Most and Least Religious States

There really is a Bible Belt, according to the findings of a Gallup survey on religion.

If you take a look at the states that are most religious, based on how people answer two questions (how important religion is in their lives and how often they attend religious services), they form a belt across the lower portion of the United States stretching from South Carolina to Texas. Gallup nicely provides a map, making it easy to see the belt.

In Mississippi, 59 percent of the population is very religious--more than in any other state. At the other extreme, only 23 percent of the populations of Vermont and New Hampshire are very religious. State differences in religiosity are due to "state culture" more than demographics. Says Gallup: "It appears there is something about the culture and normative structure of a state, no doubt based partly on that state's history, that affects its residents' propensity to attend religious services and to declare that religion is important in their daily lives."

Source: Gallup, Mississippi Is Most Religious U.S. State