Christianity in the United States facts for kids

Christianity is the most common religion in the United States. In 2021, about 63% of people in the U.S. were Christian. That's around 210 million people! Most Christians in America are Protestant, making up about 140 million people. There are also many Roman Catholics, about 70 million. Other Christian groups include Latter-day Saints, Orthodox Christians, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Together, these groups have about 13 million followers.

The United States has the largest number of Christians in the world. It also has the most Protestants globally. Even though other countries might have a higher percentage of Christians, the sheer number in the U.S. is huge. Surveys show that the number of Americans identifying as Christian has changed over time. For example, in 2020, 65% of adults said they were Christian. This was down from 75% in 2015.

The official motto of the United States is "In God We Trust". This phrase became the national motto in 1956. It first appeared on U.S. coins way back in 1864.

Christian Groups in the U.S.

Protestants and Catholics

Protestant churches make up almost half of the U.S. population (48.5%). This makes Protestantism the most common type of Christianity in the country. The Catholic Church is the largest single Christian group. It includes about 22.7% of the population. If you count each Protestant group separately, the Catholic Church is the biggest single denomination.

The Southern Baptist Convention is the second-largest church in the nation. It is also the largest Protestant group by itself.

Other Christian Faiths

There are also other Christian groups in the U.S. These include Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches. They have nearly 1 million followers in the U.S. This is about 0.4% of the total population.

Christianity is the main religion in all U.S. states and territories. In recent years, more and more Korean, Chinese, and Japanese people in the U.S. have become Christian. For example, in 2012, 71% of Korean Americans were Christian.

How Christianity Came to America

Christianity first came to the Americas when Europeans began to settle here. This happened in the 16th and 17th centuries. As more people moved to the U.S. from other countries, the number of Christians grew.

Since its beginning, the United States has often been called a Protestant nation. Today, most Christian churches in the U.S. are either Mainline Protestant, Evangelical Protestant, or Catholic.

See also

In Spanish: Cristianismo en los Estados Unidos para niños