'Most Religious' Cities Found in Utah and South

Provo-Orem, Utah is the most religious metropolitan area in the country, while Burlington, Vt. and Boulder, Colo. tie for the dubious distinction of least religious, according to a poll released Friday.

In the Gallup survey of more than a quarter of a million adults living in 189 metropolitan areas, 77 percent of Provo-Orem’s residents were classified as very religious, while just 17 percent said the same in Burlington and Boulder.

The poll, conducted last year, also found that much of the religious diversity in the country is geographically based, with most of the top religious cities located in the South and most of the least religious cities located in the Northeast and on the West Coast.

After the Utah connurbation, the next metropolitan areas in order were: Montgomery, Ala.; Jackson, Miss.; Birmingham-Hoover, Ala.; Huntsville, Ala.; Holland-Grand Haven, Mich.;
Greenville-Mauldlin-Easley, S.C., Augusta-Richmond County, Ga. and S.C., Ogden-Clearfield, Utah; and Little Rock-North Little Rock, Ark.

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Following Burlington and Boulder on the least religious list were: Manchester-Nashua, N.H.; Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine; Santa Rosa-Petaluma, Calif.; San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif.; Eugene-Springfield, Ore.; Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.; Bremerton-Silverdale, Wash.; and Albany-Schnectady-Troy, N.Y.

Nationally, 40 percent of respondents to the telephone survey were classified as very religious, saying religion is an important part of their daily life and they attend religious services every week or almost every week. Thirty-one percent of respondents were classified as nonreligious, saying religion is not an important part of their daily life and they seldom or never attend religious services.

The rest, 29 percent, were moderately religious, saying religion is important in their lives, although they do not attend services regularly, or that religion is not important but they still attend services.

On a state by state basis, the survey found Mississippi to be the most religious, with 58 percent classified as very religious. Utah and Alabama tied for second place.

Vermont, on the other hand, was found to be the least religious, with just 19 percent of respondents describing themselves as very religious.