Christianity is far and away the largest religion in the United States. Over three-quarters of Americans identify themselves as Christians. The same could be said for Alabama, where Christianity is the largest religion in every county in the state. But the second-largest religion may come as a bit of a surprise.
Using data compiled by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, the map below shows the second-largest religion in each U.S. state. Buddhism is the second-largest religion out West, Judaism has a large presence in the Northeast, and in the Midwest and South — including Alabama — Islam represents the largest non-Christian religious bloc.
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When broken down to the county level, it’s easy to see just how dominant Christianity is in Alabama.
In 15 counties in the state, other religions do not even have a large enough presence to be statistically relevant. Documenting the second largest religion in 34 Alabama counties is reliant on potentially sketchy data supplied by faiths that keep track of their adherents through mailing lists, rather than congregations.
Interestingly, Judaism has a strong presence in Jefferson and Montgomery counties, but is almost non-existent in the rest of the state. Meanwhile, Hinduism is the second-largest religious bloc in Shelby and Limestone, And Buddhism has pockets of activity in Russell and Tallapoosa counties.
Unsurprisingly, Southern Baptists are by far the largest denomination of Christians in Alabama. The only two counties in the state where they are not the largest group are Wilcox and Macon.
What are some of the things you take away from these maps on religion in Alabama? Let us know in the comment section below or by tweeting @YHPolitics.
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
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