Black Catholics in the United States

This post was researched and written by Ali Mumbach at CARA.

As we round out Black History Month, CARA felt it would be good to share some insights on the population of the Church that is celebrated during this month. Data from the General Social Survey (GSS) and the Cooperative Election Study (CES) indicate the Black Catholic population as being quite stable over the past five decades at approximately 1% of the U.S. adult population. On average, in these national surveys, approximately 5% of adult Catholics in the United States self-identify their race as Black or African American. About 7.5% of Black or African Americans in the U.S. self-identify their religion as Catholic. With 1% of the U.S. adult population self identifying as Black and Catholic, this represents about 2.8 million individuals in 2026. Important to note is that the term “Black Catholic,” encompasses the whole diaspora of African and African-descended peoples – African Americans, African immigrants, Afro-Latinos, and Afro-Caribbeans. Black Catholics are far from monolithic in their cultural expressions and experiences of the faith and society.

Within the Black Catholic population, 55% are men and 45% are women. The average age of Black Catholics is around 44 years old, and the median (middle-most) age is 40. The largest generational cohort of Black Catholics is the Millenials, making up 43% of the population. They are followed by the Boomers at 22%, Gen X at 18%, Gen Z at 17%, and the Silent Generation at less than 1%. These statistics came as a surprise to this author. The youngest cohorts make up 60% of the Black Catholic population? As a Black Catholic young adult myself, when I go into Black Catholic spaces, I don’t see many Millenials or Gen Zers. I see Boomers and Gen X. This begs the question - where are the young people? And not in the perennial sense of the question about young people disaffiliating from religion - the data shows that in this case, they haven’t. Black Catholic young adults make up the largest portion of Black Catholics. Yet we often don’t see them. What does this mean? Sounds like an opportunity for research to me… 

Black Catholics live predominantly in the South, with over half of the group residing in this region of the country (55%). Louisiana is known for having the highest population of Black Catholic churches. About one in five Black Catholics lives in the Northeast (21%). Slightly more than one in ten Black Catholics lives in the West (13%) or Midwest (11%). When considering political party affiliation, Black Catholics lean heavily Democrat with about three in five affiliating with the party (59%). Republicans make up 13% of the population, Independents are 22%, and 1% identify as Other.

Looking at religious behaviors of Black Catholics, we find that they have a higher Mass attendance than the overall Catholic population. Forty percent of Black Catholics attend Mass at least once a week or more which is significantly more than the 26% of overall Catholics who attend Mass at that frequency. Additionally, over half of Black Catholics pray once a day or more (55%), whereas less than half of the overall Catholic population prays at the same frequency (47%). Black Catholics demonstrate a strong commitment to the faith they believe in, even as dioceses disproportionately close Black Catholic parishes and schools.

And as the 100^th anniversary of Black History Month comes to a close, I found some relevant questions to look at in the 2024 CES dataset that relate to race and racism. In fact, they touch on topics that an upcoming CARA national survey will also be exploring. In the CES survey, respondents were asked to what degree they agreed with the following seven statements, which are presented in the tables below. Respondents could rate “strongly agree,” “somewhat agree,” “neither agree nor disagree,” “somewhat disagree,” or “strongly disagree.” For the purposes of this analysis, “strongly agree” and “somewhat agree” were combined to create “agree,” while “strongly disagree” and “somewhat disagree” were combined to create “disagree.” Analysis was restricted to those who selected as their race “Black or African American” and “White.” This would include those who self-identified as both non-Hispanic and Hispanic White. Below are the findings from the analysis. 

Eighty percent of Black Catholics agree that there are privileges that come with having white skin. White Catholics are less than half as likely as Black Catholics to agree with this statement (38%). White Catholics also are almost six times more likely than Black Catholics to disagree with this statement (41% compared to 7%).

For this statement (presented above), more than twice as many White Catholics (36%) agree as Black Catholics (14%). Additionally, there is a 22-point difference in disagreement of the statement between the two groups.

The figures below reveal additional differences in opinions between Black and White Catholics.

The findings of this analysis demonstrate that Black and White Catholics differ significantly on their beliefs about race and racism, and how these have played a role in the opportunities and experiences of African Americans. The goal of this post is not to create greater division within the Body of Christ, but rather to illuminate how wide the chasm is in acknowledgement and understanding. The Catholic Church has a very definitive teaching on racism – it is an evil and a sin. One can reference bishops’ letters such as Open Wide Our Hearts and Brothers and Sisters to Us, and manifold other resources to learn about Church teaching on racism. However, we can also look at the history of the treatment of Black people and Black Catholics in the U.S. Catholic Church, and easily identify ways that the Church instituted and perpetuated this sin against its own members. In this period of synodality and listening to the marginalized, these responses from Black Catholics are saying a lot. It is out of love and commitment to the gospel that the Church is responsible to listen. Happy Black History Month!

Note: The 2024 CES includes 497 Black Catholic respondents (unweighted) and 7,470 White Catholics among its overall 59,940 total respondents. 

Are People Flocking to Catholicism in the U.S.?

This post is a collaboration between CARA Senior Research Associate Mark M. Gray and Rubén Rodríguez Barrón, a Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago.   

Over the past year, anecdotes about a surge in conversions to Catholicism in the United States have been widespread. We've seen and heard of packed OCIA classes, record numbers at Easter Vigil, and especially large increases among young adults have fueled speculation that something significant is underway in 2025.

