Religious Adherents in the United States of America, 1900-2005

Annual Change, 1990-2000

1900 % mid-1970 % mid-1990 % mid-2000 % mid-2005 % Natural Conversion Total Rate (%)

Christians 73,260,000 96.4 190,732,000 90.8 218,335,000 85.4 239,575,000 84.1 251,794,000 83.9 2,507,000 -378,000 2,129,000 0.93

Affiliated Christians 54,425,000 71.6 152,874,000 72.8 175,500,000 68.6 195,798,000 68.7 205,786,000 68.6 2,016,000 18,300 2,035,000 1.10

Independents 5,850,000 7.7 35,666,000 17.0 66,900,000 26.2 76,218,000 26.7 80,286,000 26.8 766,000 166,000 932,000 1.31

Roman Catholics 10,775,000 14.2 48,305,000 23.0 56,500,000 22.1 62,970,000 22.1 65,900,000 22.0 647,000 -210 647,000 1.09

Protestants 35,000,000 46.1 58,568,000 27.9 60,216,000 23.5 60,797,000 21.3 61,295,000 20.4 690,000 -632,000 58,100 0.10

Marginal Christians 800,000 1.1 6,126,000 2.9 8,940,000 3.5 10,188,000 3.6 11,018,000 3.7 102,000 22,400 125,000 1.32

Orthodox 400,000 0.5 4,189,000 2.0 5,150,000 2.0 5,733,000 2.0 5,992,000 2.0 59,000 -670 58,300 1.08

Anglicans 1,600,000 2.1 3,196,000 1.5 2,450,000 1.0 2,325,000 0.8 2,206,000 0.7 28,100 -40,600 -12,500 -0.52

Multiple affiliation 0 0.0 -3,176,000 -1.5 -24,656,000 -9.6 -22,433,000 -7.9 -20,911,000 -7.0 -276,000 503,000 227,000 -0.98

Evangelicals 32,068,000 42.2 35,248,000 16.8 38,400,000 15.0 42,890,000 15.0 44,825,000 14.9 440,000 10,000 450,000 1.11

evangelicals 35,000,000 14.5 45,500,000 21.7 88,449,000 34.6 98,326,000 34.5 103,513,000 34.5 1,038,000 488,000 1,527,000 1.57

Unaffiliated Christians 18,835,000 24.8 37,858,000 18.0 42,835,000 16.8 43,777,000 15.4 46,009,000 15.3 491,000 -396,000 94,200 0.22

Jews 1,500,000 2.0 6,700,000 3.2 5,535,000 2.2 5,659,000 2.0 5,764,000 1.9 63,400 -51,000 12,400 0.22

Muslims 10,000 0.0 800,000 0.4 3,500,000 1.4 4,292,000 1.5 4,657,000 1.6 40,100 39,100 79,200 2.06

Black Muslims 0 0.0 200,000 0.1 1,250,000 0.5 1,650,000 0.6 1,850,000 0.6 12,700 17,300 30,000 2.29

Buddhists 30,000 0.0 200,000 0.1 1,880,000 0.7 2,517,000 0.9 2,721,000 0.9 21,500 42,100 63,700 2.96

Neoreligionists 10,000 0.0 560,000 0.3 1,155,000 0.5 1,428,000 0.5 1,509,000 0.5 13,200 14,000 27,300 2.14

Ethnoreligionists 100,000 0.1 70,000 0.0 780,000 0.3 1,083,000 0.4 1,158,000 0.4 8,900 21,400 30,300 3.34

Hindus 1,000 0.0 100,000 0.1 750,000 0.3 1,056,000 0.4 1,144,000 0.4 8,600 22,000 30,600 3.48

Baha'is 2,800 0.0 138,000 0.1 600,000 0.2 774,000 0.3 829,000 0.3 6,900 10,500 17,400 2.57

