Joshua Bennett
The United States has the fourth-largest Catholic population in the world, with approximately 22-25% of the population identifying as Catholic. While the United States is predominantly Protestant, with the religion exerting a lot of influence, there are still states with significant Catholic populations. Rhode Island is the state with the highest percentage of Catholic residents, with 42% of the state's population identifying as Catholic. This is due to the state's high population of French-Canadian, Irish, Italian, Hispanic, and Portuguese immigrants, who are predominantly Catholic. Other states with high Catholic populations include Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Illinois.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| State with the highest Catholic population | Rhode Island |
| Percentage of Rhode Island population that is Catholic | 42% or 44% |
| Second-highest Catholic population state | Massachusetts |
| Percentage of Massachusetts population that is Catholic | 34% |
| Third-highest Catholic population state | New Jersey |
| Percentage of New Jersey population that is Catholic | 34% |
| States with above-average Catholic representation | Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Illinois, California, Wisconsin |
| Cities with the highest Catholic population | Boston, New York City, Pittsburgh (36%) |
| Second-most Catholic cities | Philadelphia, Chicago (33%) |
| US Catholic population as a percentage | 22% or 23% |
| Number of US Catholics | 77.4 million or 81.6 million |
| US ranking in global Catholic population | 4th |
| US Catholics who are "fallen-away" | 26 million |
| US Catholics who are "Secularists" | 10% |
| US Catholics with no formal religious identity | 21% |
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What You'll Learn
Rhode Island is the most Catholic state
Catholicism has had a significant cultural, social, and political impact on the United States. It is the largest religious body in 36 US states and is the country's largest single church, with approximately 77.4 million members as of 2017. The US has the fourth-largest Catholic population in the world, after Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines.
The history of the Catholic Church in the US dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries, following the arrival of Spanish and French missionaries. The territorial evolution of the country has meant that many areas that are now part of the US were Catholic in colonial times before they became predominantly Protestant. For example, the Province of Maryland was founded in the 17th century with an explicitly English Catholic identity, in contrast to its neighbouring Protestant-dominated colonies.
The Catholic population in the US has grown by about 2 million in the past decade, with much of this growth concentrated in the South. In 2020, 45% of US Catholics lived in the South and Midwest, compared to 71% fifty years earlier. The growth in the South is reflected in the increasing number of Latinos, who are predominantly Catholic. In 2022, Latinos reached 37% of the Catholic population, and this number continues to grow.
Despite the overall growth of Catholicism in the US, religious participation rates are declining. Since 1970, weekly church attendance among Catholics has dropped from 55% to 20%, and the number of people leaving Catholicism has increased from under 2 million in 1975 to over 30 million today. This decline in participation is partly due to the clergy sex abuse crisis, which has undermined trust in the Catholic Church leadership.
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Massachusetts is the second most Catholic state
The history of Catholicism in Massachusetts dates back to the early 19th century when Pope Pius VIII created four new dioceses in the new world, including one in Boston. Boston's first bishop, Father Jean Chevrus, a French-born missionary priest, played a pivotal role in establishing the Catholic community in the region. He travelled extensively, celebrating Mass, and performing sacraments, laying the foundation for the Catholic Church in Massachusetts.
The Catholic population in Massachusetts saw a significant surge starting in the 1840s, leading to the establishment of numerous parishes in Boston and across New England. This growth was driven by waves of Catholic immigrants from Ireland, Germany, and Italy, transforming the religious landscape of the state. Today, Boston remains a pivotal centre for American Catholicism. It is the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, America's first and only Catholic president.
While Massachusetts has a strong Catholic presence, it is worth noting that religious participation rates among Catholics in the United States have been declining. Since 1970, weekly church attendance among Catholics has dropped from 55% to 20%. Additionally, the number of people leaving Catholicism has increased significantly, with over 30 million Americans no longer identifying as Catholic. However, Catholicism continues to exert a significant cultural, social, and political influence in Massachusetts and across the nation.
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New Jersey is the third most Catholic state
The United States has the fourth-largest Catholic population in the world, with approximately 77.4 million members as of 2017. This accounts for about 22% to 23% of the population of the United States, making Catholicism the largest religious denomination in the country. However, the percentage of religious Americans who identify as Catholic has been declining in recent years.
