Metro-Area Religious Demographics

Seattle Metro Area

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) • Washington

👥 Population: 4,161,883 (2025 MSA estimate)📉 Unaffiliated: 44% (2023-24)

Metropolitan Religious Landscape

The Seattle metropolitan area has one of the most distinctive religious profiles among large U.S. metropolitan areas. Christianity remains a major presence, led by evangelical Protestants and Catholics, while the region also has established Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh and other religious communities. At the same time, a very large share of adults report no religious affiliation. Pew Research Center's 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study estimates that 44% of adults in the Seattle metro area identify as Christian, 11% identify with non-Christian religions, 44% are religiously unaffiliated, and 1% did not answer the religious-identification question. Seattle therefore stands out for having the Christian and unaffiliated shares at essentially the same level.

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	21%	Nondenominational evangelical (5%) Baptist family (3%) Pentecostal family (3%) Nonspecific Protestant family (3%) Lutheran family (1%) Presbyterian family (1%) Adventist family (1%) Other evangelical Protestant traditions (generally less than 1% each)
Mainline Protestant	9%	ELCA Lutheran (2%) Methodist family (1%) Nondenominational mainline family (1%) Presbyterian family (1%) Episcopalian/Anglican family (1%) Nonspecific Protestant family (2%) Other mainline traditions (generally less than 1% each)
Historically Black Protestant	1%	Baptist and other historically Black Protestant traditions Pew estimates this tradition at 1% of Seattle metro adults
Roman Catholic	11%	Catholic adults account for 11% of the Seattle metro-area adult population in Pew's 2023-24 estimate The Archdiocese of Seattle serves western Washington and includes substantial Catholic communities across the metropolitan region
Latter-day Saint	1%	Pew separately reports Latter-day Saint identification at 1%
Orthodox Christian	1%	Includes Eastern Orthodox and other Orthodox Christian traditions
Other Christian	1%	Pew separately reports other Christian traditions at 1%
Jewish	1%	The Seattle Jewish community includes congregations and organizations across Seattle and the Eastside Pew estimates 1% of metro-area adults identify as Jewish
Muslim	2%	Muslim communities include Somali, South Asian, Arab, Bosnian, African American and other backgrounds Pew estimates 2% of Seattle metro adults identify as Muslim
Buddhist	4%	Includes Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Chinese and other Buddhist traditions Pew estimates 4% of Seattle metro adults identify as Buddhist
Hindu	1%	Hindu temples and cultural organizations are concentrated in the Eastside and northern suburban communities Pew estimates 1% of Seattle metro adults identify as Hindu
Other World Religions	1%	Pew combines several smaller world-religion categories into an approximately 1% metro estimate
Other Religious Identifications	3%	Includes Unitarians and other liberal faiths (2%) New Age identifications (1%) Individual categories within these groups are generally below 1%
Religiously Unaffiliated	44%	Atheist (9%) Agnostic (14%) Nothing in particular (21%)
Did Not Answer	1%	Pew reports 1% did not answer the religious-identification question

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

Religiously unaffiliated adults increased from 37% of the Seattle metro area in Pew's 2014 Religious Landscape Study to 44% in the 2023-24 study. Pew's 2023-24 survey used a different data-collection method from the 2014 study, so the change should be interpreted as a broad trend rather than a perfectly continuous measurement.

Regional & Geographic Distribution

Seattle

Seattle contains long-established Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim and other religious institutions. The city's historic Japanese American community also contributed to the development of an enduring Jodo Shinshu Buddhist institution.

Eastside

Bellevue, Redmond, Sammamish and neighboring Eastside communities contain numerous Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Christian institutions serving a large and diverse Asian American and immigrant population.

South King County

Tukwila, SeaTac, Kent, Renton and surrounding communities have diverse immigrant populations and religious institutions, including Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Christian and other organizations.

North King and Snohomish Counties

Bothell, Lynnwood, Mill Creek and nearby communities contain Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian and other religious institutions serving the growing northern part of the region.

Seattle Jewish Community

The Jewish community is distributed throughout the Seattle area and Eastside, with synagogues and community organizations serving Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and other Jewish traditions. The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle released a new community survey in spring 2026 based on research conducted in 2025.

