The number of people practicing the Catholic faith in the United States has grown over the last decade.
The concentration of Catholics has also shifted. The Northeast and Midwest were once the center of the Catholic faith in the U.S., but the share of Catholic churches and congregations there decreased from 2010 to 2020. Meanwhile, the faith is increasing in the South and southwestern states.
Nevada saw the highest increase in the number of Catholics over that time period, growing 8%, according to data from the U.S. Religion Census and the U.S. Census Bureau, which are unrelated. Arizona saw a 6.7% increase in its number of Catholics over that time period, as the share of Catholics rose from 14.6% in 2010 to 21.3% in 2020. In the South, Florida and North Carolina saw significant growth, with the number of Catholics increasing by 5.7% and 4.8%, respectively.
Massachusetts saw the steepest decline, with its number of Catholics decreasing by 9.4%.
When broken down by race and ethnicity, Catholicism is growing the fastest among Hispanics in the U.S. According to data from Pew Research Center, 29% of all Catholics in the U.S. were Hispanic in 2007. That share grew to 36% by the end of 2024.
While the data was collected beforehand, it comes as the Vatican chose its first American pope, Pope Leo XIV. The Diocese of Tucson shared that Pope Leo responded to a congratulatory text message from its apostolic administrator, Bishop Kicanas.
‘VIVA IL PAPA!’ CATHOLICS CELEBRATE NEW POPE
“Many blessings to the people of Tucson!” the pope wrote. Arizona has a high concentration of Catholics along its border with Mexico, notably in the mid-sized city of Yuma.
After he delivered a mass to journalists, Pope Leo suggested that an American pope could bring more U.S. residents to the faith, according to NBC News.