How religious is MS compared to other states? Here’s what a new study found
Mississippi is the most religious state in the country, with half of the people in the state being highly religious, according to a new study that ranks states based on four measures of religiousness.
The Magnolia State ranks first in each of the following four categories measured: religion’s importance, religious attendance, frequency of prayer and belief in God or a universal spirit, according to a September study by Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank.
More Mississippians also said they consider themselves spiritual than people in any other state, with 47% saying they are very spiritual, according to Pew.
Here’s what Mississippi’s religious profile looks like and how it compares to other states.
Religion in Mississippi
In each of the categories measured, Mississippians were more religious than the general American public, according to Pew Research Center.
Here’s what Mississippi residents said:
Importance of religion:
81% said religion was very or somewhat important
16% not too important or not at all
Attendance at religious services:
54% attend at least once or twice a month
10% a few times a year
36% seldom or never
Frequency of prayer:
62% pray at least once a day
17% weekly
3% monthly
15% seldom or never
Belief in God or a universal spirit:
74% said they were absolutely certain about their belief in God or a universal spirit
20% believe, but are not absolutely certain
7% do not believe
10 most religious states in the US?
These are the top 10 most religious states in the country, with some states tied in the ranking, according to Pew Research Center:
1. Mississippi
2. South Carolina
3. South Dakota and Louisiana
5. Tennessee
6. Utah
7. North Carolina
8. Arkansas and Alabama
10. Kansas
10 least religious states in the US?
These are the 10 least religious states in the country, with some states tied in the ranking, according to Pew Research Center:
1. Vermont
2. New Hampshire
3. Maine
4. District of Columbia
5. Nevada and Oregon
7. Massachusetts
8. Hawaii and Iowa
10. Rhode Island
How did think tank measure religiousness?
Pew Research Center analyzed data from their 2023-2024 Religion Landscape Study — a survey of 36,908 U.S. adults conducted from July 17, 2023 to March 4, 2024 — to compare all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Researchers combined the four categories into a scale of overall religiousness. The margin of error for data across each state varied. Mississippi had a margin of error of plus or minus 7.7 percentage points.
