While America has long imagined itself a solidly Christian nation, recent statistics reveal a far more complex and rapidly shifting religious landscape.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023-24, 62% of U.S. adults identify as Christians, down from 78% in 2007 according to Pew Research Center's Religious Landscape Study
- Protestants make up 40% of U.S. adults in 2023-24, a decline from 51% in 2007 per Pew
- Catholics comprise 19% of U.S. adults in 2023-24, down slightly from 23% in 2007 as reported by Pew Research
- Jewish Americans are 2% of U.S. adults in 2023-24 per Pew Research Center
- Muslims comprise 1% of U.S. population in 2023-24 according to Pew
- Buddhists are 1% of U.S. adults per Pew 2023-24
- 29% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated (nones) in 2023-24 per Pew Research Center
- Atheists are 4% of U.S. adults, agnostics 5%, nothing in particular 20% per Pew 2023-24
- Nones increased from 16% in 2007 to 29% in 2023-24 according to Pew
- 36% of U.S. adults attend religious services weekly or nearly weekly in 2023-24 per Pew, down from 39% in 2007
- 46% of Christians attend weekly per Pew 2023-24
- Evangelicals 58% weekly attendance per Pew
- 72% of U.S. adults believe in God in 2023-24 per Pew, down from 92% in 2007
- 80% of Christians absolutely certain God exists per Pew 2023-24
- 33% of Americans certain of heaven per Pew
Christian affiliation in the U.S. continues a long-term decline, now at about 62% of adults.
Beliefs and Social Attitudes
- 72% of U.S. adults believe in God in 2023-24 per Pew, down from 92% in 2007
- 80% of Christians absolutely certain God exists per Pew 2023-24
- 33% of Americans certain of heaven per Pew
- Bible literalism: 24% say word of God literally per Gallup 2022
- Evolution accepted by 37% per Pew 2023
- Abortion: 62% say should be legal in most cases per Gallup 2023
- Evangelicals 73% oppose legal abortion per Pew
- Nones 84% support legal abortion per PRRI 2023
- Same-sex marriage supported by 63% overall per Gallup 2023
- White evangelicals 26% support SSM per PRRI
- Religion importance: 45% say very important per Pew 2023-24
- PRRI 2023: 35% say religion very important
- Hell belief: 58% of Americans per Pew 2023-24
- Angels believed by 68% per Pew
- Satan real to 55% per Pew 2023-24
- Barna: Moral truth absolute 35% of adults
- Climate change: 62% believe human caused per Yale 2023 via Pew
- White evangelicals 28% see human caused climate change per PRRI
- Gender identity: 60% say society gone too far protecting trans rights per Pew 2023
- Religious groups divided on gender: Evangelicals 65% binary gender per Pew
Beliefs and Social Attitudes Interpretation
Americans are a complex choir of old-time religion and modern skepticism, where belief in angels and Satan comfortably coexists with growing doubts about God, shifting moral certainties, and deep partisan chasms over everything from heaven to climate change.
