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U.S. States by Church Attendance

In which states do the highest percentage of people attend church every week?
According to this poll
Quiz by benzeller
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Last updated: December 16, 2017
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First submittedNovember 18, 2017
Times taken28,883
Average score80.0%
Rating4.56
1:30
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%
State
51
Utah
47
Mississippi
46
Alabama
46
Louisiana
45
Arkansas
%
State
42
South Carolina
42
Tennessee
41
Kentucky
40
North Carolina
39
Georgia
89 Comments
+20
Level 60
Dec 16, 2017
Really shows that religion is slowly on its way out.
+33
Level 65
Dec 18, 2017
I agree with joeyboots. Though religion is losing its footing in places like the US and Europe, some of the most populous countries (India, Nigeria, Brazil) are super religious, so due to increasing birthrates in those places, religion is nowhere near gone.
+12
Level 79
Feb 5, 2018
You should take a closer look at the birth rate for Brazil. It is at similar level as in developed nations such as the US and UK.
+13
Level 65
Feb 5, 2018
I stand corrected. Brazil's birthrate is actually lower than the U.S.'s! You learn something new every day.
+19
Level 61
Feb 15, 2018
@Lucasc how could you possibly say it's sad NOT to see religion go? Even if you personally aren't religious, I challenge you to name a time in history when a society dominated by atheism didn't devolve into mass genocide. And before you cite the track record of organized religion, name a society where religion was widely practiced but NOT FORCED that was chaotic and/or destructive.
+25
Level 65
Feb 15, 2018
@MasterKenobi I'm assuming you're referencing the USSR, which preached agnosticism at the end of its days. However, Norway now has more people who don't believe in God than do, and is consistently ranked as one of the best nations in the world in all aspects (quality of living, life expectancy, etc.) Meanwhile, Protestantism was certainly not forced in Germany before the Nazi regime officially took power - instead, people were fueled by a de facto anti-Semitism. Now, I'm not saying religion is bad or agnosticism is good. I'm just saying you should probably do your research before making absurd comments on a JetPunk quiz.
+2
Level 76
Nov 9, 2019
"due to increasing birthrates..." Birth rates are declining almost everywhere.
+5
Level 57
Mar 11, 2020
@benzeller Funny how Norway is now one of the most depressed countries in the world...
+1
Level 20
Dec 4, 2023
i live here and i am not surprised. The cost of living here is very high, and the school system does nothing but pump out depression, not to mention the pycology system is terrible
+2
Level 70
Apr 19, 2024
It's not. It has one of the highest *diagnosed* depression rates in the world. Most other countries just don't diagnose depression as much.
+19
Level 65
Mar 14, 2020
@MungoJerry funny how people will make uninformed JetPunk comments to support their worldview... (seriously, I tried to find some actual data about the most depressed countries, and while China -- a famously agnostic country -- and India -- a famously religious country -- continued to pop up, Norway was nowhere to be found!)
+9
Level 74
Apr 3, 2022
@MasterKenobi The Czech Republic is a society that's been majority atheist for decades, and it's not practicing genocide.

This whole debate is kind of stupid, though. Atheism does not preach genocide by nature of it not preaching anything at all, and the genocides you speak about are much more a result of communist dictators happening to be atheists. Stalin didn't starve people because of his lack of belief in God, he starved people because he was a bloodthirsty tyrant who wanted to devastate the people of a region that was slightly resisting him. *Anti-theism* does preach genocide, but that's as different from atheism, as not voting is from bombing voting booths.

+3
Level 74
Apr 3, 2022
@MasterKenobi Your second question is also kind of dumb. To my knowledge there have not been many societies were religion is widely practiced but not forced, because for a large part of human history religion has been forced by the vast majority of complex societies, particularly because controlling religion is a fairly easy path to controlling the populace.

