Rhode Island tops list of most-Catholic states

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Feb 22, 2003

HUNTINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- Rhode Island remains the nation's most Roman Catholic state, with 61 percent of the population listed as members of the church, the 2003 "Catholic Almanac" reports.

Other heavily Catholic states: Massachusetts (49.8 percent), New Jersey (42.6 percent), New York (40.4 percent), Connecticut (38.4 percent) and New Hampshire (31.8 percent). The least Catholic states are South Carolina and Tennessee (3.2 percent each).

Nationwide, the annual puts Catholics at 65,270,444 or 22.9 percent of the populace.

Among nations, the United States ranks third in total Catholics, behind Brazil (144 million) and Mexico (124 million) and exceeds, in order, the Philippines, Italy, France, Colombia, Spain, Poland and Argentina.

Another reference work, American Religion Data Archive, lists Utah's Catholic population at 4.3 percent.