Mapping Faiths

This page may take a few minutes to load but it has some very interesting maps that graphically illustrate the impact and variety of faith in the U.S. (Hat tip to The Curt Jester). I found some of it very surprising.

The first map shows you, by county, what percentage of the population claims membership in any kind of church. West Texas, the northern Plains, and Utah appear to be the most deeply religious areas of the country. The Pacific Northwest is the least religious area.

The second map kind of shocked me. I had no idea the U.S. was still so regionalized into various denominations. Baptists dominate the South. Lutherans are found in the northern Plains. Mormons prevail in Utah and areas of surrounding states. Methodists lead in scattered areas of the Midwest, Kansas and Nebraska. Catholics are predominant in South Florida, along the Mexican border, and most of the West, Midwest and Northeast.

The rest of the maps break the country down further by individual denominations. This can show some interesting anomalies - for example, the Episcopalians appear to have established a stronghold in South Dakota. The Amish and Mennonites are more widespread than I would have thought. The map of Unitarians is almost a perfect match for the "blue" areas we see after election time that typically vote Democratic.

Bottom line: most religious denominations are segregated in certain areas. The only ones with a serious nationwide presence are Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals and Presbyterians. Even so, the U.S. is probably more diverse in this regard than most nations.