California

Religious Traditions, 2010

3,502,250	249,191	880,981	154,331	10,234,036	1,744,962	20,488,205
Evangelical Protestant	Black Protestant	Mainline Protestant	Orthodox	Catholic	Other	Unclaimed

Congregational adherents include all full members, their children, and others who regularly attend services. The 2010 reports contain incomplete counts of congregations and adherents belonging to the eight largest historically African-American denominations. These denominations are not included in the 2000 reports and are largely missing from the 1990 and 1980 reports.
[More information on the data sources]

Reports

Religious Bodies	Tradition	Family	Congregations	Adherents	Adherence Rate^†
Catholic Church	Catholic	Catholicism	1,315	10,233,334	274.7
Non-denominational	Evangelical Protestant	----	2,964	1,420,908	38.1
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The	Other	Latter-day Saints	1,362	763,818	20.5
Southern Baptist Convention	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	2,147	489,953	13.2
Assemblies of God	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	1,260	348,747	9.4
Muslim Estimate	Other	Other Groups	246	272,814	7.3
Buddhism, Mahayana	Other	Other Groups	498	250,945	6.7
United Methodist Church, The	Mainline Protestant	Methodist/Pietist	667	232,399	6.2
Seventh-day Adventist Church	Evangelical Protestant	Adventist	613	214,635	5.8
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)	Mainline Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	553	170,641	4.6
Episcopal Church	Mainline Protestant	Episcopalianism/Anglicanism	409	130,709	3.5
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America	Mainline Protestant	Lutheran	446	123,908	3.3
American Baptist Churches in the USA	Mainline Protestant	Baptist	458	114,797	3.1
Foursquare Gospel, International Church of the	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	586	105,086	2.8
Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod	Evangelical Protestant	Lutheran	392	105,084	2.8
Reform Judaism	Other	Judaism	95	102,270	2.7
Church of the Nazarene	Evangelical Protestant	Holiness	435	86,715	2.3
Christian Churches and Churches of Christ	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	212	82,719	2.2
Churches of Christ	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	632	73,405	2.0
Church of God in Christ	Black Protestant	Pentecostal	301	72,496	1.9
Buddhism, Theravada	Other	Other Groups	109	65,463	1.8
African Methodist Episcopal Church	Black Protestant	Methodist/Pietist	98	61,557	1.7
Christian and Missionary Alliance, The	Evangelical Protestant	Holiness	230	61,456	1.6
Evangelical Free Church of America, The	Evangelical Protestant	Methodist/Pietist	180	59,607	1.6
National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.	Black Protestant	Baptist	113	57,968	1.6
Hindu, Traditional Temples	Other	Other Groups	34	55,626	1.5
Orthodox Judaism	Other	Judaism	229	54,625	1.5
Evangelical Covenant Church, The	Evangelical Protestant	Methodist/Pietist	148	53,984	1.4
Conservative Judaism	Other	Judaism	62	51,738	1.4
Hindu, Indian-American Hindu Temple Assoc.	Other	Other Groups	63	45,234	1.2
United Church of Christ	Mainline Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	234	42,397	1.1
Salvation Army	Evangelical Protestant	Holiness	104	39,338	1.1
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	42	38,463	1.0
Converge Worldwide/Baptist General Conference	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	151	36,720	1.0
Armenian Church of North America (Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin)	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	23	32,900	0.9
Reformed Church in America	Mainline Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	47	31,940	0.9
Vineyard USA	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	81	30,428	0.8
Bah�'�	Other	Other Groups	217	29,638	0.8
Pentecostal Church of God	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	226	28,084	0.8
Christian Reformed Church in North America	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	141	26,922	0.7
Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	222	25,547	0.7
Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ	Evangelical Protestant	Lutheran	41	24,525	0.7
Coptic Orthodox Church	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	38	24,208	0.6
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)	Mainline Protestant	Baptist	202	22,978	0.6
Church of God (Anderson, Indiana)	Evangelical Protestant	Holiness	122	20,634	0.6
National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.	Black Protestant	Baptist	45	19,490	0.5
North American Baptist Conference	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	55	17,780	0.5
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations	Other	Liberal	71	15,760	0.4
U.S. Mennonite Brethren	Evangelical Protestant	European Free-Church	70	14,167	0.4
National Missionary Baptist Convention, Inc.	Black Protestant	Baptist	79	13,746	0.4
International Pentecostal Holiness Church	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	106	13,572	0.4
Wesleyan Church, The	Evangelical Protestant	Holiness	83	13,529	0.4
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church	Black Protestant	Methodist/Pietist	53	12,952	0.3
Free Methodist Church of North America	Evangelical Protestant	Holiness	91	12,575	0.3
Presbyterian Church in America	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	106	11,352	0.3
Buddhism, Vajrayana	Other	Other Groups	126	10,532	0.3
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, The	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	29	10,066	0.3
Missionary Church, The	Evangelical Protestant	Holiness	41	9,662	0.3
Evangelical Presbyterian Church	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	18	9,108	0.2
International Churches of Christ	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	7	8,960	0.2
American Baptist Association, The	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	85	8,658	0.2
Serbian Orthodox Church in North America	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	18	8,646	0.2
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod	Evangelical Protestant	Lutheran	48	7,996	0.2
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	23	7,354	0.2
Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	7	7,240	0.2
National Association of Congregational Christian Churches	Mainline Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	29	6,799	0.2
Reconstructionist Judaism	Other	Judaism	10	6,771	0.2
Vicariate for the Palestinian/Jordanian Orthodox Christian Communities	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	8	6,650	0.2
Community of Christ	Other	Latter-day Saints	41	6,619	0.2
Church of God of Prophecy	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	116	6,503	0.2
Hindu, Post Renaissance	Other	Other Groups	156	6,130	0.2
Orthodox Church in America	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	43	5,819	0.2
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.	Black Protestant	Baptist	19	5,757	0.2
Conservative Congregational Christian Conference	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	9	5,755	0.2
Evangelical Friends Church International*	Evangelical Protestant	European Free-Church	41	5,686	0.2
Armenian Apostolic Church of America (Catholicosate of Cilicia)	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	11	5,460	0.1
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church	Black Protestant	Methodist/Pietist	35	5,225	0.1
Hindu, Renaissance	Other	Other Groups	45	5,142	0.1
Mennonite Church USA	Evangelical Protestant	European Free-Church	36	3,130	0.1
Orthodox Presbyterian Church, The	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	34	3,108	0.1
Open Bible Standard Churches, Inc.	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	33	3,059	0.1
National Association of Free Will Baptists	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	52	3,035	0.1
Eritrean Orthodox	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	6	2,550	0.1
