Metro-Area Religious Demographics

Atlanta Metro Area

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) • Georgia

👥 Population: 6,482,182 (2025 MSA estimate)📉 Unaffiliated: 24% (2023-24)

Metropolitan Religious Landscape

The Atlanta metropolitan area has a strongly Christian religious profile alongside a substantial and increasingly diverse population of other faiths and religiously unaffiliated adults. The area is particularly notable for its large historically Black Protestant population, major evangelical and mainline Protestant communities, and long-established Catholic institutions. Atlanta and its suburbs also contain Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and other religious communities. Pew Research Center's 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study estimates that 64% of adults in the Atlanta metro area identify as Christian, 11% identify with non-Christian religions, 24% are religiously unaffiliated, and less than 1% did not answer the religious-identification question.

Religious-Affiliation Breakdown

Pew RLS 2023-24

Percentages represent adult population survey estimates for the metropolitan area.

Religious Group	Share (%)	Subgroups & Community Context
Evangelical Protestant	27%	Baptist family (12%) Nondenominational family (9%) Pentecostal family (2%) Presbyterian family (1%) Restorationist family (1%) Nonspecific Protestant family (1%) Other evangelical traditions (generally less than 1% each)
Mainline Protestant	10%	Baptist family (3%) Methodist family (3%) Nondenominational family (1%) Lutheran family (1%) Presbyterian family (1%) Episcopal/Anglican family (1%)
Historically Black Protestant	16%	Baptist family (12%) Methodist family (1%) Pentecostal family (1%) Nonspecific Protestant family (1%) Other historically Black Protestant traditions (generally less than 1% each)
Roman Catholic	9%	Catholic adults account for 9% of the Atlanta metro-area adult population in Pew's current estimate Atlanta's Catholic population includes Latino, African, Asian, Caribbean and other communities
Orthodox Christian	1%	Includes Eastern Orthodox and other Orthodox Christian traditions
Jehovah's Witness	1%	Pew separately reports Jehovah's Witnesses at 1%
Jewish	2%	The metro Atlanta Jewish community includes congregations and community institutions across the northern suburbs Pew estimates 2% of Atlanta metro adults identify as Jewish
Muslim	2%	Muslim communities include South Asian, Arab, African American, African and other backgrounds Pew estimates 2% of Atlanta metro adults identify as Muslim
Buddhist	1%	Includes Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Thai and other Buddhist traditions Pew estimates 1% of Atlanta metro adults identify as Buddhist
Hindu	3%	Hindu institutions are prominent in several suburban communities, including Gwinnett and surrounding areas Pew estimates 3% of Atlanta metro adults identify as Hindu
Other Religions	3%	Pew reports less than 1% for other world religions Pew reports 3% under its broader 'Something else' category Within 'Something else,' Pew reports 2% Unitarians and other liberal faiths and 1% New Age
Religiously Unaffiliated	24%	Atheist (2%) Agnostic (3%) Nothing in particular (19%)
Did Not Answer	0.5%	Pew reports less than 1% did not answer the religious-identification question

📈 10-Year Demographic Trend (2014 vs. 2023-24)

Religiously unaffiliated adults increased from 20% of the Atlanta metro area in Pew's 2014 Religious Landscape Study to 24% in the 2023-24 study. The comparison should be interpreted cautiously because Pew changed its survey methodology between the two studies.

Regional & Geographic Distribution

Atlanta

The city has major historically Black Protestant, evangelical Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and other religious institutions. The Sweet Auburn district is especially important to the history of Black Christianity and the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.

Gwinnett County

Gwinnett County contains a broad range of South Asian and other immigrant communities and numerous Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Christian institutions. Lilburn, Norcross, Duluth, Lawrenceville and surrounding areas are important centers of this religious diversity.

North Fulton and Forsyth County

Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Cumming and neighboring communities have large and diverse Asian American populations and a growing network of Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Christian organizations.

Riverdale and Clayton County

Riverdale is home to the Hindu Temple of Atlanta, which was incorporated in 1984 and serves the Hindu population of metropolitan Atlanta.

North Atlanta Jewish Community

The greater Atlanta Jewish community has a strong institutional presence in Sandy Springs, Dunwoody and other northern suburbs. The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta coordinates community programs, philanthropy and Jewish life across the metropolitan region.

Notable Houses of Worship & Faith Centers

Major active community institutions, historic landmarks, and diaspora centers across the metropolitan area:

🛕 Hindu Temples

Hindu Temple of Atlanta – Riverdale, Georgia
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir – Lilburn, Georgia
Sri Ganesha Temple – Marietta, Georgia

🕌 Mosques

Al-Farooq Masjid of Atlanta – Atlanta
Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam – Atlanta
Islamic Center of North Fulton – Alpharetta
Muslim Community Center of Atlanta – Duluth area

⚔️ Sikh Gurdwaras

Sikh Gurdwara of Atlanta – Atlanta metropolitan area
Guru Nanak Dwara – Norcross, Georgia

⛪ Christian Churches

Ebenezer Baptist Church – Atlanta
First Baptist Church of Atlanta – Atlanta
World Changers Church International – College Park, Georgia

✡️ Synagogues

The Temple – Atlanta
Congregation B'nai Torah – Sandy Springs, Georgia
Ahavath Achim Synagogue – Atlanta

Verified Address & Facility Notes

• Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church is at 407 Auburn Avenue NE in Atlanta and is part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park. NPS identifies it as the spiritual home of Martin Luther King Jr. and records that he became co-pastor with his father in 1960. His funeral was held at the church on April 9, 1968.

