California

Denominational Groups, 2000

2,450,003	1,118,209	142,752	10,079,310	1,823,359	18,258,015
Evangelical Protestant	Mainline Protestant	Orthodox	Catholic	Other	Unclaimed

Congregational "adherents" include all full members, their children, and others who regularly attend services. The historically African American denominations are not included in the 2000 congregation and membership totals. Many are also missing in 1990 and most historically African American denominations are missing in the 1980 reports.
[More information on the data sources]

Reports

Religious Bodies	Theology	Congregations	Adherents	Adherence Rate^†
Catholic Church	Catholic	1,315	10,079,310	297.6
Jewish Estimate	Other Theology	425	994,000	29.4
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The	Other Theology	1,316	529,575	15.6
Southern Baptist Convention	Evangelical Protestant	1,392	471,119	13.9
Assemblies of God	Evangelical Protestant	1,222	310,522	9.2
Muslim Estimate	Other Theology	163	259,762	7.7
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)	Mainline Protestant	584	229,918	6.8
United Methodist Church, The	Mainline Protestant	710	228,844	6.8
Independent, Charismatic Churches	Evangelical Protestant	68	195,425	5.8
Seventh-day Adventist Church	Evangelical Protestant	516	187,058	5.5
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America	Mainline Protestant	464	171,110	5.1
American Baptist Churches in the USA	Mainline Protestant	556	170,932	5.1
Episcopal Church	Mainline Protestant	449	168,895	5.0
Independent, Non-Charismatic Churches	Evangelical Protestant	112	134,355	4.0
Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod	Evangelical Protestant	401	130,336	3.9
International Church of the Foursquare Gospel	Evangelical Protestant	578	116,039	3.4
Church of the Nazarene	Evangelical Protestant	411	89,522	2.6
Christian Churches and Churches of Christ	Evangelical Protestant	226	84,169	2.5
Churches of Christ	Evangelical Protestant	707	83,392	2.5
Baptist General Conference	Evangelical Protestant	155	69,649	2.1
Conservative Baptist Association of America	Evangelical Protestant	215	55,435	1.6
Evangelical Free Church of America, The	Evangelical Protestant	175	54,227	1.6
United Church of Christ	Mainline Protestant	244	50,493	1.5
Salvation Army, The	Evangelical Protestant	135	49,330	1.5
Christian and Missionary Alliance, The	Evangelical Protestant	201	44,068	1.3
Reformed Church in America	Mainline Protestant	44	36,358	1.1
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America	Orthodox	41	35,010	1.0
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)	Mainline Protestant	160	34,750	1.0
Evangelical Covenant Church, The	Evangelical Protestant	95	33,994	1.0
Vineyard USA	Evangelical Protestant	107	29,388	0.9
Armenian Apostolic Church / Catholicossate of Cilicia	Orthodox	8	29,200	0.9
Pentecostal Church of God	Evangelical Protestant	246	25,574	0.8
Bahá'í	Other Theology	259	24,849	0.7
Armenian Apostolic Church / Catholicossate of Etchmiadzin	Orthodox	18	24,055	0.7
Wesleyan Church, The	Evangelical Protestant	67	23,858	0.7
Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)	Evangelical Protestant	193	23,558	0.7
Christian Reformed Church in North America	Evangelical Protestant	107	23,359	0.7
International Churches of Christ	Evangelical Protestant	5	20,167	0.6
New Testament Association of Independent Baptist Churches and other Fundamental Baptist Associations/Fellowships	Evangelical Protestant	96	18,720	0.6
Church of God (Anderson, Indiana)	Evangelical Protestant	141	18,215	0.5
North American Baptist Conference	Evangelical Protestant	45	16,772	0.5
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations	Other Theology	73	15,173	0.5
General Association of Regular Baptist Churches	Evangelical Protestant	102	15,130	0.5
International Pentecostal Holiness Church	Evangelical Protestant	111	12,517	0.4
Free Methodist Church of North America	Evangelical Protestant	94	11,749	0.4
Mennonite Brethren Churches, U.S. Conference of	Evangelical Protestant	62	11,698	0.4
American Baptist Association, The	Evangelical Protestant	131	11,612	0.3
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, The	Orthodox	28	11,564	0.3
Presbyterian Church in America	Evangelical Protestant	76	9,955	0.3
Missionary Church, The	Evangelical Protestant	26	9,327	0.3
Friends (Quakers)	Mainline Protestant	75	9,061	0.3
National Association of Congregational Christian Churches	Mainline Protestant	33	8,965	0.3
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod	Evangelical Protestant	46	8,950	0.3
Conservative Congregational Christian Conference	Evangelical Protestant	12	8,555	0.3
Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, North American Dioceses	Orthodox	8	7,884	0.2
Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch	Orthodox	6	7,500	0.2
Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA	Orthodox	11	7,265	0.2
Church of God of Prophecy	Evangelical Protestant	124	6,672	0.2
Community of Christ	Evangelical Protestant	55	6,137	0.2
Orthodox Church in America: Territorial Dioceses	Orthodox	25	6,075	0.2
International Council of Community Churches	Mainline Protestant	24	5,572	0.2
Orthodox Church in America: Bulgarian Diocese	Orthodox	8	4,375	0.1
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Vasiloupulis	Orthodox	10	4,323	0.1
Church of the Brethren	Evangelical Protestant	29	3,983	0.1
National Association of Free Will Baptists	Evangelical Protestant	62	3,891	0.1
Orthodox Presbyterian Church, The	Evangelical Protestant	41	3,756	0.1
Orthodox Church in America: Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America	Orthodox	7	2,813	0.1
Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches	Mainline Protestant	25	2,799	0.1
Mennonite Church USA	Evangelical Protestant	36	2,607	0.1
United Reformed Churches in North America	Evangelical Protestant	11	2,474	0.1
Brethren In Christ Church	Evangelical Protestant	18	1,834	0.1
Baptist Missionary Association of America	Evangelical Protestant	15	1,697	0.1
Evangelical Presbyterian Church	Evangelical Protestant	7	1,557	0.1
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA	Orthodox	4	1,308	0.0
Cumberland Presbyterian Church	Evangelical Protestant	5	1,153	0.0
National Primitive Baptist Convention, USA	Evangelical Protestant	4	1,104	0.0
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite	Evangelical Protestant	3	1,075	0.0
Reformed Church in the United States	Evangelical Protestant	10	931	0.0
Landmark Missionary Baptists, Independent Associations and Unaffiliated Churches	Evangelical Protestant	12	614	0.0
Macedonian Orthodox Church: American Diocese	Orthodox	1	600	0.0
Apostolic Christian Churches (Nazarene)	Evangelical Protestant	10	564	0.0
Association of Free Lutheran Congregations, The	Evangelical Protestant	5	560	0.0
Churches of God, General Conference	Evangelical Protestant	8	555	0.0
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, American Diocese of the	Orthodox	2	525	0.0
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church	Evangelical Protestant	9	405	0.0
Moravian Church in America--Northern Province	Mainline Protestant	2	345	0.0
Protestant Reformed Churches in America	Evangelical Protestant	1	245	0.0
Congregational Christian Churches, Additional (not part of any national CCC body)	Mainline Protestant	1	167	0.0
Holy Orthodox Church in North America	Orthodox	2	165	0.0
Apostolic Christian Church of America, Inc.	Evangelical Protestant	2	132	0.0
Brethren Church, The (Ashland, Ohio)	Evangelical Protestant	4	123	0.0
Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America	Orthodox	1	90	0.0
Mennonite; Other Groups	Evangelical Protestant	3	80	0.0
Church of God General Conference	Evangelical Protestant	2	67	0.0
Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection	Evangelical Protestant	1	28	0.0
Netherlands Reformed Congregations	Evangelical Protestant	1	15	0.0
Tao	Other Theology	19	n.a.	n.a.
Sikh	Other Theology	58	n.a.	n.a.
Southwide Baptist Fellowship	Evangelical Protestant	5	n.a.	n.a.
Buddhism	Other Theology	489	n.a.	n.a.
Calvary Chapel Fellowship Churches	Evangelical Protestant	252	n.a.	n.a.
Primitive Baptist Churches--Old Line	Evangelical Protestant	25	n.a.	n.a.
Jain	Other Theology	7	n.a.	n.a.
Zoroastrian	Other Theology	11	n.a.	n.a.
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia	Orthodox	22	n.a.	n.a.
Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA	Orthodox	2	n.a.	n.a.
Reformed Baptist Churches	Evangelical Protestant	18	n.a.	n.a.
Hindu	Other Theology	131	n.a.	n.a.
Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA (New Gracanica Metropolitanate)	Orthodox	5	n.a.	n.a.
Coptic Orthodox Church	Orthodox	20	n.a.	n.a.
	*Totals (Unadjusted)^:**	16,920	15,613,633
	Total (Adjusted)^:**		18,343,078

