say religion very important per Pew 2021
Verified372% of Hispanic Americans per Pew 2021 religious importance
Verified449% of White Americans say religion important per Pew 2021
Directional5Women are 54% more likely to attend services than men per Gallup 2023
Single source6College graduates 31% unaffiliated vs. 23% non-grads per PRRI 2021
Verified7Urban residents 35% nones vs. 24% rural per Pew 2021
Verified8South has 76% Christians vs. 52% Northeast per Pew 2021
Verified9Utah 69% Mormon per PRRI 2021 state data
Directional10Mississippi 86% Christian per Pew regional
Single source1139% of Gen Z identify as nones per Barna 2022
Verified12Baby Boomers 20% nones vs. Silent Gen 9% per Pew 2021
Verified13Immigrants 25% non-Christian vs. 5% natives per Pew 2021
Verified14Republicans 81% Christian vs. 54% Democrats per PRRI 2021
Directional15Low-income (<$30k) 37% say religion important vs. 45% high-income per Pew
Single source16LGBT adults 42% nones per PRRI 2021
Verified1755% of veterans religious vs. 48% civilians per VA study 2022
Verified18Farmers 65% attend weekly vs. 20% tech workers per Gallup
Verified19Northeast lowest church membership 35% per Gallup 2020
Directional20Pacific states 34% nones highest per Pew 2021
Single sourceDemographic Breakdowns Interpretation
While religion in America appears to be graying in the pews, flourishing in the South, and holding strong among Black and Hispanic communities, its future is being reshaped by a younger, more diverse, urban, and educated generation whose spiritual landscape is far less conventionally mapped.
Historical Trends
1Christians dropped from 78% in 2007 to 63% in 2021 per Pew
Verified2Nones rose from 16% in 2007 to 29% in 2021 per Pew RLS
Verified3Mainline Protestants from 18% to 14% 2007-2021 per Pew
Verified4Catholic share stable 23% to 20% 2007-2021 Pew data
Directional5Evangelicals steady 25% over decade per PRRI 2021
Single source6Church attendance weekly from 42% in 2000 to 34% 2018 Gallup
Verified7Importance of religion from 70% in 1965 to 53% 2023 Gallup
Verified8Biblical literalism from 65% in 1960s to 20% 2022 Gallup
Verified9Unaffiliated youth from 15% in 1976 to 40% 2021 PRRI
Directional10Non-Christian growth from 4% 2007 to 7% 2021 Pew
Single source11Projections: Christians 54% by 2050, nones 35% per Pew 2023 model
Verified12Decline accelerated post-2010 at 1-2% per year per Pew
Verified13White Christians from 54% 2006 to 44% 2020 PRRI
Verified14Switching faiths: 34% adults changed religion per Pew 2015
Directional15Nones retention 78% vs. Christians 64% per Pew 2014
Single source16Mainline decline 5% per decade since 1990 per ARDA
Verified17Attendance post-COVID down 10% from 2019 per Barna 2023
Verified18Belief in God from 98% 1950s to 81% 2022 Gallup
Verified19Prayer daily stable around 55% over 20 years Pew
Directional2050 million fewer Christians since 2007 per Pew estimates
Single sourceHistorical Trends Interpretation
While American Christianity appears to be quietly retiring into a more devoted core, its former pews are being enthusiastically repurposed for spiritual DIY and long naps on Sunday mornings.
