Independent educational reading about belief, conscience and coexistence
Religious Tolerance
United States · Religious diversity

Religious and spiritual groups in the United States

A careful guide to what can—and cannot—be learned from membership figures, surveys and public discussion of minority faiths.

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Overview

Counting communities is more complicated than it appears

There is no single, fully comparable register of religious affiliation in the United States. Communities report membership in different ways, and survey researchers use different questions and definitions. Figures should therefore be read as estimates rather than as a precise ranking of faiths.

No denomination has constituted a majority of the United States as a whole; in that sense, every denomination is part of a religious minority.Paraphrased observation attributed to M. J. Gunn

Why published totals differ

Some organizations count active participants, while others include everyone formally affiliated with a congregation or community. A person may also appear in a total despite rarely attending services, and some groups do not publish membership information at all. These differences make direct comparisons unreliable.

  • Definitions of “member” vary between denominations and movements.
  • Affiliation, attendance, baptism and household participation are not interchangeable measures.
  • Small communities are especially difficult to estimate through general surveys.
  • People may choose not to disclose a religious identity, particularly when they expect misunderstanding or hostility.

What surveys can add

Large telephone and online surveys can provide a broader picture than organizational reports, including people who are unaffiliated or who describe their outlook in personal terms. Yet even large samples contain relatively few respondents from smaller communities, so their estimates carry wide uncertainty.

Survey results are most useful when the wording, sample, date and margin of error are made clear. They should be treated as a snapshot of self-identification, not as a definitive census of religious life.

Context and coexistence

Responding to minority faiths with care

Wicca and newer movements

Public understanding of Wicca and other contemporary spiritual movements has changed as scholarship and first-person explanations have become more available. Unfamiliar practices should not be treated as evidence of harmful conduct.

Islam in public discussion

Debates about Islam are often shaped by news about a small number of violent actors. Separating those actors from the wider diversity of Muslim communities is essential for accurate, fair analysis.

Freedom of conscience

Religious freedom protects both religious practice and the right to hold a different belief, change affiliation or decline religious identification. Equal treatment is the basis for constructive civic life.

Use current sources for current figures

This page explains methods and context rather than presenting a live membership table. For recent estimates, compare the publication date, question wording and methodology of reputable surveys and organizational reports.

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Survey findings

Historical findings from a major survey of religious communities.