Largest Orthodox Christian Communities In Us. This is not a removal notification. They have diverse ethnic and h
This is not a removal notification. They have diverse ethnic and historic origins and belong to two distinct ecclesiological families: the Eastern Orthodox Churches (sometimes referred to as Byzantine Orthodox Churches) and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. Looking only at the number of regular attendees,1 Jan 28, 2015 · There are more than 70 Orthodox monastic communities in the United States today. It is also because of the fact that many immigrant communities started at Ellis Island, and then just stayed in NYC The Religious Landscape Study is a comprehensive survey of more than 35,000 Americans’ religious identities, beliefs and practices that’s been conducted in 2007, 2014 and 2023-24. Nov 19, 2025 · “In the whole history of the Orthodox Church in America, this has never been seen,” a priest said about the surge of young men drawn to the demanding practice of Christianity. Basically, states with big cities that immigrants are likely to go to. A Baptist Russian Orthodox Church in Berkeley, California. It is a secession from Roman-influenced Christianity, which mainly took place in the eastern part of the former Roman Empire. [14] Among Eastern Christian denominations, there are several Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, with just below 1 million adherents in the U. This report examines the budgets and overall financial health of parishes in the three largest American Orthodox jurisdictions—Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA), Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese (AOCA), and Orthodox Church in America (OCA)—in the wake of the 2008-2009 recession. S. May 25, 2011 · The number of Orthodox parishes has reached 2,370, and the Orthodox community in America consists of more than 1 million adherents across 20 different church bodies, according to the 2010 U. Known under its current name since 1970, its history stretches back to 1794, when ten Russian Orthodox monks arrived at Kodiak Island in Alaska. Augustine, Florida. The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian church based in North America. , or 0. The Churches within each Jul 8, 2020 · The mean estimate is 192 million. By many measures, Orthodox Ethiopians have much higher levels of religious commitment than do Orthodox Christians in the faith’s heartland of Central and Eastern Europe. Christianity arose in the first century AD after Rome had conquered much of the western parts of the fragmented Hellenistic empire created by Alexander the Great. The mission of the Archdiocese is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, to teach and spread the Orthodox Christian Faith, to energize, cultivate, and guide the life of the Ethiopia is an outlier in the Orthodox Christian world Ethiopia has 36 million Orthodox Christians, the world’s second-largest Orthodox population after Russia. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is one of the largest and oldest Christian churches in Africa; only surpassed in age by the Church of the East, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, and the Coptic Church of Egypt. ), this map shows the percentage of their adherents in the total population of each U. United States - World's Largest Online Directory of Orthodox Christianity Heritage & Community Presence. The United States has the largest Christian population in the world, followed by Brazil, Mexico, Russia, and the Philippines. Rather, Orthodox Christians in North America focuses specific attention and reflection on the institutional, social, and theological history of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) as the paradigm for much of the Orthodox experience in North America. Russia is the country where more than half of the world’s Eastern Orthodox Christians live. For example, the Hagia Sophia in Turkey is included – it was . [15] There are also large Christian communities in other parts of the world, such as Indonesia, Central Asia, the Middle East, and West Africa where Christianity is the second-largest religion after Islam. 4% of the total population. Approximately two-thirds of these adherents are part of the OCA, Greek, and Antiochian jurisdictions. At the top are (in order) California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Michigan. As such, some numbers may be inflated, and therefore inaccurate. From about the fifth century C. 20, the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) experienced a decline in overall membership. But the Ethiopian community is highly observant and growing. Greek orthodox archdiocese of America (eastern orthodox) Antiochian orthodox christian archdiosese of North America (eastern orthodox) Serbian orthodox church in North America (eastern orthodox) Oriental Orthodoxy (coptic, armenian and malankara syrian) The Russian Orthodox Church in the USA is the name of the group of parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in America that are under the canonical authority of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'. onwards, the ancient Oriental Christians separated from the Roman imperial church. Catholic Church in the United States The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Latin Church and the wider Catholic Communion, in communion with the Pope. 1 million, and Spain, which had no Orthodox community to speak of in 1910 and now has 900,000 Orthodox Christians. The 36 million Ethiopian Orthodox Christians are in communion with Oriental Orthodoxy and were part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959. Oct 16, 2025 · The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an autocephalous Church with parishes mainly in the United States and Canada (though with a few parishes also in Mexico, and until 2011 in Australia as well). Timeline showing the history of the main autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches, from an Eastern Orthodox point of view, up to 2022 Ranked in order of seniority, with the year of independence (autocephaly) given in parentheses, where applicable. [11] Eastern Orthodox population by country There is no universal agreement on the number of members of the Eastern Orthodox Church in each country. The Website of American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese Oct 17, 2023 · The Rise of Non-Christian Faith Traditions in the United States Religion and Metropolitan Status in the United States A Portrait of Immigration, Race, and Religious Congregations and their Adherents What are “Religious Bodies?” Denominations , Non-denominations, and the Gray Areas in Between May 1, 2017 · In Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the largest and oldest church by both