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

1900 % mid–1970 % mid–1990 % mid–2000 %

Christians 73,260,000 96.4 190,520,000 90.7 218,720,600 85.4 235,268,500 82.6

Affiliated 54,425,000 71.6 152,304,000 72.5 175,885,600 68.7 188,174,800 66.1

Independents 5,850,000 7.7 35,108,000 16.7 66,900,000 26.1 67,128,000 23.6

Roman Catholics 10,775,000 14.2 48,305,000 23.0 56,500,000 22.1 62,970,000 22.1

Protestants 35,000,000 46.1 58,568,000 27.9 60,216,000 23.5 57,544,000 20.2

Marginal Christians 800,000 1.1 6,114,000 2.9 8,940,000 3.5 10,087,000 3.5

Orthodox 400,000 0.5 4,189,000 2.0 5,150,000 2.0 5,331,000 1.9

Anglicans 1,600,000 2.1 3,196,000 1.5 2,450,000 1.0 2,300,000 0.8

Doubly-affiliated 0 0.0 −3,176,000 −1.5 −24,270,400 −9.5 −17,185,200 −6.0

Evangelicals 32,068,000 42.2 35,137,000 16.7 38,400,000 15.0 39,938,000 14.0

evangelicals 11,000,000 14.5 45,500,000 21.7 90,656,000 35.4 95,900,000 33.7

Unaffiliated 18,835,000 24.8 38,216,000 18.2 42,835,000 16.7 47,093,700 16.5

Nonreligious 1,000,000 1.3 10,270,000 4.9 21,442,000 8.4 30,127,000 10.6

Jews 1,500,000 2.0 6,700,000 3.2 5,535,000 2.2 5,656,000 2.0

Muslims 10,000 0.0 800,000 0.4 3,500,000 1.4 4,322,000 1.5

Black Muslims 0 0.0 200,000 0.1 1,250,000 0.5 1,650,000 0.6

Buddhists 30,000 0.0 200,000 0.1 1,880,000 0.7 2,594,000 0.9

Neoreligionists 10,000 0.0 560,000 0.3 1,155,000 0.5 1,418,000 0.5

Ethnoreligionists 100,000 0.1 70,000 0.0 780,000 0.3 1,336,000 0.5

Hindus 1,000 0.0 100,000 0.0 750,000 0.3 1,238,000 0.4

Atheists 1,000 0.0 200,000 0.1 770,000 0.3 1,148,000 0.4

Baha'is 2,800 0.0 138,000 0.1 600,000 0.2 552,000 0.2

Sikhs 0 0.0 10,000 0.0 160,000 0.1 239,000 0.1

Spiritists 0 0.0 0 0.0 120,000 0.0 142,000 0.0

Chinese universists 70,000 0.1 90,000 0.0 76,000 0.0 80,300 0.0

Shintoists 0 0.0 0 0.0 50,000 0.0 57,500 0.0

Zoroastrians 0 0.0 0 0.0 14,400 0.0 16,200 0.0

Taoists 0 0.0 0 0.0 10,000 0.0 11,400 0.0

Jains 0 0.0 3,000 0.0 5,000 0.0 74,100 0.0

Other religionists 10,200 0.0 450,000 0.2 530,000 0.2 577,000 0.2

U.S. population 75,995,000 100.0 210,111,000 100.0 256,098,000 100.0 284,857,000 100.0

Annual Change, 2000–2005

mid–2005 % Natural Conversion Total Rate (%)

Christians 244,828,200 81.7 2,475,900 −564,000 1,911,900 0.80

Affiliated 195,982,500 65.4 1,980,300 −418,800 1,561,500 0.82

Affiliated 70,389,000 23.5 706,400 −54,200 652,200 0.95

Roman Catholics 67,902,000 22.6 662,700 323,700 986,400 1.52

Protestants 57,105,000 19.0 605,600 −693,400 −87,800 −015

Marginal Christians 10,680,000 3.6 106,200 12,400 118,600 1.15

Orthodox 5,677,000 1.9 56,100 13,100 69,200 1.27

Anglicans 2,248,000 0.7 24,200 −34,600 −10,400 −0.46

Doubly-affiliated −18,018,500 −6.0 −180,900 14,200 −166,700 0.95

Evangelicals 40,633,000 13.6 420,300 −281,300 139,000 0.35

evangelicals 101,603,000 33.9 1,009,200 131,400 1,140,600 1.16

Unaffiliated 48,845,700 16.3 495,600 −145,200 350,400 0.73

Nonreligious 34,401,000 11.5 317,100 537,700 854,800 2.69

Jews 5,761,000 1.9 59,500 −38,500 21,000 0.37

Muslims 4,750,000 1.6 45,500 40,100 85,600 1.91

Black Muslims 1,850,000 0.6 17,400 22,600 40,000 2.31

Buddhists 2,811,000 0.9 27,300 16,100 43,400 1.62

Neoreligionists 1,498,000 0.5 14,900 1,100 16,000 1.10

Ethnoreligionists 1,424,000 0.5 14,100 3,500 17,600 1.28

Hindus 1,338,000 0.4 13,000 7,000 20,000 1.57

Atheists 1,167,000 0.4 12,100 −8,300 3,800 0.33

Baha'is 593,000 0.2 5,800 2,400 8,200 1.44

Sikhs 270,000 0.1 2,500 3,700 6,200 2.47

Spiritists 149,000 0.0 1,500 −100 1,400 0.97

Chinese universists 86,700 0.0 800 500 1,300 1.55

Shintoists 60,600 0.0 600 0 600 1.06

Zoroastrians 17,000 0.0 200 0 200 0.97

Taoists 12,000 0.0 100 0 100 1.03

Jains 79,500 0.0 800 300 1,100 1.42

Other religionists 600,000 0.2 6,100 −1,500 4,600 0.78

U.S. population 299,846,000 100.0 2,998,000 0 2,998,000 1.03

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 2000–05 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 first, "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 each of the six megablocs (Anglican, Independent, Marginal Christian, Orthodox, Protestant, 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 (capitalized "E") 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 (lowercase "e") 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.

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.