Metro-Area Religious Demographics

Washington, D.C. Metro Area

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) • District of Columbia / Maryland / Virginia / West Virginia

👥 Population: 6,465,724 (2025 MSA estimate)📉 Unaffiliated: 30% (2023-24)

Metropolitan Religious Landscape

The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area has a religiously diverse population shaped by long-established African American Protestant communities, Catholic institutions, Jewish communities and more recent immigration from Latin America, Africa, South Asia, the Middle East and Asia. Pew Research Center's 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study estimates that about 56% of adults in the metro area identify as Christian, 11% identify with non-Christian religions, 30% are religiously unaffiliated and 2% did not answer the religious-identification question. The region's religious institutions also include major national landmarks such as Washington National Cathedral and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

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	14%	Baptist family (3%) Nondenominational family (3%) Presbyterian family (2%) Lutheran family (1%) Pentecostal family (1%) Restorationist family (1%) Adventist family (1%) Nonspecific Protestant family (2%)
Mainline Protestant	11%	American Baptist family (2%) United Methodist family (2%) ELCA Lutheran family (2%) Episcopal/Anglican family (2%) Presbyterian family (1%) United Church of Christ and other Congregationalist traditions (1%) Nondenominational and nonspecific mainline Protestant traditions (1%)
Historically Black Protestant	12%	Baptist family (7%) Nondenominational family (2%) Pentecostal family (1%) Methodist family (1%) Nonspecific Protestant family (1%)
Roman Catholic	15%	Catholic adults account for 15% of the Washington metro-area adult population in Pew's current estimate The region has longstanding Catholic communities as well as large Latino, Filipino and other immigrant Catholic populations
Latter-day Saint	1%	Pew separately reports Latter-day Saint identification at 1%
Orthodox Christian	3%	Includes Eastern Orthodox and other Orthodox Christian traditions Washington-area Orthodox communities include Greek, Antiochian, Ethiopian and other traditions
Jewish	4%	Pew estimates 4% of adults in the Washington metro area identify as Jewish Montgomery County and nearby Maryland suburbs contain numerous Jewish congregations and institutions
Muslim	3%	Muslim communities include South Asian, Arab, African, African American, Ethiopian and other backgrounds Pew estimates 3% of adults in the Washington metro area identify as Muslim
Buddhist	1%	Includes Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and other Buddhist traditions Pew estimates 1% of adults in the Washington metro area identify as Buddhist
Hindu	1%	Hindu communities are particularly visible in Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland Pew estimates 1% of adults in the Washington metro area identify as Hindu
Other World Religions	1%	Pew reports 1% under other world religions Individual traditions within this category are generally below 1%
Other Religious Identifications	1%	Pew reports 1% under its 'Something else' category This includes Unitarians and other liberal faiths and smaller spiritual or religious identifications
Religiously Unaffiliated	30%	Atheist (6%) Agnostic (8%) Nothing in particular (16%)
Did Not Answer	2%	Pew reports 2% did not answer the religious-identification question

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

Religiously unaffiliated adults increased from 24% of the Washington metropolitan area in Pew's 2014 Religious Landscape Study to 30% in the 2023-24 study. Pew cautions that the comparison is affected by its change from telephone interviewing in 2014 to a mostly online and paper survey in 2023-24.

Regional & Geographic Distribution

District of Columbia

Washington, D.C. has major African American Protestant institutions, Catholic landmarks, Episcopal institutions, Jewish organizations, mosques and other religious communities. The District's religious profile differs from that of the broader metropolitan area and should not be substituted for metro-wide data.

Montgomery County, Maryland

Montgomery County contains substantial Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Catholic and Protestant communities. Bethesda, Rockville, Potomac and surrounding communities contain numerous congregations and community institutions.

Northern Virginia

Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Arlington counties contain diverse Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jewish, Christian and other religious communities. Northern Virginia is an important center for South Asian and other immigrant religious institutions.

Falls Church and Fairfax Area

The Falls Church and Fairfax corridor contains major Muslim institutions, including Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, alongside churches, synagogues, Hindu temples and other religious organizations.

Silver Spring and Takoma Park

Silver Spring and nearby communities have a wide mix of African, Caribbean, South Asian, Middle Eastern and other immigrant communities and therefore support a range of churches, mosques, temples, synagogues and gurdwaras.

