Data, Datasets, and Statistics

This page provides links to sources of data, datasets, and statistics devoted to religion and made available through U.S. Government agencies, nonprofit entities, and international organizations. Links to other datasets and statistics can be found through the navigation tabs.

• Association of Religious Data Archive: The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) strives to democratize access to the best data on religion. Founded as the American Religion Data Archive in 1997 and going online in 1998, the initial archive was targeted at researchers interested in American religion. The targeted audience and the data collection have both greatly expanded since 1998, now including American and international collections submitted by the foremost religion scholars and research centers in the world. 

• 2022 PRRI Census of American Religion: Religious Affiliation Updates and Trends: The 2022 PRRI Census of American Religion update is part of an annual update to the groundbreaking 2020 PRRI Census of American Religion, the first study to provide reliable county-level religious affiliation data. PRRI, Public Religion Research Institute, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to conducting independent research at the intersection of religion, culture, and public policy.

• Religious Landscape Study: The Religious Landscape Study, conducted in 2007 and 2014, surveys more than 35,000 Americans from all 50 states about their religious affiliations, beliefs and practices, and social and political views. The data is made available through the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.

• U.S. Religion Census: The U.S. Religion Census was originally conducted by the U.S. government in five special reports from 1890 through 1936. In 1952, the National Council of Churches organized its own religion census, which was repeated in 1971 and 1980 with strong support from Glenmary Research Center. Since 1990, this decadal census has been conducted by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Coverage now includes many non-Christian groups as well as special counts for religious traditions that do not have central data collection points, such as non-denominational churches or Muslim and Jewish communities.

• World Factbook - Religions: The World Factbook, produced for U.S. policymakers and coordinated throughout the U.S. Intelligence Community, presents the basic realities about the world in which we live. We share these facts with the people of all nations in the belief that knowledge of the truth underpins the functioning of free societies.