Church of the Brethren	Evangelical Protestant	European Free-Church	24	2,534	0.1
Metropolitan Community Churches, Universal Fellowship of	Mainline Protestant	Other Groups	16	1,892	0.1
Zoroastrian	Other	Other Groups	8	1,837	0.0
Independent Yearly Meetings of Friends*	Mainline Protestant	European Free-Church	41	1,603	0.0
Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in Americas	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	5	1,550	0.0
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite	Evangelical Protestant	European Free-Church	7	1,078	0.0
Reformed Church in the United States	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	14	1,001	0.0
Cumberland Presbyterian Church	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	5	952	0.0
Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	2	890	0.0
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	5	765	0.0
United Catholic Church, Inc.	Catholic	Catholicism	1	702	0.0
Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America	Evangelical Protestant	Lutheran	3	670	0.0
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	4	560	0.0
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	17	525	0.0
Churches of God, General Conference	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	8	525	0.0
Brethren Church, The (Ashland, Ohio)	Evangelical Protestant	European Free-Church	5	505	0.0
Friends United Meeting *	Mainline Protestant	European Free-Church	3	464	0.0
Seventh Day Baptist General Conference, USA and Canada	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	7	456	0.0
Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	2	360	0.0
Moravian Church in America--Northern Province	Mainline Protestant	Methodist/Pietist	2	341	0.0
Macedonian Orthodox Church: American Diocese	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	1	300	0.0
Pillar of Fire	Evangelical Protestant	Holiness	2	275	0.0
Apostolic Faith Mission of Portland, OR	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	6	264	0.0
Evangelical Lutheran Synod	Evangelical Protestant	Lutheran	6	253	0.0
Georgian Orthodox Parishes in the United States	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	2	250	0.0
Protestant Reformed Churches in America	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	1	239	0.0
Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	3	200	0.0
Holy Orthodox Church in North America	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	3	190	0.0
Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection	Evangelical Protestant	Methodist/Pietist	1	151	0.0
Apostolic Christian Church of America, Inc.	Evangelical Protestant	European Free-Church	2	138	0.0
Unaffiliated Conservative Amish Mennonite Church*	Evangelical Protestant	European Free-Church	1	114	0.0
Friends General Conference *	Mainline Protestant	European Free-Church	2	113	0.0
Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada and Australia	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	2	110	0.0
Mennonite Christian Fellowship*	Evangelical Protestant	European Free-Church	2	92	0.0
Conservative Mennonite Conference	Evangelical Protestant	European Free-Church	1	80	0.0
Church of God General Conference	Evangelical Protestant	Adventist	2	47	0.0
Church of the United Brethren in Christ	Evangelical Protestant	Methodist/Pietist	1	19	0.0
Alliance of Baptists	Mainline Protestant	Baptist	5	---	---
American Association of Lutheran Churches	Evangelical Protestant	Lutheran	7	---	---
Anglican Church in North America	Evangelical Protestant	Episcopalianism/Anglicanism	83	---	---
Apostolic Lutheran Church of America	Evangelical Protestant	Lutheran	2	---	---
Armenian Evangelical Churches (Additional)	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	10	---	---
Assemblies of God International Fellowship	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	3	---	---
Association of Free Lutheran Congregations	Evangelical Protestant	Lutheran	7	---	---
Association of Messianic Congregations	Other	Judaism	1	---	---
Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	8	---	---
Brethren In Christ Church	Evangelical Protestant	European Free-Church	18	---	---
Calvary Chapel Fellowship Churches	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	331	---	---
Christian Brethren	Evangelical Protestant	Ind. Fundamentalist	14	---	---
Church of Christ (Holiness), U.S.A	Evangelical Protestant	Holiness	38	---	---
Church of Christ, Scientist	Other	Christian Science	181	---	---
Church of God (Seventh Day)	Evangelical Protestant	Adventist	31	---	---
Church of God of the Apostolic Faith, Inc.	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	1	---	---
Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, Inc.	Black Protestant	Pentecostal	13	---	---
Church of the Lutheran Confession	Evangelical Protestant	Lutheran	4	---	---
Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	3	---	---
Conservative Baptist Association of America	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	226	---	---
Conservative Lutheran Association	Evangelical Protestant	Lutheran	3	---	---
Ethiopian Orthodox	Orthodox	Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)	10	---	---
Evangelical Association of Reformed, and Congregational Christian Churches	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	1	---	---
Evangelical Methodist Church	Evangelical Protestant	Methodist/Pietist	6	---	---
Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship	Black Protestant	Baptist	54	---	---
Fundamental Baptist Fellowship	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	2	---	---
General Association of Regular Baptist Churches	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	100	---	---
Grace Brethren Churches, Fellowship of	Mainline Protestant	European Free-Church	31	---	---
Grace Gospel Fellowship	Evangelical Protestant	Ind. Fundamentalist	6	---	---
Hungarian Reformed Churches (Additional)	Mainline Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	4	---	---
Independent Baptist Fellowship International	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	3	---	---
Independent Fundamental Churches of America	Evangelical Protestant	Ind. Fundamentalist	71	---	---
International Council of Community Churches	Mainline Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	12	---	---
Jain	Other	Other Groups	5	---	---
Jehovah's Witnesses	Other	Adventist	611	---	---
Korean Presbyterian Church Abroad	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	69	---	---
Korean Presbyterian Church in America	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	131	---	---
Korean-American Presbyterian Church	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	88	---	---
National Spiritualist Association of Churches	Other	Spiritualist	11	---	---
New Apostolic Church of North America, National Organization of the	Other	Other Groups	25	---	---
New Testament Association of Independent Baptist Churches	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	1	---	---
North American Lutheran Church	Evangelical Protestant	Lutheran	7	---	---
Pentecostal Fire-Baptized Holiness Church	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	1	---	---
Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church, Inc.	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	2	---	---
Polish National Catholic Church	Catholic	Catholicism	1	---	---
Reformed Baptist Churches	Evangelical Protestant	Baptist	23	---	---
Sikh	Other	Other Groups	60	---	---
Swedenborgian Church	Other	Spiritualist	4	---	---
Tao	Other	Other Groups	16	---	---
Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations	Other	Judaism	8	---	---
United Holy Church of America, Inc.	Black Protestant	Pentecostal	5	---	---
United Pentecostal Church International	Evangelical Protestant	Pentecostal	261	---	---
United Reformed Churches in North America	Evangelical Protestant	Presbyterian-Reformed	15	---	---
Unity Churches, Association of	Other	Other Groups	75	---	---
		Totals:	23,558	16,765,751

