Religious Organizations
Religious Organizations is a data page on the Domestic Intelligence desk of Glassbox Auditing. Congregations and adherents of 372 religious groups in every state and county from the 2020 U.S. Religion Census, the 1980-2010 record and the IRS's registered religious organisations, as the groups' own aggregate counts. Religious groups receive the largest share of U.S. charitable giving and run schools, hospitals and charities, so their footprint touches local services and tax bases.
Last updated: .
What is on this page today?
- 292,944 churches on the IRS exempt-organization register (October 2026 file), +0.13% on the 2026-09 snapshot — Churches need not register with the IRS, so this is a floor, not a census of congregations. (Internal Revenue Service (Exempt Organizations Business Master File), 12 Oct 2026)
- 69,621 other religious organizations are on the IRS register beside 292,944 churches; California has the most churches (33,711) — Registered with the IRS, not all congregations: churches need not apply for recognition. Other religious means religion-related organizations (ministries, religious media, orders) that are not churches. File of October… (Internal Revenue Service (Exempt Organizations Business Master File), 12 Oct 2026)
- 13,114 of today's registered religious organizations were recognised by the IRS in 2025, +25% on 2024 — Churches and other religious organizations on the register, by the year the IRS recognised them. Survivors only (organizations that closed are not in the file), so earlier years are understated. (Internal Revenue Service (Exempt Organizations Business Master File), 12 Oct 2026)
- 161.2 million adherents in 356,642 congregations in 2020: 48.6% of residents — The groups' own counts of everyone affiliated, not belief or attendance; groups that did not take part are missing. ARDA's harmonised waves (1980-2010, 54.5% in 2010) are not directly comparable with 2020. (ASARB 2020 U.S. Religion Census, 30 Dec 2020)
- Catholic Church: 61.9 million adherents in 19,405 congregations (2020) — 38.4% of all adherents the 2020 census counts. (ASARB 2020 U.S. Religion Census, 30 Dec 2020)
- Non-denominational Christian Churches: 21.1 million adherents in 44,319 congregations (2020) — 13.1% of all adherents the 2020 census counts. (ASARB 2020 U.S. Religion Census, 30 Dec 2020)
- Southern Baptist Convention: 17.6 million adherents in 51,379 congregations (2020) — 10.9% of all adherents the 2020 census counts. (ASARB 2020 U.S. Religion Census, 30 Dec 2020)
- United Methodist Church: 8.0 million adherents in 30,051 congregations (2020) — 5.0% of all adherents the 2020 census counts. (ASARB 2020 U.S. Religion Census, 30 Dec 2020)
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 6.7 million adherents in 14,567 congregations (2020) — 4.2% of all adherents the 2020 census counts. (ASARB 2020 U.S. Religion Census, 30 Dec 2020)
- Utah has the largest share of residents counted as adherents, 76%; New Hampshire the smallest, 27% (2020) — 48.6% nationally. The groups' own counts of everyone affiliated, children included; not belief or attendance. Groups that did not take part are missing, not zero. (ASARB 2020 U.S. Religion Census, 30 Dec 2020)
- Catholic Church is the largest religious group in 37 of 51 states (2020); Southern Baptist Convention leads in 9 — Largest by adherents, among the groups the census counts one by one: a state split among many Protestant bodies can still show one of them first. The groups' own counts of everyone affiliated, children included; not… (ASARB 2020 U.S. Religion Census, 30 Dec 2020)
- Participating groups counted 54.5% of residents as adherents in 2010, +0.7 points on 1980; Mississippi rose most (+12.1 points) — Largest fall: Rhode Island (-22.5 points). Which groups took part changed between waves (most historically Black denominations did not report in 2000), so a share can move because a group joined or left; the 2020 census… (ASARB and Glenmary religion censuses, 1980-2010 (via ARDA), 30 Dec 2010)
- Participating groups counted 168 million adherents in 2010, +38% on 1980; Catholic is the largest tradition (59 million) — Change since 1980: Catholic +24%, Evangelical Protestant +68%, Mainline Protestant +1%. Groups joining or leaving the census move a tradition too, and a blank wave is a tradition whose groups did not report, not zero. (ASARB and Glenmary religion censuses, 1980-2010 (via ARDA), 30 Dec 2010)
Where does the data come from?
Items on this page come from Internal Revenue Service (Exempt Organizations Business Master File); ASARB 2020 U.S. Religion Census; ASARB and Glenmary religion censuses, 1980-2010 (via ARDA). Each item links to its own source. All sources, how items are checked.
What does this page lead to?
- Budget & Spending (Macro): Religious groups receive the largest share of U.S. charitable giving; those gifts are deductible and the groups pay no federal income tax, part of the charitable tax expenditure. (moves the other way; tax year; economy scale) Source: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File (registered churches and religious organizations).
- Well-being (Domestic Intelligence): Every state exempts houses of worship from property tax, so where congregations own much land, the local base that pays for roads, parks and police is narrower. (moves the other way; years; economy scale) Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances.
- State Education (Education): Most U.S. private-school students attend religious schools, so where congregations are dense, more children are taught outside the public schools counted on State Education. (either way, depending on the cause; years; sector scale) Source: 2020 U.S. Religion Census, Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (© 2022 ASARB, all rights reserved).
- Credit & Housing (Macro): Congregations own land in nearly every neighbourhood, and California's 2023 law (SB 4) fast-tracks affordable homes on it, so religious land is one source of new housing sites. (either way, depending on the cause; years; economy scale) Source: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File (registered churches and religious organizations).