The population of these 58 counties (or equivalents) in 1990 was 29,760,021; in 2000 it was 33,871,648. The total population changed 13.8%. The unadjusted adherent totals of the religious groups listed above (15,613,633) include 46.1% of the total population in 2000. The adjusted total adherents (18,343,078) include 54.2% of the population.

Source

^*The “Unadjusted Totals” come from the 1990 and 2000 data collected by representatives of the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB). While quite comprehensive, this data excludes most of the historically African-American denominations and some other major groups. As a result, these numbers will be an underestimate of the total adherence rate, particularly in areas with a large African-American population. The 2000 data included 149 religious groups and the final results are published in Religious Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Copyright © 2002, All rights reserved. The 1990 data included 132 groups and the final results are published in Churches and Church Membership in the United States 1990 Copyright © 1990, All rights reserved. Published by Glenmary Research Center, 1312 Fifth Ave., North, Nashville, TN 37208. www.glenmary.org [More information on the data collection]

^**The “Adjusted Totals” include all adherents in the denominations counted by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) and estimates adherent totals for the historically African-American denominations and other religious groups not listed in the ASARB totals. An article by Roger Finke and Christopher P. Scheitle (2005) reviews how these estimates were computed.

^†The adherence rate provides the number of adherents of a particular group per 1,000 population. For example, in 2000 the Episcopal Church had an adherence rate of approximately 8 (8.1) in Autauga County, Alabama. This means that 8 out of every 1,000 people in Autauga County are Episcopalian.

[More information on the data source]