Religious Affiliation
1As of 2023, 63% of U.S. adults identify as Christian, down from 78% in 2007 according to Pew Research
Verified228% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated ("nones") in 2023, up from 16% in 2007 per Pew
Verified3Protestants make up 40% of U.S. adults in 2023, including 14% evangelical, 14% mainline, 11% historically Black per Pew
Verified4Catholics comprise 19% of U.S. adults as of 2023 Pew survey data
Directional5Jews represent 2% of U.S. adults, Muslims 1%, Buddhists 1%, Hindus 1% in 2023 Pew findings
Single source6Mormons (LDS) account for 1% of U.S. population per 2023 Pew Religious Landscape Study update
Verified7Orthodox Christians are 0.5% of U.S. adults according to 2021 PRRI data
Verified8Jehovah's Witnesses make up 0.8% of U.S. adults per 2021 PRRI Census of American Religion
Verified9Unitarians and other liberal faiths are 0.3% per PRRI 2021
Directional10Native American religions represent 0.2% of U.S. adults in PRRI 2021 survey
Single source1170% of White Americans identify as Christian per 2022 Gallup poll
Verified1245% of Black Americans are Protestant per Gallup 2022
Verified1333% of Hispanic Americans are Catholic per 2022 Gallup data
Verified1447% of Asian Americans are unaffiliated per Pew 2021
Directional1565% of adults over 65 identify as Christian vs. 46% under 30 per Pew 2021
Single source16Evangelicals are 25% of U.S. adults per 2023 Lifeway Research
Verified17Mainline Protestants declined to 14% in 2020 per PRRI
Verified18Historically Black Protestants stable at 7% per Pew 2021
Verified19Non-Christian faiths total 6% per Pew 2023 model
Directional20Atheists are 4% of U.S. adults, agnostics 5% per Pew 2021
Single source21Nothing in particular (nones) are 19% per 2023 Pew
Verified22Southern Baptists are 5.3% of U.S. population per 2020 US Religion Census
Verified23Non-denominational Christians are 6-9% per ARDA 2020
Verified24Assemblies of God Pentecostal group is 1.2% per US Religion Census 2020
Directional25Episcopal Church members 0.6% per ARDA data
Single source26Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod 0.9% per 2020 census
Verified27Presbyterian Church (USA) 0.7% per ARDA
Verified28United Methodist Church 2.1% per US Religion Census 2020
VerifiedReligious Affiliation Interpretation
While the pews may be emptying, America's religious landscape is not so much a grand cathedral crumbling as it is a busy marketplace where the Christian majority is becoming a less-crowded booth, the "none" section is having a banner year, and countless other faiths are operating vibrant, if smaller, stalls.
Religious Attendance and Practices
121% of U.S. adults attend religious services weekly or nearly weekly per Gallup 2023
Verified232% attend monthly or less, 47% seldom/never per Gallup 2023 poll
Verified3Church membership fell to 47% in 2020 from 70% in 1999 per Gallup
Verified436% of Protestants attend weekly vs. 33% Catholics per Pew 2019
Directional5Evangelicals attend at 58% weekly rate per 2021 Barna Group
Single source625% of Catholics attend Mass weekly per CARA 2022
Verified7Prayer daily by 55% of Americans per 2022 Pew
Verified8Bible reading weekly by 39% per Barna 2023 State of the Bible
Verified949% of Black Protestants attend weekly per Pew 2021
Directional1020% of religiously unaffiliated attend services occasionally per Pew 2021
Single source11Volunteering at church by 28% of weekly attenders per 2023 Lifeway
Verified12Tithing or giving 10% by 12% of Christians per Barna 2022
Verified13Meditation or spiritual practices by 42% nones per Pew 2021
Verified14Home worship increased to 33% during COVID per PRRI 2021
Directional15Online services attended by 25% regularly post-COVID per Barna 2022
Single source16Small group participation by 20% of churchgoers per Lifeway 2023
Verified17Fasting practiced by 24% of evangelicals annually per Barna
Verified1875% of weekly attenders feel closer to God per Gallup 2023
Verified19Youth group attendance by 40% of teens per Barna 2022
Directional20Holiday service attendance spikes to 50% at Christmas per Lifeway
Single sourceReligious Attendance and Practices Interpretation
While the American religious landscape is certainly not a ghost town, the latest statistics paint a picture of a devout but shrinking core of weekly congregants, a growing population of spiritual freelancers, and a general trend where private belief increasingly outpaces public practice.
Sources & References
- Reference 1PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 2PRRIprri.orgVisit source
- Reference 3NEWSnews.gallup.comVisit source
- Reference 4LIFEWAYRESEARCHlifewayresearch.comVisit source
- Reference 5USRELIGIONCENSUSusreligioncensus.orgVisit source
- Reference 6THEARDAthearda.comVisit source
- Reference 7BARNAbarna.comVisit source
- Reference 8CARAcara.georgetown.eduVisit source
- Reference 9VAva.govVisit source