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Religion in Texas
Texas had rich and diverse religious cultures, and the freedom to practice beliefs has helped give rise to a highly unique religious pluralism and freedom. Texas is the US state with the second largest population, Christianity being the majority religion and Protestantism as its largest branch.
Despite Protestants having the majority still Texas has a good percentage of Roman Catholics. Since the 1990s, the religious share of Christians has decreased, and the Irreligious population is increasing. Other non Christians based faith i.e. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, and other religions have spread, mainly from immigration.
also read about Race and Ethnicity in Texas
Table of Content
Texas Religion Percentage
Christianity is the largest religion followed by 77% of the population. The largest Christian denomination in Texas is Protestants (50%) followed by Roman Catholics (23%), Mormonism (1%), Jehovah’s Witness (1%) and Other Christians (3%)
Non-Christian faiths account for 4%, and the remaining 18% are classified as unaffiliated, which can mean agnostic, atheist, or “nothing in particular.”
Other Religion includes Judaism (1%), Islam (1%), Buddhism (1%) and Hinduism, and other smaller faiths.
| Religion/Affiliations | Percentage |
| Christians | 77% |
| – Protestantism | -50% |
| – Roman Catholicism | -23% |
| – Mormonism | -1% |
| – Other Christian | -3% |
| Other Religion | 4% |
| -Judaism | – 1% |
| -Islam | – 1% |
| -Buddhism | – 1% |
| -Hinduism | – <1% |
| – Other faiths | – <1% |
| No religion /Unaffiliated | 18% |
| Don’t know | 1% |
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Christianity in Texas
Christianity with 77% followers is the largest in Texas. All Protestant denominations accounted for 50% of the population, Catholics are 23% of the population and are the largest individual denomination if Protestantism is divided into various denominations instead of being counted as a single category.
Of the Protestants in the state, Evangelical Protestants compose 31% of the population, Mainline Protestants 13%, and Historically Black Protestants 6%.
Rest include Mormons, Eastern Orthodoxy, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and other smaller denominations.
| Christianity Affiliations | Percentage |
| Protestantism | 50% |
| – Evangelical Protestant | – 31% |
| – Mainline Protestant | – 13% |
| – Black church | – 6% |
| Roman Catholicism | 23% |
| Mormonism | 1% |
| Eastern Orthodoxy | <1% |
| Jehovah’s Witnesses | 1% |
| Other Christians | 1% |
Source: Pew Research
read about Christianity in United States
Protestantism in Texas
Among Christians in Texas, Protestantism is the largest group comprising about 50% 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 31% of the population, Next are Mainline Protestants (16%), and Historically Black Protestants are 6%.
| Protestants Affiliation | % of population |
| Evangelical Protestant | 31% |
| Mainline Protestant | 13% |
| 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 Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), the largest Protestant denominations by adherents in 2010 were the Southern Baptist Convention, United Methodist Church, and Churches of Christ.
| Religious Bodies | Tradition | Family | Adherents |
| Southern Baptist Convention | Evangelical Protestant | Baptist Family | 3,319,962 |
| Non-denominational Christian Churches | Evangelical Protestant | Other Groups Family | 2,405,786 |
| United Methodist Church | Mainline Protestant | Methodist Family | 938,399 |
| Churches of Christ | Evangelical Protestant | Restorationists Family | 312,132 |
| Assemblies of God, General Council of the | Evangelical Protestant | Pentecostal Family | 296,826 |
| National Missionary Baptist Convention of America | Black Protestant | Baptist Family | 294,954 |
| Episcopal Church | Mainline Protestant | Anglican/Episcopal Family | 134,318 |
| Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) | Evangelical Protestant | Lutheran Family | 112,900 |
| Seventh-day Adventist Church | Evangelical Protestant | Adventist Family | 99,868 |
| Church of God in Christ | Black Protestant | Pentecostal Family | 92,815 |
read about Protestants in the United States
Catholics in Texas
Catholic Church in Texas is at 23 % of the state population and is the second largest religious grouping after Protestantism. As per a study, Catholic Church membership has been increasing in recent times and it is estimated at 28% of the population in 2020.
The largest Catholic jurisdictions in Texas are the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston—the first and oldest Latin Church diocese in Texas—the dioceses of Dallas, Fort Worth, and the Archdiocese of San Antonio. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), the largest denomination by adherents in 2020 was the Catholic Church with 5,905,142 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 faiths accounted for 4% of the religious population in 2014, and 5% in 2020 per the Pew Research Center and Public Religion Research Institute. Other Religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, Jews, Islam, and other smaller faiths.
Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism were tied as the second largest religion as of 2014 and 2020.
Jews in Texas
The Jewish population was around 128,000 in 2008. In 2020, the Jewish population grew to over 176,000.
Hinduism in Texas
Tex has a sizeable Hindu and Sikh population, most of them Indian Americans. Around 146,000 adherents of religions such as Hinduism and Sikhism lived in Texas as of 2004.
Islam in Texas
Texas is the fifth-largest Muslim-populated state in the country. In 1990, the Islamic population was about 140,000 with more recent figures putting the current number of Muslims between 350,000 and 400,000 as of 2012.
also read about Race and Ethnicity in Texas
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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