Click through the slideshow to see most and least Hindu cities in America:
Most and Least Hindu Cities
A study measuring religious bodies in the United States called the, “2010 U.S. Religious Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study (RCMS)” was recently released by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB). The most comprehensive study of its kind, it provides detailed county by county information on congregations, members, adherents and attendance for 236 different faiths groups. (The survey differentiates between specific denominations within the same tradition.)
According to the study, close to 80 percent of Hindu congregations are located in metropolitan areas with population greater than a million. Of these metro areas, the researchers found San Jose to be the most Hindu city with approximately 2.5 percent identifying as a Hindu adherent. The researchers found the greater area of Baltimore, MD to be the least Hindu city with only 0.003 percent identifying as a Hindu adherent.
The researchers define adherents to be those with an affiliation to a congregation including children, members and attendees who are not members, and believe that the adherent measure is the most complete and comparable across religious groups. Congregations are defined as groups of people who meet regularly at a pre-announced time and location.
Approximately 641,200 Hindu adherents and 1,625 congregations were reported across the country. With more than 80,000 Hindu adherents, the greater area of New York, NY-NJ-PA reported the highest number of Hindu adherents, whereas the greater area of Baltimore, MD reported the lowest -- only 71 identified as Hindu adherents. Similarly, with 195 congregations, the greater area of New York, NY-NJ-PA reported the highest number of congregations in a million-plus metropolitan area, whereas the greater area of Providence, RI-MA reported the lowest with just three Hindu congregations.
Only 416 counties across the country reported the presence of Hindu adherents, and as the map below shows, most Hindu adherents in the United States live near the East Coast or the West Coast.
Bibliography:
Grammich, Clifford, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E. Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley, and Richard H. Taylor, 2012. 2010 U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies.
For a list of most and least religious cities, click here.
For a list of most and least interfaith cities, click here.
For a list of most and least Christian cities, click here.
For a list of most and least Buddhist cities, click here.
For a list of most and least Christian states, click here.
For a list of most and least Mormon states, click here.
For a list of most and least Jewish states, click here.
For a list of most and least Muslim states, click here.
For a list of most and least Catholic states, click here.