In 2023, 27.5 percent of Americans were unaffiliated with any religion. A further 13.4 percent of Americans were White evangelical Protestants, and an additional 13.3 percent were White mainline Protestants. Religious trends in the United States Although the United States is still home to the largest number of Christians worldwide, the nation has started to reflect a more diverse religious landscape in recent years. Americans now report a wide range of religious beliefs and backgrounds, in addition to an increasing number of people who are choosing to identify with no religion at all. Studies suggest that many Americans have left their previous religion to instead identify as atheist, agnostic, or nothing in particular, with many reasoning that they stopped believing in the religion's teachings, that they didn't approve of negative teachings or treatment of LGBTQ+ people, or that their family was never that religious growing up. Christian controversies Over the last few years, controversies linked to Christian denominations have plagued the nation, including reports of child sexual abuse by the Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Southern Baptist Convention. Christian churches have also been accused of supporting discriminatory actions against LGBTQ+ people and people belonging to other religious groups. In addition, there have been increasing concerns about Christian nationalism, the political ideology that asserts that America was founded to be a Christian nation. Although the majority of Americans still think that declaring the United States a Christian nation would go against the U.S. Constitution, studies found that most Republicans would be in favor of this change.
In 2023, about 33 percent of Americans were Protestants, down from 69 percent in 1948. In that same year, about 22 percent of Americans were Catholic, while 22 percent said that they had no religion at all.
The statistic shows the religious affiliation of the population in the United States in 2017, by age. In 2017, about 38 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 years old were unaffiliated with any religious belief.
This statistic shows the share of adults in the United States affiliated to a religious denomination in January 2017, by race/ethnicity. As of January 2017, 15 percent of Asian or Pacific Islanders in the United States identified themselves as Hindu.
This statistic shows the sources of congregational income of churches in the United States in 2008, by faith tradition. As of 2008, trust funds, investments, bequets were the source of about 48 percent of Mainline Protestant churches in the United States.
Belief in God has historically been a persistent aspect of American society, with 96 percent of surveyed Americans saying that they believed in God in 1944. However, the share of Americans who believed in God has decreased steadily over time after reaching a peak of 98 percent in the 1950s and 60s. As of 2022, the share of Americans who believed in God had fallen to 81 percent. Religious participation and practice There has been a significant reduction in participation within religious organizations in the United States, with Americans found less likely to attend church or become members of a church. While 70 percent of Americans belonged to a church, synagogue, mosque, or temple in 1999, this number dropped to 47 percent by 2021. This decline in church membership may have contributed to Americans’ waning belief in God, as continuous religious practice has been attributed to greater faith and religious conviction. 74 percent of Americans who attended religious services weekly believed that God hears prayers and intervenes, in comparison to 28 percent of Americans who seldom or never attended religious services. Younger Americans less likely to believe While most U.S. adults still believe in God, younger Americans are less likely to share this belief. Older generations of Americans were more likely to participate in religious services while growing up, with 68 percent of the Silent Generation reporting that they attended Sunday school or another religious education program, while Generation Z were more likely to have lacked any sort of religious upbringing in the United States. In 2021, 15 percent of Gen Z said that they had never been religious.
This statistic shows the gender distribution of religious groups in the United States, as of January 2017, by faith tradition. In January 2017, about 48 percent of Jews in the United States were men.
This statistic shows the median donation per worshipper of churches in the United States in 2008, by faith tradition. As of 2008, the median donation per worshipper of Mainline Protestant churches was at 1,627 U.S. dollars per year.
According to a survey conducted in 2023, 74 percent of all U.S. adults said that they believed in God while 25 percent of Americans who identified with no religion shared this belief. In comparison, 94 percent of Americans who were Protestant or other Christian and 85 percent of Americans who were Catholic also said that they believed in God in that year.
This statistic shows the giving levels across congregations in the United States in 2008, by faith tradition. As of 2008, about 11 percent of Catholic adherents give 10 percent or more of their net income regularly to church.
From 2010 to 2023, Democrats were found much more likely than Republicans to identify with no religion in the United States. In 2023, 33 percent of Democrats said that they identified with no religion compared to 12 percent of Republicans.
This statistic shows the educational attainment of religious groups in the United States as of January 2017, by faith tradition. In 2017, about 38 percent of Hindu believers in the United States had a post-graduate degree.
This statistic shows the percentage of church income by individual donations in the United States in 2008, by faith tradition. As of 2008, individual donations make up for about 97 percent of income of Conservative Protestant churches in the United States.
This statistic shows the distribution of political party affiliations among religious groups in the United States, in 2016, by faith tradition. In 2016, about 44 percent of Mormon in the United States affiliated themselves with the Republican Party.
This statistic shows the results of a survey among Americans on their religiosity in 2017, by state. In Mississippi, about 59 percent of respondents stated they were "very religious", 29 percent defined themselves as "moderately religious" and 12 percent said they were "nonreligious".
According to a survey conducted in 2022, the most highly favored belief system in the United States was Christianity, with 32 percent of Americans having a very favorable opinion of this religion. In comparison, Satanism was viewed the least favorably, with 50 percent of Americans having a very unfavorable opinion of this religion.
From 2021 to 2023, Republicans were found much more likely than Democrats to be Protestants in the United States, with 56 percent of surveyed Republicans identifying as Protestants compared to 38 percent of Democrats. However, Democrats were found more likely than Republicans to identify with no religion, with 26 percent of Democrats saying that they have no religious identity compared to 11 percent of Republicans.
The 119th U.S. Congress, sworn in January 2025. There are 535 total members of Congress. This session of Congress consisted of 295 Protestant members, as well as 150 Catholic members. The number of Protestant members has declined since the 87th Congress, when 398 members were Protestant.
This statistic shows the age distribution of religious groups in the United States n 2016, by faith tradition. In 2016, about 42 percent of Muslims in the United States were aged between 18 and 29 years old. .
The statistic shows the religious affiliation of the population in the United States in 2007. In 2007, 51.3 percent of the U.S. population were estimated to be Protestants.
In 2023, 27.5 percent of Americans were unaffiliated with any religion. A further 13.4 percent of Americans were White evangelical Protestants, and an additional 13.3 percent were White mainline Protestants. Religious trends in the United States Although the United States is still home to the largest number of Christians worldwide, the nation has started to reflect a more diverse religious landscape in recent years. Americans now report a wide range of religious beliefs and backgrounds, in addition to an increasing number of people who are choosing to identify with no religion at all. Studies suggest that many Americans have left their previous religion to instead identify as atheist, agnostic, or nothing in particular, with many reasoning that they stopped believing in the religion's teachings, that they didn't approve of negative teachings or treatment of LGBTQ+ people, or that their family was never that religious growing up. Christian controversies Over the last few years, controversies linked to Christian denominations have plagued the nation, including reports of child sexual abuse by the Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Southern Baptist Convention. Christian churches have also been accused of supporting discriminatory actions against LGBTQ+ people and people belonging to other religious groups. In addition, there have been increasing concerns about Christian nationalism, the political ideology that asserts that America was founded to be a Christian nation. Although the majority of Americans still think that declaring the United States a Christian nation would go against the U.S. Constitution, studies found that most Republicans would be in favor of this change.