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Religion in New Jersey
New Jersey had rich and diverse religious cultures, and the freedom to practice beliefs has helped give rise to a highly unique religious pluralism and freedom. New Jersey is the US state with the 11th largest population, Christianity being the majority religion and Protestantism as its largest branch.
New Jersey is one of the four states in the US where Catholics are in the majority. Since the 1990s, the religious share of Christians has decreased, while Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, and other religions have spread, mainly from immigration It has the largest percentage of Muslims, the second largest percentage of Hindus, and the fourth largest of Jews in the United States..
also read about Race and Ethnicity in New Jersey
Table of Content
New Jersey Religion Percentage
Christianity is the main religion followed by 67% of the population. The largest Christian denomination in California is Roman Catholics (34%) followed by Protestants (31%), Mormonism (1%), Eastern Orthodoxy (1%), Jehovah’s Witnesses (1%), and Other Christian (1%).
About 18% of the population don’t follow or adhere to any faith or religion and the rest 14% follow other non-Christian-based religions.
Other Religions include Hinduism (3%), Buddhism(1%), Jews (6%), Islam (3%), and other smaller faiths.
| Religion/Affiliations | Percentage |
| Christianity | 67% |
| – Protestantism | – 31% |
| – Roman Catholicism | – 34% |
| – Mormonism | – 1% |
| – Eastern Orthodoxy | – 1% |
| – Jehovah’s Witnesses | – 1% |
| – Other Christian | – 1% |
| Other Religion | 14% |
| Judaism | 2% |
| Islam | 3% |
| Buddhism | <1% |
| Hinduism | 3% |
| Other religion | 2% |
| No religion | 18% |
| Don’t know | 1% |
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Christianity in New Jersey
Christianity with 67% followers is the largest religion in New Jersey. Catholics are 34% of the population and are the largest individual denomination in New Jersey. All Protestant denominations accounted for 31% of the population. Of the Protestants in the state, Evangelical Protestants compose 13% of the population, Mainline Protestants 12%, and Historically Black Protestants 6%.
Rest include Mormons, Eastern Orthodoxy, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and other smaller denominations.
| Christianity Affiliations | Percentage |
| Protestantism | 31% |
| – Evangelical Protestant | – 20% |
| – Mainline Protestant | – 10% |
| – Black church | – 2% |
| Roman Catholicism | 34% |
| Mormonism | 1% |
| Eastern Orthodoxy | 1% |
| Jehovah’s Witnesses | 1% |
| Other Christians | <1% |
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Protestantism in New Jersey
Among Christians in New Jersey, Protestantism is the second largest group comprising about 31% of the state’s population. Protestantism in the United States has branched out into several branches, denominations, and various interdenominational and related movements.
Protestants by tradition can be further classified into three main denominations. Evangelical is the largest and followed by 13% of the population, Next are Mainline Protestants (12%), and 6 % follow are Historically Black Protestants.
| Protestants Affiliation | % of population |
| Evangelical Protestant | 13% |
| Mainline Protestant | 12% |
| Historically Black Protestants. | 6% |
Protestantism is also comprised of numerous denominational families (e.g., Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal) that fit into one or more of the traditions. According to the 2020 survey by the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), the largest Protestant denomination is as follows
| Religious Bodies | Tradition | Family | Adherents |
| Non-denominational Christian Churches | Evangelical | Other Groups | 282,370 |
| United Methodist Church | Mainline | Methodist | 122,582 |
| American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. | Mainline | Baptist | 77,184 |
| Assemblies of God, General Council of the | Evangelical | Pentecostal | 69,915 |
| National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. | Black | Baptist | 66,450 |
| Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | Mainline | Presbyterian/Reformed | 61,854 |
| Episcopal Church | Mainline | Anglican/Episcopal | 56,426 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | Mainline | Lutheran | 44,684 |
| African Methodist Episcopal Church | Black | Methodist | 32,415 |
| Seventh-day Adventist Church | Evangelical | Adventist | 30,959 |
read about Protestants in the United States
Catholics in New Jersey
New Jersey has the second-highest percentage of Roman Catholics in the United States. Catholic Church at 34% of the state population is the largest religious grouping in the state. By the number of adherents, the largest denomination in New Jersey, according to the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020, was the Roman Catholic Church with 2,971,461 members.
Since the 1990s, the religious share of Christians has decreased, while Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, and other religions have spread, mainly from immigration. Other Religions include Hinduism (3%), Buddhism(1%), Jews (6%), Islam (3%), and other smaller faiths.
Jews in New Jersey
The state has the fourth-largest American Jewish community in the United States. With a 6% Jews population, it’s second to New York State in the percentage of Jews. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020, the total number of people affiliated with Judaism Religious Bodies is 196,617.
Hindusim in New Jersey,
New Jersey has the Second highest Hindu population in the United States, most of them Indian Americans. Many of the prominent Hindu temples are located in New Jersey. Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey is one of the largest stone Hindu temples in the United States. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020, the total number of people affiliated with Hinduism Religious Bodies i is 123,30o.
Islam in New Jersey
New Jersey is the U.S. state with the highest Muslim population concentration, at 3%, followed by the State of New York, at 2%. Paterson in New Jersey has been nicknamed Little Ramallah and Little Istanbul and contains a neighborhood with the same name, with an Arab American population estimated as high as 20,000 in 2015. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020, the total number of people affiliated with Islamic Religious Bodies is 321,652
also read about the Population of New Jersey
Sources
Note: The US census does not contain questions about one’s religious affiliation. Our Article is based on surveys conducted by various institutions and agencies.
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