Last year, New York City was home to the most closely watched mayoral race in the country. With the recent historic inauguration of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, all eyes are on the city to understand how this unlikely candidate, the youngest person to occupy this office since 1892, beat the odds and was elected mayor. Using data from the 2023 PRRI Census of American Religion, which provides county-level estimates of the U.S. religious landscape, this Spotlight Analysis presents a demographic and religious profile of New York City.

New York City Residents’ Religious Affiliation

According to the 2023 PRRI Census of American Religion, the religious makeup of New York City is as follows:

In New York City, the most common religious groups are the religiously unaffiliated (26%), Hispanic Catholics (18%), and Black Protestants (11%). Both Black Protestants and Hispanic Catholics make up a larger share of the population in New York City than they do nationally, as do Jewish and Muslim populations.

New York City’s Rich Religious Diversity

The 2023 PRRI Census of American Religion provides reliable county-level religious affiliation data, including our Index of Religious Diversity, which measures variations in the concentration of global religious populations.[1] Nationally, the average religious diversity score by county is 0.589. The average religious diversity index score for New York City is notably higher, 0.850.

New York City is composed of five counties: Bronx County, Kings County, New York County, Queens County, and Richmond County. While the religious diversity of New York City overall is high, it varies by county.

  • Kings County is New York City’s most religiously diverse county, with a religious diversity index score of 0.88. Besides the religiously unaffiliated (29%), the top three most common religious groups are Black Protestants (13.4%), Hispanic Catholics (12.5%), and Jewish Americans (12.1%).
  • In Queens County, which has a religious diversity index score of 0.86, the top three religious groups include the religiously unaffiliated (24%), Hispanic Catholics (22.6%), and white Catholics (9%).
  • Bronx County has the highest percentage of Hispanic Catholics (30.1%) and Black Protestants (14%) out of any county in New York City and has a religious diversity index score of 0.86.
  • In New York County, the top three religious groups are the religiously unaffiliated (29%), Hispanic Catholics (13%), and Black Protestants (9%), with a religious diversity index score of 0.84.
  • Richmond County, which has a religious diversity index score of 0.80, has the highest population of white Catholics in New York City, at 29.8%. Its other largest religious groups are the unaffiliated (20%) and Hispanic Catholics (9%).

Muslims in New York City

Mayor Mamdani has been described as having an extremely rich cultural background, which may have contributed to his November victory. As the city’s first Muslim mayor, PRRI offers insights on the Muslim population in the counties that make up New York City.[2]

New York City has a higher percentage of Muslim Americans (3%) than the national average (1%), with the Muslim population by county varying from a low of 0.6% to a high of 6%:

  • Queens County (6%)
  • Kings County (4%)
  • Bronx County (2%)
  • Richmond County (1%)
  • New York County (0.6%)

Notably, across all of New York State, three of the five counties with the highest percentages of Muslim New Yorkers in are in New York City.

Religiously Unaffiliated in New York City

New York City’s religiously unaffiliated population accounts for 26% of the city’s residents, with the following percentages by county:

  • Kings County (29%)
  • New York County (29%)
  • Queens County (24%)
  • Bronx County (23%)
  • Richmond County (20%)

Hispanic Catholics in New York City

Though the share of the Hispanic Catholic population in New York City is 10 points higher than the national average (18% vs. 8%), there is a significantly larger Hispanic Catholic presence in certain counties.

  • Bronx County (30%)
  • Queens County (22%)
  • New York County (13%)
  • Kings County (12%)
  • Richmond County (9%)

Black Protestants in New York City 

Black Protestants make up 11% of New York City residents, although their representation varies across counties:

  • Bronx County (14%)
  • Kings County (13%)
  • New York County (9%)
  • Queens County (8%)
  • Richmond County (6%)

Continue exploring the full 2023 PRRI Census of American Religion.

[1] The index is calculated in a way that a score of 1 means complete diversity — every religious group is of equal size — and a score of 0 indicates a complete lack of diversity and one religious group comprises the entire population of a given county.

[2] All maps label the counties in New York City using the names of their boroughs. Staten Island is Richmond County, Brooklyn is Kings County, and Manhattan is New York County.