• The Hindu Temple of Atlanta is located at 5851 GA Highway 85 in Riverdale, Georgia. Its official history states that the organization was incorporated on October 19, 1984, and that it serves the Hindu population in metropolitan Atlanta.

• BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta is located at 460 Rockbridge Road NW in Lilburn, Georgia. BAPS states that the mandir was officially inaugurated on August 26, 2007. Its campus combines Hindu worship with cultural, educational and community activities.

• Al-Farooq Masjid is located at 442 14th Street NW, Atlanta, Georgia. Its official current site provides daily prayer schedules and identifies the mosque as a major regional Muslim institution. A separate official publication describes it as the largest mosque in the southeastern United States.

Key Demographic & Cultural Facts

Pew's 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study estimates that 24% of adults in the Atlanta metro area are religiously unaffiliated: 2% atheist, 3% agnostic and 19% with no religion in particular.
Historically Black Protestants account for 16% of Atlanta metro adults in the current Pew estimate, one of the area's defining characteristics.
Evangelical Protestants account for 27% and mainline Protestants for 10% of Atlanta metro adults in Pew's current profile.
Catholics account for 9%, Hindus 3%, Jews 2%, Muslims 2% and Buddhists 1% of Atlanta metro adults in the current Pew estimate.
The 2025 Census-derived population estimate for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA is 6,482,182.
Ebenezer Baptist Church is part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park and was the spiritual home of Martin Luther King Jr. He became a co-pastor there in 1960 and remained in that role until his death in 1968.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church was formally organized in Philadelphia in 1816 under the leadership of Richard Allen; Atlanta is an important contemporary and historic center for Black Methodist life but was not the denomination's founding location.
The Hindu Temple of Atlanta was incorporated on October 19, 1984, and serves the Hindu population of metropolitan Atlanta from its Riverdale location.
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Lilburn was officially inaugurated in August 2007 after 17 months of construction and is a major Hindu religious and cultural institution in metro Atlanta.
Al-Farooq Masjid describes its Atlanta mosque as the largest mosque in the southeastern United States. Its current official site lists the mosque at 442 14th Street NW in Atlanta.

Frequently Asked Questions

Evangelical Protestants are the largest broad religious tradition in Pew Research Center's 2023-24 Atlanta metro profile at 27% of adults. Historically Black Protestants account for 16%, mainline Protestants 10% and Catholics 9%.

Pew estimates that 24% of adults in the Atlanta metro area are religiously unaffiliated. The breakdown is 2% atheist, 3% agnostic and 19% with no religion in particular.

Pew estimates that 16% of Atlanta metro adults identify with historically Black Protestant traditions. The Atlanta area's importance to Black Protestant history is also reflected in institutions such as Ebenezer Baptist Church and the wider Auburn Avenue religious heritage.

Hindu institutions are distributed across suburban Atlanta, including Riverdale, Lilburn, Marietta, Gwinnett County and northern suburbs. The Hindu Temple of Atlanta in Riverdale and BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Lilburn are two prominent examples.

Major Muslim institutions are located throughout the metropolitan area, including Atlanta, Alpharetta, Norcross, Duluth and other suburbs. Al-Farooq Masjid is a major mosque in central Atlanta, while several large Islamic organizations operate in the northern suburbs.

Ebenezer Baptist Church was the spiritual home of Martin Luther King Jr. He was baptized there, became co-pastor with his father in 1960 and remained in that role until his death in 1968. The National Park Service identifies the church as one of the key historic structures within the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park.

Academic & Survey Sources

• Primary Religion Survey: Pew Research Center, 2023-24 U.S. Religious Landscape Study, Atlanta metro area

• Population Benchmark: U.S. Census Bureau annual metropolitan population estimates for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA

Methodology & Survey Notes:

Pew's 2023-24 Atlanta metro estimates have a margin of error of approximately ±6.4 percentage points.
The figures describe adults, not the entire metropolitan population including children.
Pew reports some small categories as less than 1%; any 0.5% display value in this entry is a visualization convention rather than an exact survey estimate.
Percentages may not total exactly 100% because of rounding.
The 2023-24 survey used a different data-collection method from the 2014 survey, so the historical comparison should be treated cautiously.
The U.S. Census Bureau does not collect religious affiliation in the decennial census; religious composition therefore comes from surveys and specialized studies.

Verified Reference Links: