Religion in Oregon

Religion in the state of Oregon is remarkable in the United States, with its population ranking among the highest of religiously unaffiliated adults in the entire nation. According to a 2014 report by the Pew Research Center, 31% of Oregon's population was religiously unaffiliated, making it the second-highest percentage after that of Vermont. Of the Oregon residents who do identify as religiously-affiliated, the largest denomination is Roman Catholicism, which makes up approximately 14% of the state's overall population. In 1836, French Canadian pioneers on the French Prairie in the Willamette Valley built a log cabin chapel along the Willamette River. The first Protestant church in Oregon was built in Oregon City starting in 1842. Completed in 1844, this Methodist church was also the first Protestant church on the continental West Coast of what became the United States. The first Roman Catholic official presence in Oregon was the apostolic vicariate for the Oregon Territory begun in 1843. By 1846, the archdiocese of Oregon was formally established. Informally considered part of the Unchurched Belt, Oregon is known for historically having a lack of religiosity compared to other U.S. states. Similar to many northern U.S. states, Oregon's largest religious group (among Christians and in general), based on a 2008 Pew Research Center survey, was Roman Catholics, making up 14% of the state's total population. All denominations of Protestant accounted for 30%, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for 5%, Buddhists for 2%, and unaffiliated for 27%, all higher than the national average. A 2009 Gallup poll found that 69% Oregonians identified with a Christian religion. Oregon was lower than the national average in people who identify as mainline Protestants, historically black Christians, Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews and Muslims. Oregon tracks the national average in its number of Hindus.