The Most Religious States in the US revealed, Based on Prayer, Belief and Church Attendance

• Mississippi is the most religious state in the country, earning the nation’s top score thanks to ranking first in six out of 10 metrics, including belief in God, monthly church attendance and frequency of prayer.
• Every state in the top five sits firmly inside the Bible Belt, reinforcing how strongly the region’s culture continues to shape American religious life.
• South Dakota is the only non–Bible Belt state to break into the top 10, powered by exceptionally high church attendance and one of the largest shares of religious adherents in the country.
• Metrics such as frequency of prayer and belief in God remain high nationwide, illustrating the enduring role of faith in American life, even in states that rank lower overall.
• Arkansas, South Carolina, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Georgita round out the top 10.
• On the other hand, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine ranked at the bottom of the list, as the least religious states.

Religion has long played a meaningful role in American culture, shaping everything from politics and community life to holidays, philanthropy and how parents raise their children. 

Even as some national surveys show the share of adults identifying with a religious tradition declining, belief in God and spiritual practice remain widespread across the United States. In fact, the Pew Research Center reported just last year that nearly 70 percent of adults say they believe in God or a higher power, underscoring how deeply faith continues to influence daily life.

A new study from MyCounselor.Online offers fresh insight into where religion matters most, ranking all 50 states across 10 major indicators of religiosity. 

The study looked at everything from how often residents pray and attend church, to the number of congregations, religious workers, and even how many theological degrees are earned per capita. 

1. Mississippi (Total Score: 86.71)

Mississippi takes the crown as the most religious state in the country, and it’s not even close. The Magnolia State ranks first nationally in six key metrics: the importance of religion in daily life (61 percent), belief in God (74 percent), frequency of prayer (62 percent), monthly church attendance (54 percent), and the share of religious adherents (50 percent). It also ranks second for congregations per 100,000 residents, with an impressive 242.53 congregations statewide.

While Mississippi scores lower in categories like religious workforce (40th) and religious degrees (35th), its exceptionally high engagement levels more than make up for it. As a deep-rooted part of the Bible Belt, the state’s churches often serve as major social hubs, which helps explain why residents rank the highest in the nation for the personal importance they place on faith.

2. Arkansas (Total Score: 76.42)

Arkansas claims second place, standing out with the highest number of congregations per capita in the entire country (246.65 per 100,000 people). The state also ranks second for belief in God (73 percent) and frequency of prayer (58 percent). Monthly church attendance sits at 41 percent, earning it a top-10 spot.

As another stronghold of the Bible Belt, Arkansas’s high level of religious infrastructure reflects a long history of community-centered faith traditions. While it ranks slightly lower in categories like religious events (33rd) and religious degrees (33rd), the state’s overall profile shows a deeply ingrained religious culture supported by an unusually dense network of congregations.

3. South Carolina (Total Score: 75.44)

South Carolina rounds out the top three with some of the strongest participation numbers in the country. The state ranks fourth for monthly church attendance (47 percent) and second for religious adherents (46 percent). It also ranks second for the share of residents who consider religion important in their lives (55 percent).

Interestingly, South Carolina’s congregations per capita (160.30) rank lower than the top two states, suggesting that high levels of engagement and belief, not just the number of churches, drive its strong score. As part of the Bible Belt, the state’s faith traditions remain woven into local identity, community events and family life.

4. Louisiana (Total Score: 73.73)

Louisiana brings a unique religious landscape shaped by African American church traditions, Protestant denominations and its strong Catholic heritage. The state ranks third for belief in God (72 percent) and religious adherents (45 percent), and fifth for monthly church attendance (45 percent). It also performs very strongly in religious degrees (8th) and religious workforce (7th).

5. Tennessee (Total Score: 70.71)

Tennessee maintains its reputation as a hub of evangelical culture. The Volunteer State ranks sixth for congregations per capita (193.85) and fifth for frequency of prayer (56 percent). It also places second nationwide for its religion-related workforce, a notable sign of active ministry and faith-based service roles statewide.