Still, there have been a good few majority religious societies that have seen terrors. As benzeller brought up, Nazi Germany is a pretty glaring one. One that comes to my mind is the early Ottoman Empire, which didn't force religion (at least not yet), but continuously raided the Balkans to kidnap boys for conscription. The Warring States of Chinese history was pretty brutal, and at the very least the Legalist states (including the Qin Dynasty) refused to connect power to religion while still allowing the people to practice ritual. Then there's the Rwandan Genocide, certainly not alone in civil wars without religious disputes…

+4
Level 74
Apr 3, 2022
@MasterKenobi At the same time though, a lot of these atrocities I've brought up in religious societies have nothing to do with religion, but that's kind of my point.

Even the most loyal of believers seriously struggle to fully adopt the practices and morals they hold holy, and there are many more people who don't know their religion's teachings, or are only somewhat interested in following them, despite still being believers.

To dilute the peaces and conflicts of human history down to religious vs. atheist gives people way too much credit by thinking that they will follow the teachings they believe, against their own interests or habits or impulses, and in societies woven by countless threads of which religion is only a few.

I myself don't care whether religion grows or collapses, so long as it doesn't come with violence… But to characterize atheists as inherently violent and religious folks as naturally peaceful is a misrepresentation of both, and moreover of people as a whole.

+5
Level 59
Feb 4, 2018
Really? I think these numbers are amazingly high! I don't know anybody who has been to church other than for a wedding, a funeral or tourism reasons.
+18
Level 83
Feb 5, 2018
When you say "I don't know anyone who ....", think about it for a minute. You're really saying something about yourself. People who DO go to church could say the exact opposite.
+2
Level 59
Feb 5, 2018
So? You think I think that everybody's experience of the world and in the world is exactly the same as mine? Or that I can not make an objective observation?
+2
Level 72
Feb 5, 2018
Where are you from?
+2
Level 68
Jan 31, 2024
South Texas.
+1
Level 60
Sep 21, 2020
Yes, they are quite high. The question does ask what percentage attend church EVERY week. Irregular work commitments would skew the results.
+3
Level 49
Dec 13, 2018
Got every one but Utah.
+1
Level 61
Aug 30, 2019
Good riddance
+1
Level 20
Oct 9, 2019
At least in the USA
+34
Level 73
Dec 16, 2017
Mormons and the South
+8
Level 75
Feb 16, 2018
I was thinking "BYU and the SEC" :)
+25
Level 75
Dec 17, 2017
The usual suspects.
+18
Level 61
Dec 17, 2017
More like states where the most people claim to attend church regularly.
+33
Level 67
Dec 18, 2017
It's rare when the least guessed answer is the number one.
+3
Level 48
Dec 18, 2017
Yeah, it dawned on me with 15 seconds left and then I misspelled a 4-letter state 5 times before finally getting it.
+2
Level 58
Feb 4, 2018
Yeah- I immediately started with the Southern states because I knew I would hit a lot of them. Once I was 2/3 of the way through, I realized I hadn't gotten the number one answer yet and then remembered it wasn't anywhere close to the other states.
+2
Level 47
Mar 14, 2018
I was clueless to what the number one answer was. I started getting the southern states right away due to a lucky guess, and had no idea what the top dog state was
+3
Level 36
Apr 25, 2018
I immediately thought of Mormons and typed in Utah first, then switched to the southern states, though North Carolina surprised me a bit.
+5
Level 14
Dec 18, 2017
I thought for sure Texas
+11
Level 65
Dec 18, 2017
As a Texan, I feel like Texas is stereotyped as the typical Southern state a lot more than it should be considering it's not very Southern in culture.
+11
Level 72
Dec 21, 2017
Texas and Florida do have distinct cultures - broadly speaking. But leave the cities in both states, and you're entering Deep South territory that flies the Stars and Bars proudly and where many believe that another secession might be necessary again one day to protect culture and heritage. Kind of like rolling back the clock a few decades.
+2
Level 67
Feb 4, 2018
Back 40+ years ago Atlantic Magazine ran a cover article called "The Seven States of Texas" or something like that, making the point that there were a number of distinct cultures (social, political, religious, cultural, etc.,) that co-existed but did not mix in Texas. And, if I remember correctly, that prompted a number of letters from readers from Texas who complained that this article unfairly stereotyped Texans. I guess the lesson to take from that is that some Texans look at any outside commentary as biased. And maybe they're right.
+1
Level 55
Feb 4, 2018
Clip from a movie that takes place in 1970s East Texas -- splits Texas into 5 (actually 6) states:

