Every State’s Most Popular Religion (Excluding Christianity), Mapped

Christianity is the most dominant religion in the United States, with 62% of Americans identifying themselves as Christian, followed by 29% defining themselves as religiously unaffiliated.

There are also 7% of Americans who identify as religious—but not Christian. They come from a variety of backgrounds that show the diversity of religious beliefs in the United States. But that diversity can vary from state to state, with five different religions coming in second behind Christianity in their respective states. See the map below, provided by Visual Capitalist with information from the U.S. Religion Census, followed by a breakdown.

These are the five major religions that are in second place behind Christianity in their respective states.

Islam

Islam is practiced throughout the country and has seen gains due to immigration and states with large urban centers that are welcoming to diverse populations.

New York, for example, has around 725,000 residents who practice Islam as part of 1.7 million residents who are considered non-Christian. That diversity is reflected in New York City, which has some of the most religiously diverse counties in the country. Three of the top 10 most religiously diverse counties in the United States are in New York City, according to the Public Religious Research Institute.

California has the second-biggest population, with more than 500,000 practicing Muslims in the state, while Illinois comes in third with around 475,000.

The states where Islam is the second-most popular religion include: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Hinduism

Six states count Hinduism as the second-most popular religion behind Christianity, with a majority of them in the Midwest and Mountain West. Colorado and three of its neighbors—New Mexico, Nebraska, and Kansas—are popular with those practicing Hinduism as well as Oregon and Delaware.

However, it should be noted that for some of these states, Hinduism may be a small percentage of the overall population that may not be diverse religiously or have no religious affiliation. Of the top 10 counties in the U.S. with the highest percentages of unaffiliated religious populations, two of those counties are in Oregon and one is in Colorado.

Buddhism

Buddhists account for the second-most popular faith in five states: Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, and Washington.

Hawaii has the highest percentage of Buddhism as a second religion, with 3.2% of the state's population, or 47,000 residents, identifying themselves as practicing Buddhists. One reason for this high percentage in Hawaii, and possibly other states in the West, is the cultural connection between these states and Asian nations such as Japan, China, South Korea, and other parts of Asia.

Judaism

Four states count Judaism as their second-most popular faith. New Hampshire's Conservative Jewish population stands out in that state while Reform Judaism is popular in Rhode Island, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

But while Judaism is only dominant as the second-most practiced religion by state, it's also considered the second-most popular religion in the country. Jewish people make up around 2% of the population in the United States compared to 1% of practicing Muslims, according to data from the Pew Research Center.

Baháʼí

The Baháʼí faith is popular in three states: South Carolina, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

One reason for the popularity of the Baháʼí faith in South Carolina is due to Louis G. Gregory, the son of freed slaves, who brought the religion over after learning about it during his time working in Washington, D.C. Today, the Baháʼí faith has more than 17,000 followers in the state, and three of the top five counties in the country for Baháʼí practitioners are in South Carolina. The other two are in South Dakota and Georgia.

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