Metro-Area Religious Demographics

Chicago Metro Area

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) • Illinois / Indiana

👥 Population: 9,434,123 (2025 MSA estimate)📉 Unaffiliated: 31% (2023-24)

Metropolitan Religious Landscape

The Chicago metropolitan area has a highly diverse religious landscape shaped by successive waves of European immigration, the Great Migration and later migration from Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Catholicism remains the largest single religious affiliation in the current Pew Research Center metro profile, while Chicago also has substantial evangelical, mainline and historically Black Protestant communities and established Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and Orthodox Christian communities. The area also has a large religiously unaffiliated population. Pew's 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study estimates that 59% of adults in the Chicago metro area identify as Christian, 9% with other religions, 31% as religiously unaffiliated, and less than 1% did not answer.

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	10%	Baptist family (1%) Nondenominational family (3%) Lutheran family (2%) Pentecostal family (1%) Restorationist family (1%) Nonspecific Protestant family (1%) Other evangelical Protestant traditions (approximately 1%)
Mainline Protestant	9%	Methodist family (2%) Lutheran family (2%) Presbyterian family (1%) Nondenominational mainline family (1%) Nonspecific Protestant family (2%) Other mainline Protestant traditions (less than 1% each in several categories)
Historically Black Protestant	8%	Baptist family (5%) Pentecostal family (2%) Nonspecific/other historically Black Protestant traditions (1%)
Roman Catholic	29%	Catholicism is the largest single religious affiliation in the current Pew metro estimate Chicago has longstanding Polish, Irish, Latino and other Catholic communities
Orthodox Christian	2%	Includes Eastern Orthodox and other Orthodox Christian traditions Chicago has longstanding Greek, Ukrainian, Serbian, Russian and other Orthodox communities
Jewish	2%	The metropolitan Jewish population is concentrated in the city and northern suburbs, among other areas The 2020 Metropolitan Chicago Jewish Population Study estimated 319,600 Jewish people in the study area
Muslim	3%	Communities include Palestinian, Arab, South Asian, African American, African and other Muslim populations Pew's 2023-24 metro estimate is 3%
Hindu	1%	Hindu institutions are found in Chicago and several suburban communities Pew's 2023-24 metro estimate is 1%
Buddhist	1%	Includes Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese and other Buddhist traditions Pew's 2023-24 metro estimate is 1%
Other Religions	2%	Pew reports less than 1% for other world religions Pew reports 2% under its 'Something else' category, including liberal faiths and New Age-related identifications
Religiously Unaffiliated	31%	Atheist (6%) Agnostic (6%) Nothing in particular (19%)
Did Not Answer	0.5%	Pew reports less than 1% did not answer; exact values below 1% are not presented as whole-number percentages

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

Religiously unaffiliated adults were 22% of the Chicago metro area in Pew's 2014 Religious Landscape Study and 31% in the 2023-24 study. The comparison should be interpreted cautiously because Pew changed its survey methodology in 2023-24, moving from telephone interviewing to a predominantly online and paper-based survey.

Regional & Geographic Distribution

City of Chicago

Chicago itself contains large Catholic and Protestant populations alongside Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Orthodox Christian and other religious communities. The city's neighborhoods also preserve important African American, Eastern European, Latino and Asian religious institutions.

North Side and Devon Avenue

The Devon Avenue corridor in West Ridge and Rogers Park is especially notable for its concentration of South Asian and Middle Eastern businesses and religious institutions. Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish communities can be found within the broader corridor.

Southwest Suburbs

Bridgeview, Hickory Hills, Worth and nearby communities have become major centers of Arab and Muslim life. Bridgeview is particularly associated with a Palestinian and Arab American commercial and community presence.

Western Suburbs

Villa Park, Lombard, Glendale Heights and nearby communities contain substantial South Asian and Muslim institutions, including schools, mosques and community centers.

Jewish Chicago

The 2020 Metropolitan Chicago Jewish Population Study estimated 319,600 Jewish people in the study area and 175,800 Jewish households. The study found the largest shares of Jewish households and individuals in City North and the Near North Suburbs.