"Of course I left out the Panhandle, and a lot of people do... Carthage, this is where the South begins."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JREkqCvLzSo

+1
Level 64
Feb 5, 2018
Texas from around I-35 east is the South, or basically as Southern as it gets. It's not the same South as the Carolinas or Tennessee, but neither is Arkansas or Louisiana, and no one would doubt their Southern credentials. Dallas and Houston, and even Austin, resemble other big Southern cities like Atlanta or Charlotte more than anywhere else (Austin is a bit different but is most like an overgrown New Orleans, Asheville, Nashville, or Athens/other college town). Once you get further west than I-35 though, things start to get much more Western/Southwestern than the eastern chunk of Texas.
+5
Level 61
Feb 15, 2018
Yeah, Texas is so big, it's in the South, the Midwest, AND the Southwest (the only state that can say that).
+2
Level 65
Feb 15, 2018
@MasterKenobi Texas is surely not in the Midwest...
+1
Level 67
Feb 4, 2018
I think the sheer population size of Texas makes it difficult for the state to qualify. Utah's population is about 3 million, so it ranks first because around 1.5 Utahans to church. Texas, on the other hand, has around 27 million people, so it's a lot harder to get to that 51% (or 40% to make the list). There are a lot of big cities in Texas, where people are less likely to go to church.
+4
Level 82
Dec 18, 2017
51% is the highest? I guess America isn't as religious as I thought.
+14
Level 61
Dec 18, 2017
Many Americans are passively religious. They don't go to church or read the Bible but they'll tell you they're christian. In the South especially you are assumed to be christian by default.
+3
Level 74
Dec 23, 2017
I agree, as a Christian myself. I haven't gone to church in years and I've only touched the Bible like twice in my lifetime.
+4
Level 83
Feb 5, 2018
So a Christian who has touched the bible twice in your life? Might want to look into that.
+1
Level 70
Apr 19, 2024
probably more than most
+1
Level 47
Mar 22, 2019
And a large percent go to church, etc. but aren't actually religious.
+11
Level 65
Dec 18, 2017
51% is quite a lot if you really think about it. That means you can find half the state of Utah in church any given Sunday. That doesn't even include the people who go to church on Christmas and Easter.
+1
Level 71
Feb 4, 2018
Also known as chreasters.
+1
Level 54
Oct 27, 2024
51% seemed low to me for Utah, but on reflection it's about right. Also, Mormons wouldn't really go to church for just Easter and Christmas (in fact Christmas church services don't exist at all)--they'd either go weekly or not at all.
+1
Level 74
Apr 21, 2021
51% is enormous! I live in Quebec and I don't know anyone who goes to chuch every week.
+10
Level 74
Dec 18, 2017
Who else guessed Utah first?
+2
Level 68
Feb 4, 2018
Me
+1
Level 80
Feb 4, 2018
Well I guessed Texas first, but Utah was the first correct guess that I made!
+1
Level 54
Oct 27, 2024
Me. And I was surprised it was only 51%.
+3
Level 74
Dec 18, 2017
Also, this isn't related to this quiz. Benzeller how did you get your quiz featured after making it two days ago? Tell me your secrets.
+4
Level 65
Dec 18, 2017
Hahaha I actually made this quiz a month ago today. If you go to the list of the rest of my quizzes, it'll say "created 11-18." I got the email that it would be featured two days ago, and that's when I got the picture and the format changed a bit (you can see what it used to look like on my other quiz about the lowest percent church attendance). This is my first feature though and I'm really excited!
+8
Level 70
Feb 4, 2018
He is Quizmaster's brother-in-law.
+11
Level 65
Feb 4, 2018
Either you made that up or my sisters have something to tell me...
+5
Level 29
Feb 4, 2018
This is bad news for USA.
+10
Level 83
Feb 5, 2018
Bad news how? Details please. Q5 believes that we should be considered "lucky" since the numbers are going down. I would content the opposite, that many of our problems in the US are due to people being too into themselves and not looking for ways to humble yourself and serve others. Guilty here, but working on it.
+2
Level 73
Feb 4, 2018
Is there a correlation between this and US News best state rankings -

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings (ranks health care, education, economy amongst other things)? 5 out of 10 are at the bottom of the table and with the notable exception of Utah (#7), the rest are all ranked below 25?

