The Most Educated Religious Groups In America

A new report from the Pew Research Center offers one of the most detailed looks at how educational attainment differs across religious groups in America.

The findings come from Pew’s 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study, a survey of 36,908 U.S. adults. Because of its large sample size, researchers were able to analyze not only broad religious categories, but also specific denominations within Protestantism and other traditions.

The headline finding: Hindus and Jews stand apart by a wide margin.

Hindus and Jews Top The List

Seven in ten Hindus in the United States hold at least a bachelor’s degree, the highest share of any religious group measured. Jewish Americans follow closely behind, with 65% reporting a four-year college degree or higher.

Both figures nearly double the national average of 35% for all U.S. adults.

Other religious groups with comparatively high levels of education include Orthodox Christians (45%), Muslims (44%), Buddhists (41%), and mainline Protestants (40%). Catholics overall match the national average at 35%.

At the lower end of the spectrum are evangelical Protestants (29%) and members of historically Black Protestant churches (24%).

These differences reflect a mix of immigration patterns, socioeconomic factors, denominational history and geographic distribution. Pew’s report does not speculate on causes, but the educational profile of Hindu Americans, for example, aligns with broader immigration data showing that many Indian immigrants arrive in the United States through employment-based visa programs that favor highly skilled workers.

Sharp Divide Within Protestantism 

The size of Pew’s survey makes it possible to look more closely at educational attainment within Christian traditions.

Evangelical Protestants

Overall, 29% of evangelical Protestants have a bachelor’s degree or more, slightly below the national average.

But the range within evangelical denominations is wide. Among the groups analyzed:

• Members of the Global Methodist Church report a 57% college graduation rate. 
• The Presbyterian Church in America also stands at 57%.
• At the other end, just 18% of members of the Assemblies of God hold college degrees.
• Southern Baptists (23%) and Independent Baptists in the evangelical tradition (20%) also fall well below the national average.

These internal differences suggest that educational attainment cannot be generalized across broad labels like “evangelical.” Institutional history, theology, regional concentration and member demographics all play a role.

Mainline Protestants

Mainline Protestants overall are more educated than evangelicals, with 40% holding at least a bachelor’s degree.

Among denominations Pew was able to analyze separately:

• The Episcopal Church stands out at 67%.
• The Presbyterian Church (USA) reports 58%.
• The United Church of Christ reports 50%.
• The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (39%) and the United Methodist Church (42%) cluster near the national average.
• The American Baptist Churches USA fall much lower, at 13%.

The 67% figure for Episcopalians places them roughly on par with Jewish Americans and just below Hindus, making them one of the most highly educated Christian groups in the country.

Historically Black Protestant Churches

Among historically Black Protestant churches, about 24% of members have a college degree or more, below the national average.

Within that tradition:

• The National Baptist Convention, USA, stands at 24%.
• The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) reports 10%.

Pew did not have sufficient sample sizes to report separate results for some smaller denominations, including the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The Religious Unaffiliated 

The religiously unaffiliated (sometimes called “nones”) account for a growing share of the U.S. population. But their educational profile is not uniform.

Overall, 37% of religiously unaffiliated adults have a bachelor’s degree or more, slightly above the national average.

Breaking that down:

• Agnostics: 53%
• Atheists: 48%
• “Nothing in particular”: 29%

The contrast is significant. Agnostics and atheists are substantially more likely than Americans overall to hold college degrees. Those who describe their religion as “nothing in particular” are less likely than average to have completed college.

Takeaways

Educational attainment is closely tied to income, employment stability and long-term wealth accumulation. According to federal labor data, workers with bachelor’s degrees typically earn substantially more over a lifetime than those with only a high school diploma.

For example:

• Communities with higher shares of college-educated adults often report higher median earnings and lower unemployment rates.
• Educational attainment can influence views on public policy, including education funding, student loan programs and workforce training initiatives.
• Within religious institutions, educational differences may affect leadership structures, charitable priorities and institutional investments in schools or scholarship programs.

At the same time, education levels within religious groups are shaped by broader demographics: immigration policy, geographic settlement patterns, historical access to higher education and economic inequality.

Pew’s survey does not draw conclusions about why these differences exist. It provides a statistical snapshot. 

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