Notable Houses of Worship & Faith Centers

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

🛕 Hindu Temples

Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple of Greater Chicago – Lemont, Illinois
Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago – Lemont, Illinois
Shree Ganesh Temple of Chicago – Rogers Park, Chicago
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir – Bartlett, Illinois

🕌 Mosques

Islamic Foundation – Villa Park, Illinois
Mosque Foundation – Bridgeview, Illinois
Downtown Islamic Center – Chicago
Muslim Community Center – Chicago

⚔️ Sikh Gurdwaras

Gurdwara Sahib of Chicago – Devon Avenue corridor
Gurdwara Singh Sabha – Palatine, Illinois

☸️ Buddhist Temples

Chicago Buddhist Temple – Chicago
Midwest Buddhist Temple – Chicago
Japanese American Service Committee Buddhist-related community institutions – Chicago area

⛪ Christian Churches

Holy Name Cathedral – River North, Chicago
Moody Church – Near North Side, Chicago
Trinity United Church of Christ – South Side, Chicago

Verified Address & Facility Notes

• Islamic Foundation is located at 300 W Highridge Road in Villa Park, Illinois. The organization was founded in 1974 and operates a mosque, school and other educational and community programs serving the greater Chicagoland Muslim community.

• Gurdwara Sahib of Chicago is located on Devon Avenue and serves the area's Sikh community. The Devon Avenue corridor is also notable for its close proximity of Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Christian institutions.

• Shree Ganesh Temple of Chicago was established in 2016 at 2545 West Devon Avenue in the West Ridge/Rogers Park area.

• Holy Name Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago and is located in the River North area of Chicago.

• Mosque Maryam at 7351 South Stony Island Avenue in Chicago is the headquarters site of the Nation of Islam.

• The Archdiocese of Chicago reported 1,947,000 Catholics in 2025 across Cook and Lake counties and 216 parishes as of January 2026.

Key Demographic & Cultural Facts

Pew's 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study estimates that 31% of adults in the Chicago metro area are religiously unaffiliated: 6% atheist, 6% agnostic and 19% with no religion in particular.
Catholics account for 29% of adults in the Chicago metro-area estimate, making Catholicism the largest single religious affiliation in the current Pew profile.
The Archdiocese of Chicago reported approximately 1.947 million Catholics in 2025 across Cook and Lake counties and listed 216 parishes as of January 2026.
The 2020 Metropolitan Chicago Jewish Population Study estimated 319,600 Jewish people and 175,800 Jewish households in its study area.
Chicago hosted the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions, a landmark event in the history of organized interfaith dialogue. Swami Vivekananda was one of the best-known Asian delegates and delivered his opening address on September 11, 1893.
Bridgeview's Arab American community has developed into a major cultural and commercial center. In April 2026, the Arab American Business and Professional Association announced formal recognition of a Little Palestine Business District in Bridgeview.
The Nation of Islam is headquartered in Chicago, with Mosque Maryam on South Stony Island Avenue serving as a major Nation of Islam institution.
Devon Avenue is known for a mixture of South Asian, Middle Eastern and other immigrant communities, with religious institutions representing several faith traditions in the corridor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Catholicism is the largest single religious affiliation in Pew Research Center's 2023-24 Chicago metro profile, with 29% of adults identifying as Catholic. Evangelical Protestant adults account for 10%, mainline Protestants 9%, and historically Black Protestants 8%.

Pew estimates that 31% of adults in the Chicago metro area are religiously unaffiliated. The estimate consists of 6% atheist, 6% agnostic and 19% who say they have no religion in particular.

The 2020 Metropolitan Chicago Jewish Population Study estimated 319,600 Jewish people living in the study area and 175,800 Jewish households. The study found particularly large concentrations in City North and the Near North Suburbs.

The 1893 World's Parliament of Religions was a major early formal gathering of representatives of different religious traditions and is widely regarded as an important milestone in the history of modern interfaith dialogue. Swami Vivekananda became one of its best-known speakers after delivering his opening address.

Important Muslim and Arab American communities are found in the southwest suburbs, including Bridgeview and nearby communities, as well as in parts of the city and western suburbs. Bridgeview is especially associated with a substantial Palestinian and Arab American commercial and community presence.

Devon Avenue in the West Ridge and Rogers Park area is a major immigrant commercial and cultural corridor where institutions associated with Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish and Christian communities can be found in the surrounding area. It is one of Chicago's clearest examples of visible religious diversity within a single urban corridor.

Academic & Survey Sources

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

• Population Benchmark: U.S. Census Bureau annual metropolitan population estimates for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN MSA

• Community Studies: 2020 Metropolitan Chicago Jewish Population Study, Jewish United Fund, NORC at the University of Chicago and Brandeis University

Methodology & Survey Notes:

Pew's 2023-24 Chicago metro estimates have a margin of error of approximately ±5 percentage points.
The figures represent adults in the metropolitan area, not all residents including children.
Pew notes that figures may not sum exactly to 100% because of rounding and because some categories are reported as less than 1%.
The 2023-24 survey methodology differs from the 2014 study, so changes over time should not be treated as perfectly equivalent measurements.
The U.S. Census Bureau does not include religious affiliation in the decennial census, so religion-specific population estimates come from surveys and specialized community studies.

Verified Reference Links: