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Religion in Maryland
The United States had rich and diverse religious cultures, and the freedom to practice beliefs has helped give rise to a highly unique religious pluralism and freedom. Maryland is the US state with the 18th largest population, Christianity being the majority religion and Protestantism as its largest branch.
Since the 1990s, the religious share of Christians has decreased, while Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, and other religions have spread, mainly from immigration.
also read about Race and Ethnicity in Maryland
Table of Content
Maryland Religion Percentage
Christianity is the main religion followed by 69% of the population. The largest Christian denomination in Maryland is Protestants (52%); Roman Catholics (15%); Mormonism (1%); Eastern Orthodoxy (1%).
About 23% of the population don’t follow or adhere to any faith or religion and the rest 8% follow other non-Christian-based religions. Other Religions include Jews (3%), Hinduism (1%), Buddhism (1%), Islam (1%), and other smaller faiths.
| Religion/Affiliations | Percentage |
| Christianity | 69% |
| – Protestantism | – 52% |
| – Roman Catholicism | – 15% |
| – Mormonism | -1% |
| – Eastern Orthodoxy | – 1% |
| – Jehovah’s Witnesses | – <1% |
| – Other Christian | – 1% |
| Other Religion | |
| Judaism | 3% |
| Islam | 1% |
| Buddhism | 1% |
| Hinduism | 1% |
| Other religion | 2% |
| No religion | 23% |
| Don’t know | <1% |
Source: Pew Research Center
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Christianity in Maryland
Christianity with 69% followers is the largest in Maryland. All Protestant denominations accounted for 52% of the population, Catholics are 15% of the population and are the largest individual denomination if Protestantism is divided into various denominations instead of being counted as a single category.
Rest include Mormons, Eastern Orthodoxy, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and other smaller denominations.
| Christianity Affiliations | Percentage |
| Protestantism | 52% |
| – Evangelical Protestant | – 18% |
| – Mainline Protestant | – 18% |
| – Black church | – 16% |
| Roman Catholicism | 15% |
| Mormonism | 1% |
| Eastern Orthodoxy | 1% |
| Jehovah’s Witnesses | <1% |
| Other Christians | 1% |
read about Christianity in United States
Protestantism in Maryland
Among Christians in Maryland Protestantism is the largest group comprising about 52% 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 18% of the population, Next are Mainline Protestants (18%) and Historically Black Protestants (16 %)
| Protestants Affiliation | % of population |
| Evangelical Protestant | 18% |
| Mainline Protestant | 18% |
| Historically Black Protestants | 16% |
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 Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), The largest Protestant denomination by the number of adherents in 2020 was the United Methodists Church, Southern Baptists, and African Methodist Episcopal Church.
List of top 10 Protestant denomination in Maryland in 2020
| # | Protestant Churches | Tradition | Family | Adherents |
| 1 | Non-denominational Christian Churches | Evangelical | Other Groups | 365,632 |
| 2 | United Methodist Church | Mainline | Methodist | 207,179 |
| 3 | Southern Baptist Convention | Evangelical | Baptist | 113,261 |
| 4 | African Methodist Episcopal Church | Black Protestant | Methodist | 97,878 |
| 5 | Episcopal Church | Mainline | Anglican/Episcopal Family | 59,618 |
| 6 | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | Mainline | Lutheran | 54,423 |
| 7 | Seventh-day Adventist Church | Evangelical | Adventist | 49,532 |
| 8 | American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. | Mainline | Baptist | 33,825 |
| 9 | Assemblies of God, General Council of the | Evangelical | Pentecostal | 33,547 |
| 10 | Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) | Evangelical | Pentecostal | 28,720 |
| 11 | Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | Mainline | Presbyterian/Reformed | 25,722 |
read about Protestantism in the United States
Catholics in Maryland
Catholic Church at 15 % of the state population is the second largest religious grouping, after Protestantism. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), In 2020 the Catholic Church has 907,317 adherents.
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Baltimore was the first Roman Catholic cathedral built in the United States. Despite its historic relevance to the Catholic Church in the United States, the percentage of Catholics in the state of Maryland is below the national average of 20%.
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 (1%), Buddhism (1%), Jews (3%), Islam (1%), and other smaller faiths.
Jews in Maryland
Judaism is the largest non-Christian religion in Maryland, with 241,000 adherents, or 3% of the total population. Jews are numerous throughout Montgomery County and in Pikesville and Owings Mills northwest of Baltimore. An estimated 81,500 Jewish Americans live in Montgomery County, constituting approximately 10% of the total population.
Hinduism in Maryland
Maryland has a sizeable Hindu community and most of them are Indian Americans. Many of the prominent Hindu temples include Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, The Hindu Temple of Metropolitan Washington, Sri Bhakta Anjaneya Temple, and ISKCON Baltimore.
also read about Population in Maryland
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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