Fascinating Map Shows America’s Second Most Popular Religions by State

There’s no shortage of disagreement over whether or not the U.S. is a “Christian nation.” And while nominal Christians continue to dominate statistical tallies, true biblical faith is increasingly unpopular.

But if America isn’t a “Christian nation,” what is it?

The Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, a group which assists in the U.S. Census, recently released an interesting map showing which religions rank No. 2 throughout the country.

(Image credit: Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies/Washington Post)

Islam ranks as the second most prevalent religion in 20 states, many of which in the Bible belt. Judaism is the second most common faith in most of the Northeast, while towards the West, 13 states are noted for their sizeable Buddhist minorities. Hinduism is only the No. 2 religion in two states, Arizona and Delaware.

Notably, the survey considers Mormonism a form of Christianity, failing to account for the religion’s sizable majority in Utah over Christian sects including Catholicism, Protestantism, and the like.