+10
Level 65
Feb 4, 2018
Correlation - yeah, probably. Causation - probably not. I doubt the fact that many attend church causes the states to be worse. It could be the high percentage of rural population, which causes worse health care, education, and economy, as well as promotes a tight-knit oftentimes religious community in those small towns
+2
Level 67
Feb 4, 2018
Not surprised by any of the states, but surprised by the percentages. The depiction of these states (especially ones like Arkansas and Mississippi, which lack major cities) is that everyone is a Bible thumper. Would have expected the number to be comfortably over 60% based on perception. Interesting.
+1
Level 30
Feb 4, 2018
Seems like you have to be familiar with one specific region of the US.....sad
+2
Level 51
Feb 4, 2018
Bible belt in the south to be sure; hopefully it's more than just in name only
+7
Level 51
Feb 4, 2018
Old saying, but true as ever: Going to church don't make y'all a Christian any more than walking into a hen house makes you a chicken.
+2
Level 62
Feb 4, 2018
Finally featured!
+2
Level 55
Feb 4, 2018
0:03 remaining. I had to type like mad to get all 10.
+2
Level 45
Feb 5, 2018
All Trump states in 2016. I'll say no more. Draw your own conclusions.
+2
Level 51
Dec 31, 2020
Biden won Georgia!
+2
Level 58
Feb 5, 2018
In other words: Name the 10 states with the lowest average IQ :)
+10
Level 65
Feb 5, 2018
According to the Washington Post, the rankings are 50. Hawaii, 49. Nevada, 48. Mississippi, 47. Alabama, 46. Florida, 45. South Carolina, 44. West Virginia, 43. Louisiana, 42. North Carolina, 41. Arizona, 40. New Mexico. Only half of the states match, whereas the number one state, Utah, is 24th in the nation on IQ, making it statistically average.
+2
Level 48
May 18, 2023
As a Utahan I'm surprised we ranked that high.
+5
Level 65
Feb 6, 2018
Well quizmaster23, you could also argue that people in those states have had less exposure to left-wing indoctrination by academia. Whether you are religious or not, or have attended a higher learning institution has no bearing on IQ. In fact, some of the smartest people out there who have sought to disprove Christianity and the existence of God, end up becoming some of the most fierce apologists for Christianity. Either way, your comment here does nothing but to insult others, and shows a lack of tolerance on your part.
+7
Level 70
Feb 7, 2018
So edgy. Get a clue.
+2
Level 57
Jan 25, 2022
most american engineer grads come out of southern schools like georgia institute of technology
+2
Level 52
Feb 7, 2018
Except for Utah - hello, Bible Belt!
+1
Level 65
Oct 30, 2019
Wow, these numbers seem extremely high to me. would be interesting to see this for Europe.
+2
Level 81
Nov 9, 2019
These are all the "Bible belt" states and Utah, which was founded by Mormons. There are 40 other states with lower figures.
+2
Level 27
Nov 9, 2019
You do not say which church. I assume Christian but Utah is Mormon and not recognised. Confused.
+2
Level 57
Mar 11, 2020
Sad to see.
+2
Level 59
Nov 25, 2020
0/10
+1
Level 69
Jan 11, 2021
basically red states quiz
+3
Level 26
Mar 16, 2021
I got all but utah
+2
Level 55
Apr 27, 2023
Direct correlation with the least educated states.
+3
Level 48
May 18, 2023
Buddy, Utah placed 10th for most educated states. Sadly, you got the rest right.
+2
Level 80
Aug 31, 2024
I got all of them except Utah. This wouldn't bother me, except that I friggin live here. How did I forget...
+1
Level 54
Oct 27, 2024
Haha. Expect a visit from the ministering brothers...