Texas is one of the most religious states in the country, according to a new study by SmileHub, a nonprofit tech company that uses data to rate charities.
The company’s state rankings, released Tuesday, rated Texas as the third most religious state. The rankings weighed three categories: “religious interest and places of worship,” “religious education and careers,” and “religious-affiliated organizations.”
Texas ranked first in religious-affiliated organizations, second in religious interest and places of worship, and 42nd in religious education and careers. It ranked first in two additional subcategories: “most faith and religious support charities per capita” and “highest Google search index for faith and religious terms.” Texas ranked second in the subcategory for “most religious establishments per capita.”
The South dominated the overall religious ranking, with Alabama placing first, followed by Virginia, Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
Maine, New Hampshire, Nevada, Vermont, and Alaska were the least religious states.
SmileHub’s methodology for the rankings included several metrics for each category.
The religious interest and places of worship category was determined primarily by the number of people who consider religion very important in their lives, the share of people who attend weekly religious services, and the number of places of worship per capita.
The number of religious degrees and jobs per capita determined the religious education and careers category.
The number of religious charities and establishments per capita determined the religious-affiliated organizations category.
More than three-quarters of Texans identify as Christian, according to Pew Research. The survey also tracked the prevalence of members of specific denominations, with Evangelical Protestants placing first at 31%, followed by Catholics at 23%, Mainline Protestants at 13%, and Historically Black Protestants at 6%.
Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists each represent 1% of the Texas religious community. Orthodox Christians and Hindi each represent less than 1%.
Eighteen percent of Texans identified as “unaffiliated.” This includes 13% who identified as “nothing in particular,” 3% as agnostic, and 2% as atheist.
The new SmileHub ranking counters a 2016 Pew Research survey that placed Texas in a tie for the 11th most religious state. The Pew study showed Texas ranked 10th among those who “say religion is very important in their lives,” 10th among those who “say they attend worship services at least weekly,” 11th among those who “say they pray daily,” and 13th among those who “say they believe in God with absolute certainty.”
The Pew ranking similarly placed Alabama first, followed by Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
