A recent report from the Public Religion Research Institute found that Montgomery County is the most religiously diverse county in the nation.
The Census of American Religion, which was released August 29, has gained notoriety as county officials have referenced it in the past week. The report aims to assess religious diversity by analyzing 18 different religious groups in U.S. counties with populations of more than 10,000 residents. It focuses on adults only.
The report scores counties from a 0 to a 1 – a 0 standing for no religious diversity, and a 1 standing for complete religious diversity. Montgomery County scored 0.886. The average score across all counties was 0.615, and the lowest score was 0.217. The study found that diversity was highest in urban centers and lowest in rural areas, particularly in the South.
When the study was last performed by the Public Religion Research Institute in 2020, Montgomery County came in third behind the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, according to Religion News Service.
According to report data, Montgomery County ranks among the top ten counties nationwide for the highest concentration of several minority religious groups with populations larger than 10,000, including:
– the second largest concentration of Orthodox Christians (2% of the county population),
– the third largest concentration of Hindus (3% of the county population),
– the fourth largest concentration of Jews (9% of the county population),
– the fourth largest concentration of Muslims (3% of the county population,
– the fifth largest concentration of Buddhists (3% of the county population),
– the fifth largest concentration of Unitarian Universalists (1% of the county population)
Black Protestants make up the largest portion of the county’s religious population at 10%, while 17.8% of county residents are religiously unaffiliated.
The county is home to more than 600 houses of worship, according to Kate Chance, faith community outreach manager for the county’s Office of Community Partnerships.