Christian Population Statistics
- In 2023-24, 62% of U.S. adults identify as Christians, down from 78% in 2007 according to Pew Research Center's Religious Landscape Study
- Protestants make up 40% of U.S. adults in 2023-24, a decline from 51% in 2007 per Pew
- Catholics comprise 19% of U.S. adults in 2023-24, down slightly from 23% in 2007 as reported by Pew Research
- Evangelical Protestants are 25% of the U.S. population in 2023-24 per Pew's analysis
- Mainline Protestants account for 14% of U.S. adults in 2023-24, decreased from 18% in 2007 according to Pew
- Historically Black Protestants represent 7% of U.S. adults in 2023-24 per Pew Research Center
- Mormons (LDS) are 1% of U.S. adults, stable from 2007 levels as per Pew 2023-24 study
- Orthodox Christians make up 1% of the U.S. population in 2023-24 according to Pew
- Jehovah's Witnesses comprise less than 1% of U.S. adults in 2023-24 per Pew Research
- Other Christians account for 3% of U.S. adults in 2023-24, up slightly from 2007 per Pew
- Gallup poll in 2023 shows 68% of U.S. adults identify as Christian
- PRRI's 2023 survey finds 64% of Americans identify as Christian
- Among white Americans, 59% are Christian per Pew 2023-24
- Black Americans are 79% Christian in 2023-24 according to Pew
- Hispanic Americans are 72% Christian per Pew 2023-24 data
- Asian Americans are 34% Christian in 2023-24 per Pew Research
- Southern Baptists number about 6% of U.S. adults per Pew 2023-24
- Methodists are 3% of U.S. population in 2023-24 according to Pew
- Lutherans comprise 2% per Pew 2023-24
- Presbyterians are 1% of U.S. adults in 2023-24 per Pew
- Episcopalians/Anglicans less than 1% per Pew 2023-24
- ARDA data shows 47 million Catholics in US in 2020
- Nondenominational Christians are 9% of U.S. adults per Pew 2023-24
- Pentecostals/Charismatics 5% per Pew 2023-24
- Churches of Christ 1% per Pew
- United Methodist Church membership declined 26% from 2010-2020 per ARDA
- Southern Baptist Convention baptized 247,000 in 2022, down from peaks per SBC reports via ARDA
- Gallup 2022: 20% of Americans Catholic
- PRRI 2020: White evangelical Protestants 14% of population
- Barna 2023: Born-again Christians 63% of U.S. adults
Christian Population Statistics Interpretation
The pews are thinning across nearly every Christian denomination, painting a clear picture of a nation that is, by the numbers, steadily decoupling from its historically dominant religious identity.
Non-Christian Religious Groups
- Jewish Americans are 2% of U.S. adults in 2023-24 per Pew Research Center
- Muslims comprise 1% of U.S. population in 2023-24 according to Pew
- Buddhists are 1% of U.S. adults per Pew 2023-24
- Hindus make up 1% of U.S. population in 2023-24 per Pew
- 28% of Asian Americans are Buddhist or Hindu per Pew 2023-24
- Other non-Christian faiths account for 2% of U.S. adults in 2023-24 according to Pew
- PRRI 2023: Muslims 1% of U.S. adults
- Gallup 2021: Jews 2% of Americans
- ARDA estimates 3.5 million Muslims in US in 2020
- Pew 2021 Jewish survey: 2.4% of U.S. adults Jewish
- Hindus number about 2.5 million in US per Pew 2023-24
- Buddhists approximately 3 million in US per Pew
- Unitarians less than 1% per Pew 2023-24
- Sikhs estimated at 0.2% or 500,000-700,000 per various sources via ARDA
- Bahá'í Faith adherents around 150,000-200,000 per ARDA
- Jains about 150,000 in US per ARDA estimates
- Native American religions less than 1% per Pew 2023-24
- Wiccans/Pagans 0.3% per ARDA 2020
- Scientologists fewer than 25,000 per ARDA
- PRRI 2022: Hindus 1% among under 30s
- Barna 2023: New Age believers 1% identify strictly
- Pew 2014: Muslims grew from 0.4% to 1% 2007-2014
- Jews 76% white per Pew 2021
- Muslims 24% black, 8% Hispanic per Pew 2023-24
Non-Christian Religious Groups Interpretation
Despite their small, single-digit percentages, America's rich tapestry of faiths weaves together tens of millions of distinct threads, proving that statistical influence often outweighs mere headcount.