Sikhs 0 0.0 1,000 0.0 160,000 0.1 239,000 0.1 270,000 0.1 1,800 6,100 7,900 4.11

Spiritists 0 0.0 0 0.0 120,000 0.0 142,000 0.0 149,000 0.0 1,400 800 2,200 1.68

Chinese Universists 70,000 0.1 90,000 0.0 76,000 0.0 80,000 0.0 86,700 0.0 870 -430 440 0.56

Shintoists 0 0.0 0 0.0 50,000 0.0 57,600 0.0 60,600 0.0 570 180 760 1.42

Zoroastrians 0 0.0 0 0.0 42,000 0.0 54,000 0.0 58,000 0.0 490 670 1,200 2.44

Taoists 0 0.0 0 0.0 10,000 0.0 11,400 0.0 12,000 0.0 110 25 140 1.32

Jains 0 0.0 0 0.0 5,000 0.0 7,000 0.0 7,700 0.0 57 160 210 3.61

Other religionists 10,200 0.0 450,000 0.2 530,000 0.2 577,000 0.2 600,000 0.2 5,100 -390 4,700 0.85

Nonreligious 1,000,000 1.3 10,070,000 4.8 21,414,000 8.4 26,123,000 9.1 27,794,000 9.3 245,000 226,000 471,000 2.01

Atheists 1,000 0.0 200,000 0.1 770,000 0.3 1,328,000 0.5 1,424,000 0.5 8,800 47,000 55,800 5.60

Total population 75,995,000 100.0 210,111,000 100.0 255,712,000 100.0 285,003,000 100.0 300,038,000 100.0 2,929,000 0 2,929,000 1.13

Methodology. This table extracts and analyzes a microcosm of the world religion table. It depicts the United States, the country with the largest number of adherents to Christianity, the world s largest religion. Statistics at five points in time from 1900 to 2005 are presented. Each religion s Annual Change for 1990-2000 is also analyzed by Natural increase (births minus deaths, plus immigrants minus emigrants) per year and Conversion increase (new converts minus new defectors) per year, which together constitute the Total increase per year. Rate increase is then computed as percentage per year.

Structure. Vertically the table lists 30 major religious categories. The major categories (including nonreligious) in the U.S. are listed with largest (Christians) first. Indented names of groups in the "Adherents" column are subcategories of the groups above them and are also counted in these unindented totals, so they should not be added twice into the column total. Figures in italics draw adherents from all categories of Christians above and so cannot be added together with them. Figures for Christians are built upon detailed head counts by churches, often to the last digit. Totals are then rounded to the nearest 1,000. Because of rounding, the corresponding percentage figures may sometimes not total exactly to 100%. Religions are ranked in order of size in 2005.

Christians. All persons who profess publicly to follow Jesus Christ as God and Savior. This category is subdivided into Affiliated Christians (church members) and Unaffiliated (nominal) Christians (professing Christians not affiliated with any church). See also the note on Christians to the world religion table. The first six lines under "Affiliated Christians" are ranked by size in 2005 of megabloc (Anglican, Independent, Marginal Christian, Orthodox, Protestant, and Roman Catholic).

Evangelicals/evangelicals. These two designations--italicized and enumerated separately here--cut across all of the six Christian traditions or ecclesiastical blocs listed above and should be considered separately from them. The Evangelicals are mainly Protestant churches, agencies, and individuals who call themselves by this term (for example, members of the National Association of Evangelicals); they usually emphasize 5 or more of 7, 9, or 21 fundamental doctrines (salvation by faith, personal acceptance, verbal inspiration of Scripture, depravity of man, Virgin Birth, miracles of Christ, atonement, evangelism, Second Advent, et al.). The evangelicals are Christians of evangelical conviction from all traditions who are committed to the evangel (gospel) and involved in personal witness and mission in the world but who do not belong to specifically Evangelical churches or agencies or give their primary identity as "Evangelical." Alternatively, these are all termed Great Commission Christians.

Jews. Core Jewish population relating to Judaism, excluding Jewish persons professing a different religion.

Other categories. Definitions are as given under the world religion table.