In short
Among US adults, 40% identify as Protestant and 19% as Catholic, with another 3% describing themselves as other Christians, so 62% are Christian overall (Pew 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study). Within Protestantism, 23% of adults are evangelical, 11% mainline, and 5% belong to historically Black Protestant churches. Nondenominational Protestantism, now roughly 7% of adults, is the one family that has grown, and the 2020 US Religion Census recorded nearly 9 million new nondenominational adherents from 2010 to 2020. The long Christian decline has slowed: the share has held between 60% and 64% since 2019.
- Nondenominational Protestantism is the only Protestant family larger now than in 2007, at roughly 7% of US adults.
- The decline of US Christianity has stalled, holding between 60% and 64% since 2019 after falling from 78% in 2007.
- Retention differs sharply by tradition: 70% of those raised Protestant stay, versus 57% of those raised Catholic.
- Adherent counts and self-identification surveys measure different things, so the two sets of numbers are not interchangeable.
Among US adults, 40% identify as Protestant and 19% as Catholic, with another 3% describing themselves as other Christians, so that 62% are Christian overall, according to the Pew Research Center 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study (data collected July 2023 to March 2024, 36,908 respondents). Within Protestantism, 23% of US adults are evangelical, 11% mainline, and 5% belong to historically Black Protestant churches. Nondenominational Protestantism is the one family that has grown, now roughly 7% of US adults. PRRI's Census of American Religion and the 2020 US Religion Census add state-level and adherent-count detail. These figures map directly to the tradition settings inside the Pray Focus app.
evangelical / mainline / historically Black Protestant
Key findings at a glance
| Metric | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| US adults who are Christian | 62% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
| Protestant / Catholic share | 40% / 19% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
| Nondenominational Protestant share | 7% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
| Largest Protestant family (Baptist) | 12% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
| Catholic adherents reported | 61 million+ | 2020 | US Religion Census (ARDA) |
| US adults who are unaffiliated | 29% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
US Religious Affiliation at a Glance
The headline breakdown of US adults by Christian tradition and the unaffiliated share comes from Pew and PRRI. The two houses report slightly different Christian totals, which is a survey house effect rather than a contradiction.
62% of US adults identify as Christian, according to the Pew Research Center 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study.
40% of US adults are Protestant and 19% are Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other Christians (not Protestant or Catholic) | 3% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
| Orthodox Christian (rounded) | 1% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
| Latter-day Saints (Mormons) | 2% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
| Religiously unaffiliated | 29% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
| Christian, all Americans (PRRI: 41% white, 25% of color) | 66% | 2025 | PRRI |
Protestant Traditions and Families
US Protestants split into evangelical, mainline, and historically Black churches, and into denominational families led by the Baptists. Both the evangelical and mainline branches have shrunk since 2007.
Among US adults, 23% are evangelical Protestant, 11% are mainline Protestant, and 5% belong to historically Black Protestant churches, according to the Pew Research Center 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study.
12% of US adults identify with the Baptist family of denominations, the single largest US Protestant family, according to the Pew Research Center 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protestant share, 2007 to 2023-24 | 51% to 40% | 2007-2024 | Pew Research Center |
| Mainline Protestant share, 2007 to 2023-24 | 18% to 11% | 2007-2024 | Pew Research Center |
| Southern Baptist Convention | 4% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
| United Methodist Church | 3% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
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The Nondenominational Rise
Nondenominational Protestantism is the one Protestant family that has grown, whether measured by Pew self-identification or by adherent counts in the US Religion Census. It is now the second-largest Protestant family.
Roughly 7% of US adults identify as nondenominational Protestant, the only Protestant family larger as a share of the population than in 2007, according to the Pew Research Center 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study.
Independent, nondenominational Christian churches added nearly 9 million adherents between 2010 and 2020, according to the 2020 US Religion Census.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nondenominational share of all US Protestants (derived) | 18% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
Catholics in the US
The Catholic share of US adults has been stable while its makeup has grown more Hispanic. Catholicism remains the single largest US church, and the Catholic Church reports more adherents than any other US religious body.
The Catholic share of US adults has ranged between 19% and 21% in Pew surveys since 2014, standing at 19% in 2023-24, according to the Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study.
The Catholic Church reported more than 61 million adherents in 2020, more than any other US religious group, according to the 2020 US Religion Census.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic share of US Catholic adults (29% in 2007) | 36% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
| US Hispanic adults who are Catholic | 40% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
| US Catholics who are white (36% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 2% Black) | 54% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
| Americans who identify as white Catholic | 12% | 2025 | PRRI |
Switching Between Traditions
Retention rates and movement between Protestant, Catholic, and unaffiliated identities show that a large share of Americans no longer hold the religion they were raised in, with Protestants retaining members better than Catholics.
70% of US adults raised Protestant still identify as Protestant in adulthood, according to the Pew Research Center 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study.
57% of US adults raised Catholic still identify as Catholic in adulthood, according to the Pew Research Center 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| US adults raised Catholic who now identify as Protestant | 14% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
| US adults who have switched religions since childhood | 35% | 2023-24 | Pew Research Center |
Where US Christianity Is Heading
The long-run decline in US Christianity has recently stabilized, even as weekly attendance and formal membership sit well below self-identified affiliation.
The Christian share of US adults fell from 78% in 2007 to 62% in 2023-24, according to the Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study.
The Christian share of US adults has held between 60% and 64% from 2019 to 2024, suggesting the decline has slowed, according to the Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protestant share, stable since 2019 | 40% to 42% | 2019-2024 | Pew Research Center |
| US adults attending services weekly or almost weekly | 30% | 2021-2023 | Gallup |
| Regular attendance, Protestants vs Catholics | 44% / 33% | 2021-2023 | Gallup |
| Formal church, synagogue, or mosque membership (69% in 1998-2000) | 47% | 2020 | Gallup |
US in Global Context
A single comparative anchor places the US against worldwide Christianity. At about 62% Christian, the US sits well above the global average.
There are about 2.6 billion Christians worldwide, roughly 32.3% of the global population in 2025, according to Gordon-Conwell's Center for the Study of Global Christianity.
How we compiled these statistics
Every figure on this page is traced to a primary source and dated to the year the data was collected. Affiliation, tradition, family, switching, and attendance-adjacent identity figures come from the Pew Research Center 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study (36,908 respondents, July 2023 to March 2024) and its accompanying reports. PRRI's 2025 Census of American Religion supplies independent affiliation shares, and we label the 66% vs 62% Christian gap as a survey house effect rather than a contradiction. Adherent counts come from the 2020 US Religion Census via ARDA, and we note that reported adherents use varying membership definitions and are not directly comparable to self-identification surveys. Attendance and membership come from Gallup, and the single global figure comes from Gordon-Conwell's Center for the Study of Global Christianity as comparative context only. We excluded partisan framing, church-finance angles, persecution framing, and the retracted UK Quiet Revival report.
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Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Pew Research Center, 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study: Executive Summary
- Pew Research Center, Decline of Christianity in the US Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off
- Pew Research Center, Religious Landscape Study: Religious Identity
- Pew Research Center, Religious Switching
- Pew Research Center, Profile of Hispanic Catholics in the US
- Pew Research Center, 10 Facts About US Catholics
- PRRI, 2025 Census of American Religion
- US Religion Census 2020 (ARDA)
- Gallup, Church Attendance Has Declined in Most US Religious Groups
- Gallup, Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time
- Gordon-Conwell Center for the Study of Global Christianity, Status of Global Christianity 2025
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