A comprehensive map of faith in America

Did you know that in 4 states — Oregon, Maine, Washington, Colorado — the religiously unaffiliated make up the largest "religious" group? Or that seven in 10 Hindus are college graduates? Or that Vermont has the highest population of Jehovah's Witnesses in the country?

Thanks to a new map recently launched by the Public Religion Research Institute, you can discover these and other interesting religious demographics in no time.

The American Values Atlas, which was created in partnership with Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS), is an interactive map that lets users explore America's vastly diverse landscape. Users can compare religious or political affiliation by state or by geographic region. Key demographics, such as marital status, parental status, and health insurance status, are also available on the map. According to the website, beginning in 2015, the map will be expanded to include Americans' views on abortion, immigration, and LGBT issues.

The AVA map is drawn from 50,000 random telephone interviews, and as a result of the broad scope of answers, categories that are often overlooked in other national surveys — Hindus in New Jersey, for instance — are represented in this project.

It's also interesting to see certain demographics side by side. For example, this is the percentage of Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Jews by state.

Here's a breakdown of Christian populations by denomination.

The creators of AVA look at the project as if it is an ongoing study, and they plan to update the map each year to reflect America's continuously shifting religious and political landscapes.

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