Michael Brooks
Catholicism is a significant religion in North America, with a notable presence in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. In the US, Catholics make up the largest religious group, with around 21-22% of the population identifying as Catholic, although this has decreased from about 25% in 1960. The percentage of Americans who consider themselves former Catholics is about 10%-15%. The distribution of Catholics across the US is uneven, with higher concentrations in the Northeast and Midwest, and lower representation in the South and West. Rhode Island is the state with the highest percentage of Catholics (44%), while Alabama has the lowest (6%). The face of Catholic America is changing, with a growing number of Hispanic Catholics, especially in California and Texas, and a regional shift from the Northeast and Midwest to the Western and Southern parts of the country.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of North America that is Catholic | 26% in 2013, 22% in 2017 |
| Number of Catholics in North America | 89 million in 2010, 70-72 million in 2017 |
| Percentage of Americans who are former Catholics | 10% in 2010, 15% in 2015 |
| Percentage of Catholics who attend church weekly | 39% in 2018 |
| Percentage of Catholics in the Northeast | 24-26% |
| Percentage of Catholics in the Midwest | 19-21% |
| Percentage of Catholics in the South | 32-33% |
| Percentage of Catholics in the West | 25-26% |
| Most Catholic State | Rhode Island (44%) |
| Least Catholic States | Alabama and Mississippi (6%) |
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What You'll Learn
Percentage of Americans who are Catholic
The percentage of Americans who identify as Catholic has changed over time. In 1910, Catholics made up 5% of North America's population, growing to 16% by 1960, and 26% in 2013. More recent reports suggest that 21-23% of Americans identify as Catholic, making them the largest religious group in the US.
The percentage of Americans who are Catholic varies across the country. The Northeast has the highest concentration of Catholics, with 24% of the region identifying as Catholic. The Midwest has the second-highest concentration, at 19%, followed by the West at 25%. The South has the lowest concentration, at 32%, although this percentage has been increasing in recent years due to growing numbers in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. The Southern states remain predominantly Protestant.
Rhode Island is the state with the highest percentage of Catholics in the US (44%), followed by other New England states like Connecticut and Massachusetts. New Jersey, New York, and New Hampshire also have above-average Catholic representation. Conversely, Alabama has the lowest percentage of Catholics (6%).
The face of Catholic America is changing, with a growing number of immigrants, many of whom are Hispanic. Three-quarters of Hispanic Catholics live in the South or West, contributing to the regional shift in Catholic geography. The share of US Catholics who are Hispanic has grown by 5% since 2007, and this trend is likely to continue, especially among Catholic millennials.
While the number of Americans who identify as Catholic has grown in absolute numbers, there has been a decline in Catholics as a percentage of the US population. Additionally, about 10-15% of Americans are former Catholics or non-practicing, with factors such as loss of belief, disenchantment, and disagreement over social issues contributing to their departure from the Church.
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Catholic population distribution in the US
The percentage of Americans who are Catholic has decreased since 1960, falling from 25% to 22% in 2017. In a 2021 Pew Research study, 21% of US adults described themselves as Catholic, the same percentage as in 2014. In absolute numbers, Catholics have increased from 45 million to 72 million. Catholics make up the single largest religious group in the United States, with 22-23% of US residents identifying as Catholic.
Catholics are present throughout the country, but they are more concentrated in certain regions. The Northeast has the highest percentage of Catholics at 24%, followed by the Midwest at 19%, the West at 25%, and the South at 32%. The South and West have seen the most significant growth in recent years, with the number of Catholics increasing in states like Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Arizona, and Southern border states. The Northeast and Midwest, historically Catholic strongholds, have seen a decline in the number of congregants in the past decade.
The Catholic population in the US is diverse, with Hispanics making up the largest group at 33-34%, followed by non-Hispanic whites at 59-60%, and smaller percentages of Blacks, Asians, and other minorities. There are also variations in educational attainment and political affiliation among different racial and ethnic groups within the Catholic population.
The impact of the Catholic Church in the US is significant, with a large number of Catholic health care systems, educational institutions, and cultural influences. However, the Church has also faced challenges, including declining church attendance, financial repercussions from sexual abuse scandals, and disagreement over social issues.
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Catholic immigration to the US
The percentage of North Americans who identify as Catholic has grown from 16% in 1910 to 26% in 2010. In the US, Catholics make up the single largest religious group, with 21-22% of US adults identifying as Catholic. This equates to around 70 million people.
