Map shows the most religious states in the US

The prevalence of religion and degrees of observance vary significantly across the United States, and a new map shows where each state falls on the spiritual and secular spectrum.

Religious identity and practice exert significant influence over all aspects of American life, shaping values, community life, and the political landscape across the country.

Understanding these variations offers insight into the nation’s spiritual landscape and highlights where religious beliefs are most deeply rooted.

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, polling organizations, and several other sources, the charitable research firm SmileHub created a ranking of the “most religious states” in America, seen below on a map created by Newsweek Magazine.

Among other things, the methodology incorporated religious followers per capita, the prevalence of religious education and career opportunities, as well as the number of religious organizations, resulting in an overall score for each state out of 100.

Topping the list as the most God-loving state is Alabama, with an overall score of 64.50.

Located right in the heart of America’s Bible Belt, the Yellowhammer State is made up almost entirely of Christians — 86 percent according to the Pew Research Center — and religion remains a significant influence on Alabama’s political landscape.

In February, the Alabama Supreme Court issued a ruling declaring that frozen embryos could be considered “extrauterine children” under state law, with Chief Justice Tom Parker citing the Book of Genesis and Thomas Aquinas in his accompanying opinion.

However, Alabama’s position at the top of the list may be in jeopardy as levels of religious observance appear to be declining in the state.

In May, the Southern Baptist Convention, Alabama’s largest denomination, announced that its membership had declined for the 17th consecutive year, falling to 753,653 members in the state from nearly 1 million in 2016.

In second place is Virginia, with an overall score of 61.97.

As in Alabama, baptism is the most popular denomination in the state, according to Pew, followed by Catholicism.

The city of Fredericksburg was where Thomas Jefferson drafted the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, signed into law by the Virginia Assembly in 1786 and considered one of the key documents outlining the separation of church and state in the U.S.

The rest of the top five includes Texas (61.44), Tennessee (58.95) and North Carolina (58.74).

At the other end of the list is Maine, by far the least religious state, with a score of 9.61 out of 100.

In fact, every state in the New England region (Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) ranks in the bottom ten of SmileHub’s religious rankings.

New England Baptist churches attribute the region’s “crisis of faith” to its “academic bent” and left-wing political leanings.

Pew Research estimates that by 2070, the unaffiliated portion of the U.S. could rise to 52 percent of the population from 30 percent today, and thus New England may be ahead of the secular curve, as Americans continue to abandon their religions and join the growing ranks of those who consider themselves a-religious.

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