What does the data say? For now, the honest answer is: not much yet. 

Dioceses will not begin reporting their 2025 sacramental data until early 2026, and those figures will not be publicly available until the release of the 2026 Official Catholic Directory (OCD) later that summer or fall. Any claims about nationwide conversion trends in 2025 are therefore necessarily anecdotal.

That said, we can place those anecdotes in context by looking carefully at recent historical data (i.e., including all U.S. Latin Rite territorial arch/dioceses, the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, and the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands). Using diocesan reports from OCD, we can examine how entries into the Catholic Church have changed over the past decade, how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted those patterns, and where recent numbers appear to be exceeding prior expectations. We can also explore how much these trends vary across dioceses and how they differ when we focus specifically on adult entrants rather than total baptisms.

What follows does not answer whether 2025 represents a true turning point. But it does clarify what would count as evidence of one, and what the most recent data already suggest.

National Trends in Entries into the Church
In 2015, there were approximately 834,000 entries into the Catholic Church in the United States. These entries include infant baptisms, minor baptisms, adult baptisms, and receptions into full communion for those previously baptized in other Christian traditions.

From 2013 through 2019, total entries declined steadily, falling by roughly 30,000 per year on average (much of this decline is related to a drop in birth rates in the U.S.). 

This downward trend was already well established before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Then came the pandemic. Parish closures, delayed sacraments, and widespread disruption made normal participation difficult or impossible for extended periods of time. As a result, interpreting sacramental data during these years requires caution.

By 2022, total entries had returned to roughly the level one would expect if the pre-pandemic decline had continued uninterrupted. In 2023 and again in 2024, however, the number of entries rose above that projected trajectory.

Whether this represents the emergence of a new trend or simply a period of catch-up following pandemic disruptions remains unclear.

Total Entries into the Catholic Church in the United States, 2013–2024 (click to see larger size)

 
Where Are New Entrants Coming From?
Looking only at national totals can obscure important local variation. Unsurprisingly, archdioceses with the largest Catholic populations also tend to report the largest numbers of entrants. Population size matters.

That said, some dioceses stand out as clear outliers. Fresno and Miami, for example, rank far lower in total Catholic population than many other dioceses yet appear among the top ten in total entrants. Conversely, dioceses such as Phoenix and San Diego, which have very large Catholic populations, fall outside the top ten in raw entry counts.

These discrepancies suggest that population size alone does not fully explain where new entries are occurring.

Adjusting for Population Size
One way to account for population differences is to examine entries per 1,000 Catholics. This shifts attention away from sheer size and toward relative intensity.

Using this measure, the dioceses that rise to the top look very different. Smaller dioceses and specialized jurisdictions dominate the list, including the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, which serves former Anglicans entering the Catholic Church.

It is important to note a limitation here. Catholic population figures reported in the OCD are estimates, and dioceses vary widely in how frequently and accurately they update them. Some dioceses report identical population figures year after year, while others make abrupt revisions. These inconsistencies can meaningfully affect per-capita calculations and should be kept in mind when interpreting rankings.

Focusing on Adult Entrants
Much of the recent anecdotal attention has focused specifically on adults entering the Church. Adult baptisms and receptions into full communion offer a narrower but more targeted lens on conversion. In raw numbers, large dioceses once again dominate.



However, when we adjust for population size, the pattern closely resembles what we saw for total entries per 1,000 Catholics.

The same dioceses tend to appear repeatedly, suggesting that places with high overall entry intensity also tend to see relatively strong adult participation.

Infant and Minor Baptisms Relative to Adult Entries
Another way to examine diocesan differences is to compare the number of infant and minor baptisms to the number of adult baptisms and receptions into full communion.

Nationally, dioceses average roughly six infant and minor baptisms for every one adult entry. Some dioceses fall well below that ratio, while others far exceed it.

Lower ratios indicate dioceses where adult entries make up a larger share of total sacramental life. Higher ratios often reflect demographic factors such as high birth rates rather than weak adult evangelization. Large arch/dioceses like Los Angeles and Fresno fall into this latter category and should not be interpreted negatively on this measure alone.

At the same time, arch/dioceses such as Wheeling-Charleston, Palm Beach, and Oklahoma City appear as notable outliers, combining relatively strong adult entry with substantial infant and minor baptisms. These cases merit closer attention.

Conclusion
So, are people flocking to Catholicism in the United States?

The available data do not yet allow us to answer that question definitively. What they do show is a more nuanced and interesting picture than either optimism or skepticism alone would suggest.

After years of steady decline prior to the pandemic, total entries into the Church returned to their expected trajectory by 2022 and then exceeded that trajectory in 2023 and 2024. Whether this reflects delayed participation during COVID or the beginning of a new pattern remains uncertain.

At the diocesan level, the story is uneven. Some dioceses appear to be experiencing something genuinely distinctive, while others look much as they have for years. Differences in population size, demographics, and institutional structure all shape what entry patterns look like on the ground.

When the 2025 data are finally released, they will matter not because they confirm a headline, but because they will tell us whether recent increases represent a short-term rebound or a more durable shift in how people are entering the Catholic Church in the United States.

For now, the prudent conclusion is simple: something may be happening, but the data are still catching up.