The resilience of the Catholic Church in the US is partly due to the immigration of Catholics from other countries. Immigration has also led to a shift in the geographic distribution of Catholics within the US. While congregations in the Northeast have been declining, states in the South and West, where migrants are most highly concentrated, have seen large increases in recent decades. For example, in the 1990s, 413 Catholic congregations in the Northeast closed, while 132 new churches opened in the Southwest and 54 in the Southeast. In 2006, the Catholic Church appointed the first Roman Catholic cardinal in Texas, recognizing the growth of the Catholic faithful from Mexico and Central America.
Three-quarters of Catholic immigrants to the US are from Latin America and the Caribbean, with smaller numbers coming from Asia-Pacific and Europe. In the early 19th century, Irish Catholics were the largest group of immigrants to the US, constituting over a third of all immigrants between 1820 and 1860, and nearly half in the 1840s. The Irish Potato Famine of 1845 is often credited with launching the second wave of Irish immigration to the US, with a million dead in Ireland and half a million arriving in America.
In addition to Latin America and the Caribbean, Catholic immigrants to the US also come from Asia-Pacific and Europe. However, the number of immigrants from these regions is much smaller in comparison.
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Former Catholics in the US
Former Catholics or ex-Catholics are individuals who were raised in the Roman Catholic faith or converted to it later in life, but no longer identify as such. According to a 2008 Pew Research Center study, about 10.1% of people in the United States described themselves as former Catholics. A more recent survey in 2015 by PRRI put this figure at 15%. This amounts to almost 30 million people, with many leaving for reasons such as loss of belief, disenchantment, indifference, or switching to another religious group or none at all.
Some notable former Catholics include:
- Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and current United States Secretary of Transportation.
- Diana DeGette, U.S. Representative for Colorado's 1st congressional district, who converted to Presbyterianism.
- Melissa Joan Hart, actress, who also converted to Presbyterianism.
- Tom Hanks, actor, who was involved with Catholicism as a child and later converted to the Greek Orthodox Church.
The Catholic Church in the United States has faced significant controversy due to allegations of clerical child abuse and episcopal negligence, resulting in numerous civil suits and financial damages. This has likely contributed to the decline in the percentage of Americans who identify as Catholic, which has fallen from about 25% in 1960 to around 21-22% in recent years. Despite this, Catholics still make up the single largest religious group in the United States, with approximately 72 million adherents.
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Catholic representation in each US state
Catholicism is the largest religious denomination in the United States, with approximately 77.4 million members as of 2017, constituting about 22% of the population. This makes the US the country with the fourth-largest Catholic population in the world. While the percentage of Americans who are Catholic has fallen from about 25% in 1960, the absolute number of Catholics has increased from 45 million to 72 million.
Catholics are generally more concentrated in the Northeast and urban Midwest, with the regional distribution as follows: Northeast (24%), Midwest (19%), South (32%), and West (25%). The South's percentage has increased in recent years due to a growing number of Catholics in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. Rhode Island is the state with the highest percentage of Catholic residents, at 42%, due to the historical presence of French-Canadian, Irish, and Italian immigrants. The state of Massachusetts follows closely behind with 34%, owing to the influx of immigrants from Catholic regions or countries such as Latin America, Poland, Quebec, Ireland, Portugal, and Italy.
In terms of ethnic distribution, Hispanics account for 33% to 38% of US Catholics, while non-Hispanic whites make up 60% to 61%, and Asians and Blacks constitute around 3% each. It is worth noting that the percentage of Hispanic Catholics has been decreasing, with a predicted decline to 40% among "third-generation Latinos" by 2050. On the other hand, the percentage of non-Hispanic whites who are Catholic has also seen a drop, falling from 22% in 2007 to 19% in 2014.
Additionally, the Catholic Church has a significant presence in the US healthcare system. As of 2008, the Catholic health care system oversaw 625 hospitals with a combined revenue of $84.6 billion. Catholic facilities make up about 10% of all "sole community providers" in the US, and in some states, such as Wisconsin and South Dakota, Catholic hospitals account for at least 50% of these providers.
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Frequently asked questions
The Catholic share of North America's population grew from 16% in 1910 to 26% in 2013. By 2010, North America's share of the global Catholic population was 8%.
Between 21% and 25% of Americans identify as Catholic, making it the largest religious group in the country.
Rhode Island is the state with the highest percentage of Catholics at 44%. The other most Catholic states are Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
The percentage of Americans who are Catholic has fallen since 1960, from about 25% to between 21% and 22%. However, in absolute numbers, Catholics have increased from 45 million to 72 million.