Notable Houses of Worship & Faith Centers

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

🛕 Hindu Temples

Sri Siva Vishnu Temple – Lanham, Maryland
Durga Temple – Fairfax Station, Virginia
ISKCON of Washington, D.C. – Potomac, Maryland
Murugan Temple of North America – Lanham, Maryland

🕌 Mosques

All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) – Sterling, Virginia
Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center – Falls Church, Virginia
Islamic Center of Washington, D.C. – Washington, D.C.
Masjid Muhammad – Washington, D.C.

⚔️ Sikh Gurdwaras

Gurdwara Sikh Foundation – Silver Spring, Maryland
Guru Gobind Singh Foundation – Rockville, Maryland

☸️ Buddhist Temples

Ekoji Buddhist Temple – Fairfax Station, Virginia
Giac Lam Buddhist Temple – Silver Spring, Maryland area
Vietnamese Buddhist temples in the Washington metropolitan area

⛪ Christian Churches

Washington National Cathedral – Washington, D.C.
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception – Washington, D.C.
Alfred Street Baptist Church – Alexandria, Virginia
National City Christian Church – Washington, D.C.

✡️ Synagogues

Adas Israel Congregation – Washington, D.C.
Washington Hebrew Congregation – Washington, D.C.
B'nai Israel Congregation – Rockville, Maryland

Verified Address & Facility Notes

• The All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) is headquartered in Sterling, Virginia. It operates a large Islamic center and provides prayer, education, youth, family and community programs. It should not be described as one of the country's 'top 10 largest mosques' without a current comparative source.

• The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is at 400 Michigan Avenue NE in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops describes it as the largest Roman Catholic church in the United States and North America and notes that it contains more than 70 chapels and oratories.

• Washington National Cathedral is an Episcopal cathedral in northwest Washington, D.C. It is a national landmark and has hosted major memorial services and other national occasions.

• Sri Siva Vishnu Temple is in Lanham, Maryland and serves a broad Hindu community in the Washington metropolitan region. It conducts worship, religious education and major Hindu festival observances.

• Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center is located in Falls Church, Virginia and is one of the major mosques serving the Washington metropolitan area's Muslim population.

Key Demographic & Cultural Facts

Pew's 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study estimates that 30% of adults in the Washington metro area are religiously unaffiliated: 6% atheist, 8% agnostic and 16% with no religion in particular.
Historically Black Protestants account for 12% of Washington-area adults in Pew's current estimate, making this one of the metro area's most distinctive religious traditions.
Evangelical Protestants account for 14%, mainline Protestants 11% and Catholics 15% of adults in the current Pew metro profile.
Pew estimates Jewish identification at 4% and Muslim identification at 3% among Washington metro adults, with Hindus and Buddhists each at 1%.
The 2025 Census-derived population estimate for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria MSA is 6,465,724.
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is described by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as the largest Roman Catholic church in the United States and North America.
Washington National Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and is also used for national memorial services and other major public occasions.
ADAMS is a major Muslim organization in Northern Virginia with its main center in Sterling and additional facilities serving communities across the region.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pew Research Center estimates that 30% of adults in the Washington metropolitan area are religiously unaffiliated. That includes 6% atheist, 8% agnostic and 16% who say they have no religion in particular.

Catholicism is the largest single Christian affiliation at 15% of adults in Pew's 2023-24 metro profile. Evangelical Protestants account for 14%, historically Black Protestants 12% and mainline Protestants 11%.

Pew's 2023-24 metro estimate puts Jewish adults at 4% and Muslim adults at 3%. The metropolitan area contains substantial Jewish and Muslim institutions across the District, Maryland and Virginia.

Major Hindu institutions are found in suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia. Examples include Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Lanham and Durga Temple in Fairfax Station, along with other temples and cultural organizations across the region.

Pew estimates that 12% of Washington metro adults identify with historically Black Protestant traditions. The region has numerous historically significant Black Baptist, African Methodist Episcopal and other Black Protestant congregations.

No. Washington National Cathedral is an Episcopal cathedral and the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. The major Catholic national church in Washington is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Academic & Survey Sources

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

• Population Benchmark: U.S. Census Bureau annual metropolitan population estimates for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria MSA

Methodology & Survey Notes:

Pew's 2023-24 Washington metro estimates have a margin of error of approximately ±4.9 percentage points.
The figures describe adults in the metropolitan area, not all residents including children.
Pew states that figures may not sum exactly to 100% because of rounding.
The 2023-24 survey used a different data-collection method from the 2014 study, so changes between the two surveys should be interpreted 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: