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Judaism in the United States
Judaism is a monotheistic and ethnic religion that encompasses the religious, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jewish people. The United States has the second-largest Jewish population in the world. Jewish population forms the largest non-Christian religious affiliation in the United States (approx 2%), with most residing in the northeastern states such as New York and New Jersey.
There are several Jewish traditions, including Orthodox, Conservative, Reform Judaism, and Reconstructionist. According to the Pew Research Center, 35% identify with the Reform movement, 18% identify with the Conservative movement, 10% identify with the Orthodox tradition, 6% identify with other streams of Judaism, and 30% do not identify with any particular Jewish denomination.
It is estimated that up to 15,000,000 Americans are part of the “enlarged” American Jewish population, accounting for 4.5% of the total US population, consisting of those who have at least one Jewish grandparent and would be eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.
also read about Religion in the United States
Jews Population in US States
The United States has the largest or second-largest Jewish community in the world, after Israel. As of 2020, the core American Jewish population is estimated at 7.6 million people, accounting for 2.4% of the total US population. This includes 4.9 million adults who identify their religion as Jewish, 1.2 million Jewish adults who identify with no religion, and 1.6 million Jewish children.
According to the American Jewish Yearbook, the Jewish population in each US state was reported for 2020.
| # | States | Population (2020) | Percentage |
| 1 | New York | 1,772,470 | 8.77% |
| 2 | California | 1,187,990 | 3.00% |
| 3 | Florida | 657,095 | 3.05% |
| 4 | New Jersey | 546,950 | 5.89% |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 434,165 | 3.34% |
| 6 | Illinois | 297,735 | 2.32% |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 293,080 | 4.17% |
| 8 | Maryland | 238,600 | 3.86% |
| 9 | Texas | 176,000 | 0.60% |
| 10 | Ohio | 151,615 | 1.28% |
| 11 | Virginia | 150,955 | 1.75% |
| 12 | Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia | 128,720 | 1.20% |
| 13 | Connecticut | 118,350 | 3.28% |
| 14 | Arizona | 106,300 | 1.49% |
| 15 | Colorado | 103,020 | 1.78% |
| 16 | Michigan | 87,905 | 0.87% |
| 17 | Nevada | 76,300 | 2.46% |
| 18 | Washington | 73,350 | 0.95% |
| 19 | Minnesota | 65,900 | 1.15% |
| 20 | Missouri | 64,275 | 1.04% |
| 21 | District of Columbia | 57,300 | 7.81% |
| 22 | North Carolina | 45,935 | 0.44% |
| 23 | Oregon | 40,650 | 0.96% |
| 24 | Wisconsin | 33,455 | 0.57% |
| 25 | Indiana | 25,145 | 0.37% |
| 26 | Tennessee | 22,800 | 0.33% |
| 27 | Rhode Island | 18,750 | 1.71% |
| 28 | Kansas | 17,425 | 0.59% |
| 29 | Delaware | 15,100 | 1.53% |
| 30 | Louisiana | 14,900 | 0.32% |
| 31 | Maine | 13,890 | 1.02% |
| 32 | South Carolina | 13,820 | 0.27% |
| 33 | New Mexico | 12,625 | 0.60% |
| 34 | Kentucky | 12,500 | 0.28% |
| 35 | Alabama | 10,325 | 0.21% |
| 36 | New Hampshire | 10,120 | 0.73% |
| 37 | Nebraska | 9,350 | 0.48% |
| 38 | Hawaii | 7,100 | 0.49% |
| 39 | Vermont | 5,985 | 0.93% |
| 40 | Alaska | 5,750 | 0.78% |
| 41 | Utah | 5,650 | 0.17% |
| 42 | Iowa | 5,475 | 0.17% |
| 43 | Oklahoma | 4,425 | 0.11% |
| 44 | West Virginia | 2,310 | 0.13% |
| 45 | Arkansas | 2,225 | 0.07% |
| 46 | Idaho | 2,125 | 0.12% |
| 47 | Mississippi | 1,525 | 0.05% |
| 48 | Montana | 1,495 | 0.14% |
| 49 | Wyoming | 1,150 | 0.20% |
| 50 | North Dakota | 400 | 0.05% |
| 51 | South Dakota | 250 | 0.03% |
| Total | 7,153,065 | 2.10% |
Top US Metro Areas by Jews Population
The New York City metropolitan area has the second-largest Jewish population in the world, after the Tel Aviv metropolitan area in Israel. However, the Miami metropolitan area has a slightly higher Jewish population per capita (9.9% compared to metropolitan New York’s 9.3%). Other major cities with large Jewish communities include Los Angeles, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Philadelphia.
Metropolitan areas with the largest Jewish populations
| Rank | City | Pop. Estimates |
| 1 | New York City | 1,750,000 |
| 2 | Miami | 535,000 |
| 3 | Los Angeles | 490,000 |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 254,000 |
| 5 | Chicago | 248,000 |
| 8 | San Francisco Bay Area | 210,000 |
| 6 | Boston | 208,000 |
| 8 | Baltimore–Washington | 165,000 |
Source: ARDA & other estimates
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