Notable Houses of Worship & Faith Centers

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

🛕 Hindu Temples

Hindu Temple & Cultural Center – Bothell, Washington
Vedic Cultural Center – Sammamish, Washington

🕌 Mosques

Islamic Center of Seattle – Seattle
Idris Mosque – Seattle
Eastside Islamic Center – Redmond

⚔️ Sikh Gurdwaras

Gurdwara Singh Sabha – Kent, Washington
Sikh Gurdwara of Seattle – South King County

☸️ Buddhist Temples

Seattle Buddhist Church – Seattle
Dharma Friendship Foundation – Seattle
Lien Hoa Buddhist Temple – White Center area

⛪ Christian Churches

St. James Cathedral – Seattle
Bethany Community Church – Seattle
University Presbyterian Church – Seattle

✡️ Synagogues

Temple de Hirsch Sinai – Seattle
Congregation Beth Shalom – Seattle
Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation – Mercer Island

Verified Address & Facility Notes

• The Hindu Temple & Cultural Center is located at 3818 212th Street SE, Bothell, Washington 98021. Its official site lists current temple hours, worship activities, cultural programs and volunteer opportunities.

• The Seattle Buddhist Church follows the Jodo Shinshu tradition. HistoryLink documents the first Seattle service in 1901, the construction of an earlier temple in 1906-08, and dedication of the present building on South Main Street in 1941.

• The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle released its 2025 Seattle Jewish Community Survey in spring 2026. The Federation reports that more than 600 people participated and that the study is part of a wider Jewish Federations of North America research initiative.

Key Demographic & Cultural Facts

Pew's 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study estimates that 44% of adults in the Seattle metro area are religiously unaffiliated: 9% atheist, 14% agnostic and 21% with no religion in particular.
The same Pew study estimates that 44% of adults identify as Christian, meaning Seattle's Christian and religiously unaffiliated shares are essentially equal.
Buddhists account for 4% of Seattle metro adults in Pew's 2023-24 profile, making Buddhism one of the area's most prominent non-Christian religious affiliations.
Muslims account for 2%, Hindus 1% and Jews 1% of adults in the current Pew metro estimate.
The 2025 Census-derived population estimate for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan area is 4,161,883.
Seattle's Jodo Shinshu Buddhist community traces its local history to 1901, when its first recorded Seattle service was conducted. The present Seattle Buddhist Church building was dedicated in 1941.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle released a new Seattle Jewish Community Survey in spring 2026 based on research conducted in 2025 with more than 600 respondents.
The Hindu Temple & Cultural Center in Bothell currently operates a temple and cultural programs, including worship, senior activities and volunteer programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pew Research Center estimates that 44% of adults in the Seattle metro area are religiously unaffiliated. This includes 9% atheist, 14% agnostic and 21% who say they have no religion in particular.

Not according to Pew's current metro-area affiliation data. In 2023-24, 44% of adults identified as religiously unaffiliated and 44% identified as Christian, so the two groups were essentially equal. Other religious affiliations accounted for 11%, with 1% not answering.

Evangelical Protestantism is the largest Christian tradition in Pew's 2023-24 Seattle metro profile at 21% of adults. Catholics account for 11%, mainline Protestants 9% and historically Black Protestants 1%.

Pew estimates that 4% of Seattle metro adults identify as Buddhist. The region has multiple traditions, including Japanese Jodo Shinshu, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean and Chinese Buddhist communities.

The Eastside and northern suburbs contain numerous South Asian religious and cultural institutions. Bellevue, Redmond, Sammamish and Bothell are among the areas where Hindu and Sikh organizations are particularly visible.

Pew's data shows religious non-affiliation rising from 37% of Seattle metro adults in 2014 to 44% in 2023-24. Because Pew changed survey methodology between the two studies, the figures should be treated as a broad comparison rather than a perfectly continuous time series.

Academic & Survey Sources

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

• Population Benchmark: U.S. Census Bureau annual metropolitan population estimates, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue MSA

Methodology & Survey Notes:

Pew's 2023-24 Seattle metro estimates have a margin of error of approximately ±6.7 percentage points.
The figures describe adults, not the complete metropolitan population including children.
Pew's current profile reports 44% Christian, 11% other religions, 44% unaffiliated and 1% did not answer; individual displayed categories may not sum perfectly because of rounding.
Some small categories are reported as less than 1% and should not be converted into precise numerical estimates.
The 2023-24 Pew study uses a different survey mode from the 2014 study, so the historical comparison should be treated cautiously.
The U.S. Census Bureau does not collect religious affiliation in the decennial census. Religion-specific estimates therefore come from surveys and specialized community studies.

Verified Reference Links: