Unites States >> Religion >> New York (State)
Religion in New York State
New York 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 York is the US state with the fourth largest population, Christianity being the majority religion and Catholics as its largest branch.
New York is one of few states in Unites States where Catholics are in majority and Protestants are behind them. It also has the largest Jews population in the United States.
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 New York
New York Religion Percentage
Christianity is the largest religion followed by 60% of the population. The largest Christian denomination in New York are Catholics (31%) followed by Protestants (26%), Eastern Orthodoxy (1%), Jehovah’s Witnesses (1%), and Other Christians.
Non-Christian faiths account for 12%, and the remaining 27% are classified as unaffiliated, which can mean agnostic, atheist, or “nothing in particular.”
Other Religions include Jews (7%), Islam (2%), Hinduism (1%), Buddhism(1%), and other smaller faiths.
| Religion/Affiliations | Percentage |
| Christianity | 60% |
| – Roman Catholicism | – 32% |
| – Protestantism | – 26% |
| – Mormonism | – <1% |
| – Eastern Orthodoxy | – 1% |
| – Jehovah’s Witnesses | – 1% |
| – Other Christians | – 1% |
| Other Religion | 12% |
| Judaism | – 7% |
| Islam | – 2% |
| Buddhism | – 1% |
| Hinduism | – 2% |
| Other religion | – 2% |
| No religion / unaffiliated | 27% |
| Don’t know | 1% |
Source: Pew Research Center
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Christianity in New York
Christianity with 60% followers is the largest religion in New York. Catholics at 31% of the population and are the largest denomination in New York. All Protestant denominations accounted for 26% of the population,
Of the Protestants in the state, Evangelical Protestants compose 10% of the population, Mainline Protestants 11%, and Historically Black Protestants 5%.
Rest include Eastern Orthodoxy, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and other smaller denominations.
| Christianity Affiliations | Percentage |
| Protestantism | 26% |
| – Evangelical Protestant | – 10% |
| – Mainline Protestant | – 11% |
| – Black church | – 5% |
| Roman Catholicism | 31% |
| Mormonism | <1% |
| Eastern Orthodoxy | 1% |
| Jehovah’s Witnesses | 1% |
| Other Christians | 1% |
read about Christianity in the United States
Protestantism in New York
Among Christians in New York, Protestantism is the second largest group comprising about 26% 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. Mainline Protestants are the largest and followed by 11% of the population, next are Evangelical at 10% and Historically Black Protestants are at 5%
| Protestants Affiliation | % of population |
| Mainline Protestant | 11% |
| Evangelical Protestant | 10% |
| Black Protestant | 5% |
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 denominations by adherents in 2020 were as follows
| Religious Bodies | Tradition | Family | Adherents |
| Non-denominational Christian Churches | Evangelical | Other Groups | 556,698 |
| United Methodist Church | Mainline | Methodist | 239,523 |
| American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. | Mainline | Baptist | 141,304 |
| Episcopal Church | Mainline | Anglican/Episcopal | 124,423 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | Mainline | Lutheran | 98,931 |
| Seventh-day Adventist Church | Evangelical | Adventist | 98,501 |
| Assemblies of God, General Council of the | Evangelical | Pentecostal | 92,604 |
| Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | Mainline | Presbyterian/Reformed | 77,670 |
| African Methodist Episcopal Church | Black | Methodist | 67,960 |
| National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. | Black | Baptist | 66,060 |
read about Protestants in the United States
Catholics in New York
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in New York (31%). The largest Roman Catholic diocese is the Latin Church’s Archdiocese of New York. The largest Eastern Catholic diocese is the Ruthenian Catholic Eparchy of Passaic of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), the largest denomination by adherents in 2020 was the Catholic Church with 6,191,464 adherents.
Since the 1990s, the religious share of Christians has decreased, while Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, and other religions have spread, mainly from immigration. non-Christian religions accounted for 12% of the population. Other Religions include Jews (7%), Islam (2%), Hinduism (2%), Buddhism(1%), and other smaller faiths.
Less than 1% of New York’s population practices New Age and contemporary paganism. Native American religions are also a prominent minority.
Jews in New York
The New York City metropolitan area is home to the largest Jewish community in the United States, and the second-largest in the world after Israel. Judaism accounts for 7% of New York’s population.
Hinduism in New York
New York has the second highest Hindu population in the United States, most of them Indian Americans. It is also home to nearly a quarter of the nation’s Indian American population. Indians in the New York City metropolitan area constitute one of the largest and fastest growing ethnicities in the New York City metropolitan area of the United States. The New York City region is home to the largest Indian American population among metropolitan areas by a significant margin, enumerating 711,174 unifacial individuals by the 2013–2017 U.S. Census American Community Survey estimates.
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Islam in New York
New York with a 2% of Muslim population has the second largest Muslim population in New York, A little over 392,953 professed Islam. New York City had the largest number of Muslims in the US with approximately 75,000.
also read about Race and Ethnicity in New York
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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