62%
identify as Christian
The 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study found that 62% of U.S. adults identify as Christian, down from 71% in 2014 and 78% in 2007.
Source: Pew Research Center, February 2025A sourced reference
Religion in America:
9 statistics that frame the questions.
A clear snapshot of belief, practice, belonging, and spiritual life in the United States, gathered for readers who want the numbers before they make up their minds.
Last updated September 25, 2026. Data in this edition comes from Pew Research Center's 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study, published February 26, 2025.
The shape of the conversation
Faith is changing. The questions have not gone away.
Religious identity and religious practice do not move in lockstep. Fewer Americans identify as Christian than in previous decades, yet spiritual belief, prayer, and reflection remain widespread.
These figures do not settle questions of faith. They do offer a grounded picture of the people asking them, including the distance between institutional belonging and the search for meaning.
The numbers
Nine statistics worth keeping close.
29%
are religiously unaffiliated
Nearly three in ten U.S. adults identify as atheist, agnostic, or nothing in particular when asked about their religion.
Source: Pew Research Center, February 202544%
pray at least once a day
Daily prayer has held between 44% and 46% of U.S. adults since 2021, after a longer decline from 2007.
Source: Pew Research Center, February 202533%
attend religious services monthly
One-third of U.S. adults say they attend religious services at least once a month. This figure has stayed in the low 30s since 2020.
Source: Pew Research Center, February 202537%
belong to a congregation
Thirty-seven percent say they personally belong to a church, synagogue, mosque, or another house of worship.
Source: Pew Research Center, February 202579%
believe there is more than the natural world
Nearly eight in ten adults say they believe something spiritual exists beyond the natural world, even if it cannot be seen.
Source: Pew Research Center, February 202586%
believe people have a soul or spirit
A large majority say human beings have a soul or spirit in addition to a physical body.
Source: Pew Research Center, February 202535%
read sacred or devotional texts monthly
About one-third of adults read either scripture or other holy texts, devotions, or inspirational literature at least once a month.
Source: Pew Research Center, February 202522%
were raised Christian but no longer identify as Christian
The study estimates that 22% of all U.S. adults were raised Christian and no longer identify as Christian.
Source: Pew Research Center, February 2025What the numbers suggest
Belonging and belief are not the same thing.
The figures show a country where formal affiliation has changed substantially, while questions about God, spirit, prayer, and the meaning of a life remain close to the surface. A person may step away from a tradition and still carry the questions it taught them to ask.
That tension is central to Israel. Harlan Perry's book asks whether religion, law, and spiritual performance have been given a role they were never meant to hold, and what it would mean to begin with grace instead.
Explore Israel as a book on grace →Method and sources
Numbers deserve context.
Every figure above comes from Pew Research Center's nationally representative 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study. The study was conducted in English and Spanish from July 17, 2023, to March 4, 2024, with 36,908 respondents. Pew published the findings on February 26, 2025.
- Study overview and religious identity
- Prayer, scripture, and religious practices
- Attendance and congregational belonging
- Religious and spiritual beliefs
Cite this page
Harlan Perry. “Religion in America: 9 Statistics on Belief and Practice.” Updated September 25, 2026. https://harlanperry.com/religion-in-america-statistics