The population of California was 37,253,956 in 2010; in 2000 it was 33,871,648. The total population changed 10.0%. The adherent totals of the religious groups listed above (16,765,751) included 45.0% of the total population in 2010.

^* In an effort to better match the ASARB standards for adherents, a few religious bodies changed the way their adherents were reported in 2010, including the Catholic Church, Amish groups, Friends groups, Jewish groups, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Non-denominational Christian Churches, and the United Methodist Church. This change does not affect any of the data in the newly released 2010 U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. In fact, the data for these groups are now more comparable to that of other bodies than it was in previous decadal reports.

However, the change in methodology can distort assessments on growth or decline between 2000 and 2010 for each of these groups. County-level 2000 data using the new methodology are not readily available. ASARB staff has adjusted some 2000 county-level adherent statistics to allow for a more accurate picture on growth or decline. The revised maps and charts are now available on-line at www.usreligioncensus.org for those who are interested in these trends.

Source

2010 data were collected by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) and include statistics for 236 religious groups, providing information on the number of their congregations and adherents within each state and county in the United States. Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E. Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H. Taylor supervised the collection. These data originally appeared in 2010 U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study, published by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB). [More information on the data collection]

^†The adherence rate provides the number of adherents of a particular group per 1,000 population. For example, in 2010 the Episcopal Church had an adherence rate of 7.6 in Autauga County, Alabama. This means that about 8 out of every 1,000 people in Autauga County were Episcopalian.