A survey conducted by polling giant Gallup has found that the Yellowhammer State is the number two most religious state in the nation, second only to neighboring Mississippi.
According to the report, 56 percent of Alabamians are “very religious,” while 59 percent of Mississippians are said to be as devout. Utah came in third with 54 percent of respondents also ranking strongly in the poll.
Vermont was the least faith-filled state, as only 21 percent of residents say they are very religious.
Respondents’ answers were ranked based on views about church attendance and religion. Very religious Americans were said to have claimed that attending church services every week or nearly every week is of great importance.
Gallup has tracked religious patterns of the states since 2008, with Alabama consistently placing second. The firm says that the top states are almost always from the South.
“Most of the top 10 highly religious states over the past nine years have been in the South, except for Utah, where the highly religious Mormon population helps put it in the top 10 consistently,” the report says. “In 2016, the only other non-Southern state in the top 10 was South Dakota.”
A related 2016 study found that Birmingham is the most religious city in Alabama. The Magic City is home to over 600 churches in over 35 denominations, including the state’s largest church, Church of the Highlands.
This study by Sperlings Best Places asked adults of Alabama’s largest cities if they considered themselves religious. Small, but likely highly devout, towns were not surveyed.
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