Regional and Demographic Variations
- 56% Northeast Christian vs 79% South per Pew 2023-24
- West 52% Christian, highest nones 34% per Pew
- Midwest 65% Christian per Pew 2023-24
- Bible Belt states like Alabama 86% Christian per PRRI 2020
- California 63% Christian, 28% nones per PPIC 2023 via Pew
- New York 59% Christian per ARDA state data
- Rural areas 71% Christian vs urban 57% per Pew 2023-24
- Suburban 64% Christian per Pew
- Men 53% Christian, women 70% per Pew 2023-24
- Over 65: 73% Christian vs Gen Z 46% per Pew
- College grads 54% Christian vs 68% non-grads per Pew 2023-24
- Income $100k+ 59% Christian vs lower 66% per Pew
- Republicans 82% Christian per Pew 2023-24
- Democrats 47% Christian per Pew
- South 76% Christian highest region per Pew
- PRRI: Utah 69% Mormon/Christian specific
- Hawaii 63% non-Christian or none per ARDA
- Immigrants 59% Christian per Pew
- Military 70% Christian per VA data via ARDA
- Prisoners 51% Protestant per BJS 2020
- Hollywood/CA entertainment: lower religiosity per Barna
- Bible Belt attendance 40% weekly vs coasts 20% per Gallup
- Northeast lowest evangelical 13% per Pew
Regional and Demographic Variations Interpretation
The statistics paint a picture of a devout, church-going South and a more secular, diverse Northeast, while revealing that American Christianity increasingly wears a regional, gendered, and political nametag to its own reunion.
Religious Attendance and Practices
- 36% of U.S. adults attend religious services weekly or nearly weekly in 2023-24 per Pew, down from 39% in 2007
- 46% of Christians attend weekly per Pew 2023-24
- Evangelicals 58% weekly attendance per Pew
- Catholics 33% weekly per Pew 2023-24
- Historically Black Protestants 61% attend weekly per Pew
- Gallup 2023: 30% weekly attendance overall
- PRRI 2023: 25% attend monthly or more
- 63% of U.S. adults pray daily in 2023-24 per Pew
- Bible readers: 25% read daily per Pew
- Meditation practiced by 40% of Americans yearly per CDC via Pew
- Church membership 47% in 2023 per Gallup, first below majority
- ARDA: 150,000 religious congregations in US 2020
- Post-COVID, 20% attend less often per PRRI 2023
- Black Americans 50% weekly attendance per Pew
- Under 30s: 18% weekly attendance per Pew 2023-24
- 69% of evangelicals read Bible weekly per Barna
- GSS 2022: Attendance declined to 27% weekly
- Fasting practiced by 24% of Americans per Pew
- Online services: 20% attend exclusively online post-COVID per PRRI
- Mormons 67% weekly attendance highest per Pew
- Jews 26% attend services monthly per Pew 2021
- Muslims 43% attend weekly per Pew 2023-24
Religious Attendance and Practices Interpretation
While the spirit of prayer remains remarkably strong in personal practice, the collective American pew is steadily emptying, revealing a devout nation increasingly worshiping from a greater distance—both physically and generationally.
Religiously Unaffiliated
- 29% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated (nones) in 2023-24 per Pew Research Center
- Atheists are 4% of U.S. adults, agnostics 5%, nothing in particular 20% per Pew 2023-24
- Nones increased from 16% in 2007 to 29% in 2023-24 according to Pew
- Gallup 2023: 21% no religion
- PRRI 2023: 27% unaffiliated
- Among under 30s, 34% are nones per Pew 2023-24
- 41% of white nones per Pew demographics
- Black nones 20%, Hispanic 28%, Asian 28% per Pew 2023-24
- Barna 2023: 35% of Millennials no religion
- GSS 2022: 30% no religious preference
- Nones church attendance near 0%, but 20% pray daily per Pew
- Atheist/agnostic nones 28% believe in God per Pew 2023-24
- Nothing in particular nones 63% certain God exists per Pew
- ARDA: Unaffiliated congregations grew 30% 2010-2020
- 10% of nones raised Christian now unaffiliated per Pew
- Switching to unaffiliated 23% lifetime per Pew
- Gallup: Unaffiliated rose from 6% in 1990 to 21% in 2023
- PRRI: Nones highest among LGBTQ+ at 40%
- College grads 33% nones vs 25% non-grads per Pew
- Urban areas 32% nones per Pew 2023-24
- West region 34% nones highest per Pew
- Barna: Gen Z 42% no religion
- Pew: 52% of nones say religion does more harm than good
Religiously Unaffiliated Interpretation
America's religious landscape is becoming a ghost town with a vibrant black market, as nearly a third of adults now claim no affiliation, yet a surprising number still secretly pray and believe in God while loudly criticizing organized religion.