population and structure. Keep in mind that half of U. Any Eastern Orthodox church building that has a capacity of 3,000 people or more, can be added to this page. Orthodox are Greek, so a lot of this is driven by cities that have large Greek communities. Today, the Orthodox Church boasts over two million faithful, with some of the most beautiful Orthodox churches in America. It is addressed for the wide – Orthodox and non-Orthodox, academic and non-academic – audience of readers. Spectators watched as the cathedral’s vast collection of religious paintings and artworks Research on Orthodox Christian Communities in the United States Alexei D. The total number of all adherents1 dropped from 84,449 to 74,415 (‐12%) while the decrease in regular attendees was smaller: from 33,495 to 32,484 (‐3% Mar 26, 2021 · Source: Orthodox Reality Monk’s Lagoon, Spruce Island, Alaska The report, “ US Religion Census 2020: Dramatic Changes in American Orthodox Churches,” is now available. [8][9][10][11] Only those Christian denominations, ideologies and organizations with Wikipedia articles will be listed in order to ensure that all entries on this list are notable and verifiable. ) While these communities do operate independently of one another, there has been movement toward greater coordination among the Eastern Orthodox churches through the creation of the Assembly of Canonical Bishops, consisting of more than 50 members. These sacred places of worship showcase the richness and vibrancy of Orthodox traditions within the American context. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians are independent and the largest of all Oriental Oct 28, 2025 · Also known as the National Cathedral, the structure is the world’s largest Christian Orthodox church. Apr 3, 2019 · US States by Orthodox Christian Population Editorial credit: Todd A. counties with the greatest number of adherents for the seven largest Eastern and three largest Oriental Orthodox Churches. Christianity is the third-largest religion in Pakistan, with the 2023 Census recording over three million Christians, or 1. (particularly New York and New Jersey), but many other communities in the United States have Orthodox Jewish populations. Among others are the Greek archdiocese, subject to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Krindatch, the National Coordinator for the Second Census of US Orthodox Christian Churches / 2020 US Religion Census. [2]: 68 In 2015, the OCA If you're looking for highest number of Orthodox Christians (as opposed to highest percentage of the population), then almost definitely New York City. [10] The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is in communion with the other Oriental Orthodox churches (the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the Syriac Orthodox Church). ” For all Oriental Orthodox Churches combined (e. Christian denominational families The various denominations of Christianity fall into several large families, shaped both by culture and history. The Cops in Egypt, a predominantly Muslim country, are one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. Examples of What the 2020 Census of American Orthodox Churches Revealed If measured by the number of all adherents (regular attendees plus occasional and marginal participants, adults plus children), in 2020, the estimated membership in all Eastern Orthodox Churches in the USA was 675,765, and it was 491,413 in all Oriental Orthodox Churches. g. They were previously known as the Russian Exarchate of North America before autocephaly was granted to the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) in 1970. county. The majority of Orthodox Jews in the United States live in the Northeast U. The Orthodox Church in the United States of America has been developing into a valuable presence and distinctive witness for more than two hundred years. The first Greek Orthodox Christians arrived in the New World in 1768, establishing a colony near the present city of St. Nothing should be regarded as authoritative without verification by several offline Orthodox resources. The church has been operational in Russia since 988 when Prince Vladimir of Kiev ordered his entire population to be Nov 8, 2017 · Concentrated in Europe, Orthodox Christians have declined as share of the global Christian population, from 20% in 1910 to 12% today. This is because of the fact that where the overall population is larger, the number of Orthodox Christians will also be larger. [2]: 68 [9][10] In 2011, it had an estimated 84,900 members in the United States. com. , Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, Antiochian Archdiocese, Orthodox Church in America, Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, etc. There exists significant diversity among these communities, including in their size, liturgical practices, openness to outside visitors, and educational programs. Apr 19, 2011 · The Atlas provides an accurate “snapshot” of the various Orthodox Christian Churches in the United States. By the beginning of The nation's second-largest denomination and the single largest Protestant denomination is the Southern Baptist Convention. [9] Smaller numbers are split between the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, with 13% of Christians, as well as an unknown number of Russian Orthodox Christians, about 13,000 Maronites and other Syriac Christians, 3,000 to 5,000 adherents of Armenian churches, a community of around 1,000 Coptic Christians, and small branches of Protestants. [2] The province of Punjab has the largest population of Christians in the country. [17][18] There are a total of 17 autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches which are recognized to various degrees among the communion of the Eastern According to some Googling I did, the most Orthodox Christians are in New York and California, probably because both those states have high populations of everyone. With 19 percent of the adult United States ' population as of 2024, [3] the Catholic Church is the country's second-largest religious grouping after Protestantism. Fact 1. There have been Jewish communities in the United States since colonial times, with individuals living in various cities before the American Revolution. The Website of American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese The Assembly's Directory of Orthodox Christian Parishes is the official listing of canonical Eastern Orthodox Christian Parishes in the United States of America. Orthodox Church in America, The - Rankings by Area (Metro-Areas) [Counties] [States] If measuring by number of congregations (560 as of 2020), the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is the largest American Orthodox Christian Church. JOHNSTOWN, PA -- Data is now available from the 2010 