How much more religious is SC than other states? Here’s what Pew Research Center says
South Carolina ranks as the second most religious state in the nation, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank, with 46% of South Carolinians being highly religious.
To determine the religiousness of each state, Pew Research Center analyzed data from the 2023-2024 Religion Landscape Study, a national cross-sectional survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonprofit social research organization.
This study surveyed 36,908 U.S. adults between July 17, 2023, and March 4, 2024, asking four questions relating to religious beliefs, affiliations and practices to find the “overall religiousness” ranking for all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
In each of the four questions analyzed, the Palmetto State ranks within the top five, contributing to its final combined score as the second most religious state.
This study included many religious affiliations, including Christian, Catholic, Latter-day Saint, Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Agnostic, and Atheist.
Here’s a breakdown of each survey question and how South Carolina ranks:
Importance of religion
- 55% say religion is very important in their lives
- SC ranks 2nd
Religious attendance
- 47% say they attend religious services at least monthly
- SC ranks 4th
Frequency of prayer
- 57% say they pray daily
- SC ranks 4th
Belief in God
- 71% say they believe in God or a universal spirit with absolute certainty
- SC ranks 4th
In addition to these four facets of the religiousness study, the Pew Research Center found that South Carolinians also consider themselves more spiritual than other states, with 50% of Palmetto State residents saying they “feel a deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being” at least once a week.
It’s important to note that the margin of error for the data varied across each state. South Carolina had a margin of error of plus or minus 6.3 percentage points.
Here’s how other states scored in this study:
Top 10 most religious states
Some states tied in this ranking, according to the Pew Research Center:
1. Mississippi
2. South Carolina
3 and 4. South Dakota and Louisiana
5. Tennessee
6. Utah
7. North Carolina
8 and 9. Arkansas and Alabama
10. Kansas
The 10 least religious states
Some states also tied in this ranking, according to the Pew Research Center:
1. Vermont
2. New Hampshire
3. Maine
4. District of Columbia
5 and 6. Nevada and Oregon
7. Massachusetts
8 and 9. Hawaii and Iowa
10. Rhode Island
To view the full state religiousness study, click here.