Rhode Island is the most Catholic state in the US, with 42% of its population identifying as Catholic. This is largely due to the state's history of French-Canadian, Irish, Italian, Hispanic, and Portuguese immigration. The state of Massachusetts has the second-highest Catholic population, with 34% of its residents identifying as Catholic. This is due in large part to the influx of immigrants from Catholic regions and countries, such as Latin America, Poland, Quebec, Ireland, Portugal, and Italy.
Other states with above-average Catholic representation include New York, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Illinois, California, and Wisconsin. The growth of the Catholic population in the US over the past decade has been largely concentrated in the South, which now has the highest number of Catholics of any region. This shift may be due to the increasing Latino population, as most Latinos are at least culturally Catholic.
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Catholicism is growing fastest in the South and West
Catholicism is the largest religious body in 36 US states. While Protestants collectively outnumber Catholics in the US, researchers of the US Religion Census view various Protestant bodies as their own denominational groups, not collectively. According to this categorization, Catholics are the single largest religious group in the US.
The Diocese of Charlotte in North Carolina, for example, has seen its Catholic population swell to an estimated 400,000 in 2020, more than 10 times the number present when the diocese was established in 1972. The diocese is also home to St. Matthew's parish, one of the largest in the country by registration, with more than 11,500 families.
In contrast, the Pittsburgh Diocese in the Northeast has experienced a decline of 31% in its Catholic population since 1980. The Church in Pennsylvania has been impacted by recent sexual abuse scandals. Following the 2018 release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report, Mass attendance in Pittsburgh dropped by 9%.
The racial and ethnic profile of the Catholic population varies considerably by region. In the South, 49% of Catholics are white and 40% are Hispanic, while in the West, there are more Hispanic Catholics than white Catholics (55% vs. 30%).
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Boston, New York City, and Pittsburgh are the most Catholic cities
While Rhode Island is the US state with the highest Catholic population, with 42% of the state's population identifying as Catholic, Boston, New York City, and Pittsburgh are the most Catholic cities.
Boston
Boston is considered the most Catholic major city in the country. Of the 3.8 million people living in Boston's metropolitan area in 2001, about 2 million were Catholic. Boston's archbishop presided over an extensive network of parishes, schools, seminaries, convents, and hospitals. The city's Catholics had established themselves in the birthplace of American Puritanism and had overcome persecution to rise to high levels of political, economic, and social power. Boston's Catholics are predominantly of Irish descent, with other waves of immigrants from Latin America, Poland, Quebec, Portugal, Italy, and other countries joining them over the years.
New York City
New York City has a large Catholic population, with the Archdiocese of New York being the second-largest diocese in the United States by population. It encompasses 296 parishes that serve around 2.8 million Catholics, as well as hundreds of Catholic schools, hospitals, and charities. The Catholic population in the diocese was approximately 15,000 in the early 19th century, primarily Irish with some English, French, and Germans. Over time, the Catholic population grew, and in response, new parishes were established, including for the Polish and Italian communities.
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh saw its biggest influx of Catholic immigrants towards the turn of the century through the 1920s, due to the availability of jobs, particularly in the steel mills. The majority of Pittsburgh's working class in the early 20th century was made up of Catholic immigrants, including Poles, Italians, Slavs, Hungarians, Lithuanians, and others. This led to the development of necessary infrastructure for the church, including a rectory, convent, school, and pilgrimage site. However, in recent years, Pittsburgh's Catholic population has been in decline, with fewer families attending mass and fewer men pursuing the priesthood.
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Frequently asked questions
Rhode Island is the state with the largest Catholic population, with 42% of the state's population identifying as Catholic.
Massachusetts has the second-highest Catholic population with 34%, and New Jersey is the third-most Catholic state with 34% of the state's population identifying as Catholic.
Alabama has the lowest Catholic population at 6%. The South and East of the US have the highest proportion of Protestants and Catholics in the country.
Boston, New York City, and Pittsburgh are tied for the highest Catholic populations in the US, with 36% of residents identifying as Catholic.