US Orthodox Christian Census which our diocese participated in. Jan 7, 2026 · Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7. Dec 3, 2024 · The report shows a grand total of 13 Orthodox churches in the territory of the United States – eleven in Alaska (which wasn’t yet a state), one Russian church in San Francisco, and one Greek church in New Orleans, which reported itself to be part of the Athens-based Church of Greece. The history of the Jews in the United States goes back to the 1600s and 1700s. S This is a list of the largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings in the world, based on area and capacity. Originally an Alaskan diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, it It is a founding member of the World Council of Churches. About Orthodox Church Membership in America In the 2010 national census of US Orthodox Christian churches sponsored by the Standing Council of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in Americas each Orthodox parish was asked two questions: How many individual persons total are associated with the life of your parish: including adults and children, regular and occasional attendees, paid stewards Eastern Orthodoxy in North America represents adherents, religious communities, institutions and organizations of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in North America, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Each study performed that seeks to discover the number of adherents in a country may use different criteria, and be submitted to different populations. E. The United States is home to a diverse Orthodox Christian community, with numerous notable churches and monasteries spread across the country. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, headquartered in New York City, is an Eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Examples of this are Greece and A Christian (/ ˈkrɪstʃən, - tiən / ⓘ) is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Total Orthodox Church membership in America has been estimated at nearly 6,000,000. Merport / Shutterstock. World's Largest Online Directory of Orthodox Christianity Heritage & Community Presence, including Monasteries, Churches, Cathedrals, Chapels, Missions, Sketes Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto (Canada) Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Mexico American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the USA Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada Albanian Orthodox Diocese Patriarchate of Antioch Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of In many cases, there are other cohesive communities within the same area comprising other religious and/or ethnic groups. Orthodox Christianity is a communion of self governing Churches, united by a common faith and spirituality. Adherents of the Coptic Orthodox Church make up Egypt's largest and most significant minority population, and the largest population of Christians in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese nurtures faith, serves communities, and promotes ancient Orthodox Christianity across the United States and Canada. Russia, of course, has the largest number of Orthodox Christians — but also the largest amount of uncertainty in terms of how many people are, in fact, Orthodox. The OCA traces its history to the Russian Orthodox missionary efforts in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, which began in 1794. Oct 7, 2010 · The number of Orthodox parishes has reached 2,370, and the Orthodox community in America consists of more than 1 million adherents across 20 different church bodies, according to the 2010 U. Which Country Has the Greatest Population of People Practicing Eastern Orthodox? Russia has the largest Eastern Orthodox population. [1] About 90 to 95% of Pakistani Christians are Dalits from the caste who converted from Hinduism. Percentage of American Jewish Households American Jewish Committee (2019-2020) The basis of the original Orthodox community is the Creed of Constantinople, written in 381. com, 773-551-7226, 510-647-9427 His study reports, maps, and articles on various aspects of the Orthodox Church life in America can be accessed and downloaded here Nov 8, 2017 · The largest of these are Germany, which had just a few thousand Orthodox Christians in 1910 and now has 1. [4] Mar 5, 2024 · A fun “Orthodox Church Maps Game” gives you an opportunity to check your knowledge of the Orthodox Church geography in America A collection of maps, “Geographic Concentration of Adherents,” shows the U. Content should not be treated as a substitute for offline interaction. The OCA consists of more than 700 parishes, missions, communities, monasteries and institutions in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The denominations and ecumenical organizations listed are generally ordered from ancient to contemporary Christianity. The report presents detailed information on parishes, membership, and rates of worship attendance for fourteen Eastern Orthodox and nine Oriental Orthodox Church bodies. Christianity is the dominant religion in the United States accounting for about 70% of the religious population. 37% of the total population in Pakistan. Exercise caution in forums such as this. Nov 14, 2017 · (The Orthodox Church of America, a 1970s offshoot of the Moscow Patriarchate, is the second largest. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. It has a membership of 32 to 36 million, [8][9][10][11] the majority of whom live in Ethiopia, [12] and is thus the largest of Home / Directories / Parishes The parish is a local community of the Church having at its head a duly appointed priest and consisting of Orthodox Christians who live in accordance with the teachings of the Orthodox Church, comply with the discipline and rules of the Church, and regularly support their parish. This subreddit contains opinions of Orthodox people, but not necessarily Orthodox opinions. Orthodox Census. Pew Research Center. He can be reached at: Akrindatch@aol. Entries are included even if a premises otherwise meeting the criterion currently does not function as a church. [1][2][3] They make up the largest share of the approximately 10 million Christians in Egypt. The Orthodox Church in America does not include all Orthodox groups in the United States and Canada. This census was part of the national “Religious Congregations and Membership Study 2010, that was conducted by Alexei Krindatch, a researcher engaged by the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in America. Mar 12, 2024 · The map “Adherents of Eastern Orthodox Christian Churches in the USA. Religious Bodies Included in the Study Structurally, Orthodox Christianity in the United States consists of more than twenty national Church bodies.