6. Alabama (Total Score: 70.56)

Alabama stays true to its Bible Belt roots, ranking fifth for congregations (214.08 per 100,000) and seventh for belief in God (66 percent). Monthly church attendance remains high at 44 percent (ranked 6th). Although it places lower in religious events (36th), the state’s strong church-centered communities contribute to its overall ranking.

7. North Carolina (Total Score: 67.60)

North Carolina blends traditional southern religiosity with growing urban spiritual diversity. The state ranks sixth for religious adherents (41 percent) and fourth for religion-related workforce. Impressively, it ranks fifth for religious degrees per capita, suggesting a strong interest in theological education.

8. Oklahoma (Total Score: 65.12)

Oklahoma leads the entire country in one major category: religion-related workforce, ranking first nationally. It also places ninth for congregations and performs well in frequency of prayer (7th). Despite ranking lower in religious degrees (40th), Oklahoma’s strong ministry presence and community involvement help secure its top-10 position.

9. South Dakota (Total Score: 64.96)

The only non–Bible Belt state in the top 10, South Dakota shows that high religious engagement isn’t limited to the South. It ranks second for monthly church attendance (50 percent), fourth for congregations, and third for religious adherents. Its lower scores in religious events and religious workforce pull its total down, but its participation metrics are among the strongest in the nation.

10. Georgia (Total Score: 61.94)

Georgia closes out the top 10, with strong rankings in prayer frequency (56 percent, 5th) and belief in God (66 percent, tied 6th). While it ranks lower in congregations (25th) and religious degrees (22nd), its consistent mid-to-high performance across multiple categories helps secure its spot among the most religious states.

The full list of the most religious states in the US:

