The number of Catholics in the United States is estimated to be roughly between 52 million and 77 million, depending on the source and method of counting.
- According to Pew Research Center data from 2025, about 20% of U.S. adults identify as Catholic. With approximately 267 million adults in 2024, this translates to roughly 53 million Catholic adults nationwide
- Other estimates, such as from the 2020 U.S. Religion Census and related studies, report around 61.9 million Catholics, about 18.7% of the total U.S. population
- The Official Catholic Directory and diocesan reports from 2020 indicate about 67.6 million Catholics, representing roughly 20.4% of the U.S. population
- Some surveys, like the 2018 National Opinion Research Center General Social Survey, suggest a higher figure near 77 million Catholics, or about 23% of the population
- The Catholic Church is the largest single religious denomination in the U.S., with the Catholic population being the second-largest religious group after Protestantism overall
In summary, the Catholic population in the U.S. is generally estimated to be in the range of 50 to 75 million people, representing approximately 20% to 23% of the total U.S. population. The variation depends on whether the count includes only registered parish members, self-identified Catholics, or broader survey estimates
