Mississippi among 10 most religious states, but not as high as you may think. Where it ranks & why
Mississippi’s ranking among the “most religious” states in the country is no shocker, but some may be surprised to learn that the Bible-belt state isn’t in the top five, according to a new study.
The state ranked seventh for most religious states, falling between North Carolina and Indiana, according to an August SmileHub ranking.
The ranking used data from multiple sites, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Gallup and Pew Research Center, and compared each state based on the following three categories: religious interest and places of worship, religious education and careers and religion-affiliated organizations.
So how does Mississippi’s religiosity compare to other states? Here’s what the ranking found.
What are the most religious states in the U.S.?
These are the top 10 most religious states in the U.S. and how they ranked in each category, according to SmileHub:
1. Virginia
Religious interest and places of worship: #14
Religious education and careers: #1
Religious affiliated organizations: #11
2. Tennessee
Religious interest and places of worship: #4
Religious education and careers: #20
Religious affiliated organizations: #6
3. Alabama
Religious interest and places of worship: #6
Religious education and careers: #6
Religious affiliated organizations: #14
4. South Carolina
Religious interest and places of worship: #2
Religious education and careers: #15
Religious affiliated organizations: #17
5. Texas
Religious interest and places of worship: #3
Religious education and careers: #43
Religious affiliated organizations: #1
6. North Carolina
Religious interest and places of worship: #7
Religious education and careers: #23
Religious affiliated organizations: #3
7. Mississippi
Religious interest and places of worship: #1
Religious education and careers: #27
Religious affiliated organizations: #26
8. Indiana
Religious interest and places of worship: #17
Religious education and careers: #8
Religious affiliated organizations: #12
9. Georgia
Religious interest and places of worship: #8
Religious education and careers: #36
Religious affiliated organizations: #8
10. Pennsylvania
Religious interest and places of worship: #24
Religious education and careers: #10
Religious affiliated organizations: #7
How did Mississippi rank in each category?
Researchers looked at 15 metrics, from congregations per capita to Google Search interest for faith and religion terms, to score each category.
Mississippi had the highest number of adults who said they are very religious and the most people who said they pray at least daily, leading to the state earning the top spot in the religious interest and places of worship category, according to SmileHub.
The state also ranked fourth highest for Google searches including the term “religion,” according to the ranking.
What is Mississippi’s religious composition?
The number of Mississippians who identify as religious has decreased slightly in the last decade, according to 2024 data from Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study.
Seventy-eight percent of adults in Mississippi are religious, down 7 percentage points from 2014 when 85% of Mississippians said they were religious, according to the study.
A majority of religious adults in Mississippi, 77%, identify as Christian today, researchers said. One percent of adults in Mississippi identify with non-Christian religions, and 18% of Mississippians are religiously unaffiliated, according to the study.
