Metropolitan Religious Landscape
The Los Angeles metropolitan area has a highly diverse religious landscape shaped by long-established Catholic and Protestant communities and substantial Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and other religious populations. The region also has a large religiously unaffiliated population. Pew Research Center's 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study estimates that 56% of adults in the Los Angeles metro area identify as Christian, 9% identify with other religions, 32% are religiously unaffiliated, and 3% did not answer the religious-identification question. The Pew estimates are for adults and are subject to a margin of error of approximately ±4.2 percentage points.
Religious-Affiliation Breakdown
Pew RLS 2023-24Percentages represent adult population survey estimates for the metropolitan area.
| Religious Group | Share (%) | Subgroups & Community Context |
|---|---|---|
| Evangelical Protestant | 16% |
|
| Mainline Protestant | 7% |
|
| Historically Black Protestant | 2% |
|
| Roman Catholic | 28% |
|
| Orthodox Christian | 2% |
|
| Jewish | 3% |
|
| Muslim | 1% |
|
| Buddhist | 3% |
|
| Hindu | 1% |
|
| Other Religions | 2% |
|
| Religiously Unaffiliated | 32% |
|
| Did Not Answer | 3% |
|
📈 10-Year Demographic Trend (2014 vs. 2023-24)
Religiously unaffiliated adults were 25% of the Los Angeles metro area in the 2014 Pew Religious Landscape Study and 32% in the 2023-24 study. The increase should be interpreted cautiously because Pew changed the survey methodology in 2023-24, moving from telephone interviewing to a predominantly online and paper survey.
Regional & Geographic Distribution
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County contains large Catholic and Protestant communities as well as major Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and other religious communities. Religious institutions are distributed across the city, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley and other parts of the county.
San Gabriel Valley
The San Gabriel Valley is an important center for Chinese, Taiwanese and other Asian American religious institutions, including Buddhist temples, churches and other houses of worship.
Westside and Central Los Angeles
The Westside and central parts of Los Angeles include major Jewish, Christian and interfaith institutions, including long-established synagogues and churches.
Glendale and Armenian Community
Glendale has a major Armenian community and numerous Armenian Christian institutions. The City of Glendale's historic documentation identifies Glendale as having the largest Armenian population outside the Republic of Armenia.
Orange County and Little Saigon
The Los Angeles metropolitan statistical area extends into Orange County. Westminster, Garden Grove and surrounding communities in Little Saigon have numerous Vietnamese Buddhist temples and other Vietnamese religious institutions.
Notable Houses of Worship & Faith Centers
Major active community institutions, historic landmarks, and diaspora centers across the metropolitan area:
🛕 Hindu Temples
- Malibu Hindu Temple – Calabasas, California
- ISKCON Los Angeles (New Dwaraka) – Culver City, California
🕌 Mosques
- Islamic Center of Southern California – Los Angeles
- Masjid Omar Ibn Al Khattab – Los Angeles
- Islamic Center of Orange County – Garden Grove, California
⚔️ Sikh Gurdwaras
- Hollywood Sikh Temple – Los Angeles
- Khalsa Care Foundation – Pacoima, California
☸️ Buddhist Temples
- Hsi Lai Temple – Hacienda Heights, California
- Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple – Los Angeles
- Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara – Los Angeles
✡️ Synagogues
- Wilshire Boulevard Temple – Los Angeles
- Sinai Temple – Los Angeles
- Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills – Beverly Hills, California
⛪ Christian Churches
- Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels – Downtown Los Angeles
- First Congregational Church of Los Angeles – Los Angeles
- Angelus Temple – Los Angeles
Verified Address & Facility Notes
• The Malibu Hindu Temple is operated by the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California. Its current temple website lists the site at 1600 Las Virgenes Road in the Calabasas area and describes regular worship services and ceremonies.
• Hsi Lai Temple is a Fo Guang Shan Buddhist temple in Hacienda Heights, California. The temple complex is widely recognized for its large scale and role in Chinese and Taiwanese Buddhist life in Southern California.
• Hollywood Sikh Temple is located at 1966 North Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles. Its official history states that it was established in 1969 as the first Sikh temple in the United States since India's independence in 1947.
• Masjid Omar Ibn Al Khattab is located at 1025 Exposition Boulevard in Los Angeles. The City of Los Angeles identifies the 40,000-square-foot mosque and community space as a significant South Los Angeles religious and cultural institution.
• The Islamic Center of Southern California is a longstanding Muslim institution serving the Los Angeles area with religious, educational and community activities.
• The Archdiocese of Los Angeles covers Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and reports nearly 5 million Catholics. It operates hundreds of parishes, missions and chapels and serves communities in many languages.
Key Demographic & Cultural Facts
- Pew Research Center's 2023-24 study estimates that 32% of adults in the Los Angeles metro area are religiously unaffiliated: 6% atheist, 7% agnostic and 19% identify as having no religion in particular.
- Catholics account for 28% of adults in the Los Angeles metro-area estimate, making Catholicism the largest single religious affiliation in the Pew profile.
- The Archdiocese of Los Angeles describes itself as the nation's largest Catholic community and reports nearly 5 million Catholics across Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
- The 2021 Study of Jewish LA estimated 564,700 Jewish individuals in its Greater Los Angeles study area and approximately 294,200 Jewish households.
- Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights is a major Fo Guang Shan Buddhist temple and has been described by the University of Arizona's Center for Buddhist Studies as the largest Buddhist temple in the Western Hemisphere.
- Glendale's city historic documentation identifies the city as having the largest Armenian population outside the Republic of Armenia.
- The Hollywood Sikh Temple was established in 1969 and is documented by the City of Los Angeles as the first Sikh temple in Los Angeles and the first Sikh house of worship in a major American metropolitan city.
- Little Saigon in Orange County contains numerous Vietnamese Buddhist temples and other religious institutions, particularly in Westminster, Garden Grove, Santa Ana and surrounding communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Pew's 2023-24 estimate for the Los Angeles metro area has a margin of error of approximately ±4.2 percentage points.
- The figures describe adults, not the entire population including children.
- Pew reports that the percentages may not total exactly 100% because of rounding.
- The 2023-24 study used a different survey mode from the 2014 study, so changes between the two years should not be interpreted as perfectly equivalent trend measurements.
- The U.S. Census Bureau does not collect religious affiliation as part of the decennial census, so religion-specific population estimates come from surveys and specialized community studies.
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