Rank	State	Importance of religion in one’s life (%)	Belief in God or universal spirit (%)	Congregations per 100K	Religious adherents (%)	Frequency of prayer (%)	Monthly church attendance (%)	Religion-related workforce per 100K	Religious events per 100K	Religious degrees per 100K	Bible Belt State (Yes/No)	Total Score
1	Mississippi	61	74	242.53	50	62	54	16.79	2.04	12.40	Yes	86.71
2	Arkansas	51	73	246.65	40	58	41	26.94	2.57	12.45	Yes	76.42
3	South Carolina	55	71	160.30	46	57	47	33.05	4.31	24.65	Yes	75.44
4	Louisiana	54	72	141.70	45	58	45	33.51	3.04	32.77	Yes	73.73
5	Tennessee	51	67	193.85	36	56	43	36.59	3.01	22.65	Yes	70.71
6	Alabama	51	66	214.08	40	50	44	27.99	2.31	21.22	Yes	70.56
7	North Carolina	51	65	155.18	41	54	39	34.99	3.21	38.99	Yes	67.60
8	Oklahoma	43	61	180.99	38	54	42	39.28	6.78	10.27	Yes	65.12
9	South Dakota	50	62	219.25	45	49	50	11.81	0.75	8.27	No	64.96
10	Georgia	49	66	120.34	38	56	38	28.44	3.19	17.50	Yes	61.94
11	Kentucky	43	63	180.72	37	53	39	31.75	1.73	12.41	Sometimes	60.46
12	Kansas	43	63	157.39	38	50	39	32.14	6.02	18.33	No	56.15
13	Texas	45	62	102.07	42	50	38	27.36	9.67	10.55	Sometimes	55.28
14	Utah	43	55	183.95	13	51	48	33.45	144.78	3.54	Sometimes	55.19
15	North Dakota	43	59	186.37	38	41	43	17.66	1.12	15.79	No	53.36
16	West Virginia	40	56	227.01	27	47	30	32.10	1.02	20.23	Sometimes	52.93
17	Idaho	45	58	137.78	37	43	40	23.72	67.91	8.02	No	52.60
18	Virginia	43	57	121.24	25	47	37	27.91	5.85	163.01	Sometimes	51.32
19	Missouri	38	55	147.17	33	44	36	36.00	5.41	16.19	Sometimes	49.75
20	Indiana	43	56	133.05	36	45	37	26.33	4.88	17.23	No	48.26
21	New Mexico	41	57	113.58	34	49	34	19.63	7.48	9.02	No	45.05
22	Montana	37	51	162.88	33	44	33	22.22	47.24	2.19	No	44.69
23	Nebraska	37	56	145.60	30	39	38	26.84	5.93	4.84	No	43.27
24	Florida	39	59	81.30	30	46	31	24.92	3.94	10.47	Sometimes	42.64
25	Alaska	34	50	172.35	26	38	25	34.96	26.89	0.81	No	38.91
26	Wyoming	35	53	166.07		42	33	29.48	71.17	11.35	No	38.64
27	Maryland	39	54	92.52	27	46	29	28.96	8.24	14.87	No	38.30
28	Delaware	40	56	97.58	29	43	33	14.80	1.87	0.00	No	37.74
29	Michigan	35	54	96.20	30	44	32	20.18	3.53	14.04	No	37.43
30	Ohio	37	52	117.85	28	42	32	19.24	2.01	17.63	No	37.30
31	Illinois	35	50	94.85	31	42	33	23.37	2.50	16.21	No	36.48
32	Pennsylvania	33	50	116.40	26	40	28	24.32	2.74	32.42	No	34.34
33	Arizona	36	51	73.33	27	45	32	16.20	29.64	19.45	No	34.32
34	New Jersey	34	51	65.36	29	42	31	16.76	1.66	79.44	No	33.87
35	Wisconsin	29	50	104.91	31	38	29	27.07	2.67	18.18	No	33.76
36	Minnesota	33	49	104.62	27	33	32	25.70	2.40	34.27	No	32.94
37	Iowa	28	47	151.14	21	31	30	33.94	5.51	36.30	No	32.24
38	Washington	30	44	80.41	29	35	27	25.05	22.83	15.65	No	28.19
39	New York	33	47	68.45	25	37	26	15.67	1.80	86.64	No	28.15
40	Colorado	30	46	75.05	24	38	27	22.78	12.31	15.41	No	26.63
41	California	31	46	59.61	24	39	27	23.96	10.59	13.42	No	26.00
42	Hawaii	29	48	97.85	21	34	19	27.16	9.65	19.71	No	25.06
43	Connecticut	33	44	80.12	23	39	22	10.17	3.24	29.70	No	24.27
44	Rhode Island	30	44	64.52	22	31	27	20.51	0.54	20.78	No	21.94
45	Nevada	30	48	49.60	19	41	20	6.23	31.32	0.12	No	19.92
46	Oregon	26	41	96.10	19	29	20	23.35	41.48	10.42	No	19.82
47	Vermont	16	30	127.98	35	22	17	13.88	1.70	42.42	No	17.48
48	Maine	23	38	115.53	17	32	19	22.05	1.13	13.68	No	17.48
49	Massachusetts	26	40	61.98	20	31	20	14.13	1.94	25.60	No	15.65
50	New Hampshire	16	33	76.08	15	25	18	12.01	0.85	6.57	No	5.79

Methodology

This study ranked US states by religiosity using 10 key metrics related to religion. Each metric was scaled and assigned a weight to reflect its impact on overall religiosity. The weighted scores were totaled for each state to produce a final ranking.

The metrics and their respective weights are:

• Importance of Religion in one’s life (%) – 15%
• Belief in God or Universal spirit (%) – 15%
• Congregations per 100,000 people – 15%
• Religious Adherents (%) – 15%
• Frequency of Prayer (%) – 10%
• Monthly Church Attendance (%) – 10%
• Religion-Related Workforce per 100,000 People – 5%
• Religious Events per 100,000 Residents – 5%
• Religious Degrees per 100,000 People – 5%
• Bible Belt State (Yes/No) – 5%

Sources

Pew Research Center

U.S. Religion Census

Data USA

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