Population and Social Characteristics
These States Have The Most People Attending Church
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When you consider that religion has a staple presence in America, it won’t be surprising to learn that plenty of people regularly attend Church. According to a US Census Bureau 2024 Household Pulse Survey, there are multiple states where at least one-quarter of the population attends monthly. While this isn’t universally true, as some states have low religious turnout, the data published by Overflow Data can be examined in detail to see which states are home to these regular Churchgoers.
In Iowa, the Presbyterian Church dominates much of the state, with over 290 congregations and 51,000 members. It is followed by the Reformed Church in America, which has 80 congregations of its own. Over 74% of the state’s population claim to have at least some religious affiliation.
According to a 2022 survey from PRRI, 67% of West Virginia’s population was said to be devoutly religious. Only 16% of the state’s population claimed no religious affiliation, while most of those who did were of Protestant, Catholic, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Mormon affiliation.
In a deeply Protestant state, only 3% of North Dakota residents claim to have no religious affiliation at all. Instead, Protestant denominations make up much of the state’s churchgoing population, followed by Lutherans and Methodists.
Historically considered part of the US Bible Belt, a 2023 survey from PRRI indicated that 55% of Virginia’s residents rarely or never attend religious services. However, of those who are more religious, 25% attend at least once per month.
More than 80% of Missouri residents consider themselves religious, including at least 77% of the state’s religious group that identifies as Christian. Protestants and Catholics make up the bulk of the state’s religious affiliation.
Nebraska broadly considers itself very religious, with 73% of its population identifying as Christian. According to Pew Research, 39% of the state’s most religious residents attend church at least once weekly.
A 2020 study indicated that 74% of Kansas’s population identify as Christian, including many Protestants, who comprise much of the state’s once-monthly churchgoing presence. There have been multiple attempts by religious scholars to bring Kansas into the so-called Bible Belt “map” as a devoutly religious state.
With a large number of Presbyterian churchgoers and the National Baptist Convention, 77% of the state of Georgia identifies itself as religious, including Protestants. The other 23% of the state identified themselves as non-religious.
Home to the largest Southern Baptist Convention affiliation in the country, North Carolina is also home to members of the Roman Catholic Church and the United Methodist Church.
As Spanish Catholic and American Protestant missionaries played a role in the state’s founding, it’s unsurprising that 75.5% of the state’s population still heavily identifies as part of the Christian faith.
One of the states best associated with the Bible Belt, Oklahoma is famous for its political and social conservative views. Tulsa, Oklahoma’s capital city, is known as the “buckle of the Bible Belt.”
Approximately 76% of Kentucky adults identify as Christians, with the majority being Evangelical Protestants. However, Southern Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians contribute to this once-monthly figure.
Idaho has a heavy religious presence, with the Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At least 72% of the state’s religious population describes themselves as of the Christian faith.
According to Pew Research, at least 73% of the adult population in South Dakota is of Christian affiliation. Just under 30% regularly attend church at least once a month.
With more than 74% of the state’s residents Christian, South Carolina has a heavy religious affiliation. Its biggest groups are Southern Baptist, United Methodist, and Roman Catholic.
As part of the Bible Belt, Arkansas has a heavy churchgoing presence. Over 71% of the state is believed to be of Christian faith, with Evangelicals, Catholics, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints making up the majority of the affiliation.
Since the state was first colonized, Tennessee has been a religious state. 81% of the population identifies as Christian, and Evangelical Protestantism makes up at least 52% of the state’s religious affiliation.
With a heavy Protestant and Catholic population, Louisiana is a strong churchgoing state thanks to early Protestantism introduced in the early 1800s. Accordingly, at least 32.6% of the state’s residents attend church or religious services at least once monthly.
While only 34.3% of the state’s residents attend church once per month, it’s enough to make Alabama the third largest churchgoing state in the country. Over 86% of the state’s residents identify as Christian, while 11% claim no religion.
One of the staple “Bible Belt” states in the American South, Mississippi, has many evangelical Christians who regularly attend church. Perhaps more importantly, churchgoing in the state has influenced political discourse and created a sense of community for the state’s residents.
Based on data from previous reports, at least 76.1% of Utah residents described themselves as adhering to their religion. As a result of this response, it comes as no surprise to learn that Utah is the state where most people regularly attend Church at least once per month.
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