Seattle Considered Least Religious Big City in U.S.

The Seattle area, namely King, Pierce and Snohomish counties are now considered the least religious large metro area in the country.

A pre-pandemic trend in sagging Church attendance nationwide showed a sharper decline when parishioners were banned from gathering by some state mandated COVID-19 restrictions.  Many congregations were able to offer services online, with most parishioners who regularly attended services in 2020, attending virtually according to pollster Gallup.

But attendance has not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels at church, synagogue, mosque or temple suggesting Americans are becoming less religious overall.

U.S. Census Numbers Show Decline in Religious Service Attendance in Seattle

In Seattle, approximately two-thirds (64%) say they never attend church or religious services.

The survey was conducted  in January of 2024, estimated around 1.98 million of the total population of 3.1 million residents 18 and older said they did not attend religious services.  The survey pulled from U.S. Census data in all 50 states, ranked the largest 15 metro markets.

Seattle topped the list with 64% identifying non-attenders of religious services.  San Francisco ranked #2 (63%) and Boston was ranked third (56%)

Dallas, by comparison had just 40.5% of respondents reporting they never attending religious services or going less than once a year, Houston and Atlanta had slightly higher percentages.

Why Are Fewer People Attending A House of Worship?

The survey supports the shift on religious practice with fewer Americans identifying with organized religion and engaged in regular religious activities. The country is increasingly secular and more people are focused on their own spirituality.

In progressive Seattle, there is would likely be a more secular community that is less religious than conservative areas in the Southern part of the country.

Seattle is populated with a younger population and it had the highest concentration of adults under 40 of the 15 largest cities in the survey.  Pew research shows 60% of adults under 30 don't attend church.

The Seattle Metro (King, Pierce and Tacoma) area is only 6% Black, the racial or ethnic group most likely to attend religious services. White Americans had the highest (54%)  Seattle had the fewest number of Black residents of the 15 largest cities in 2022

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