Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-24
CHURCH TOTAL
IS 33 MILLIONS
BIG FIGURES SHOWN BY UNCLE
SANS EXPERTS
FIRST DATA COLLECTED IN THIS
COUNTRY MADE PUBLIC
Census Report Shows That There Are
1873 Per Cent More Women
Members Than
Men

That the church members in the
United States numbered nearly thir-
ty-three millions in 1906; that there
were a billion and a quarter dollars
invested I'm church edifces; that every
day eight new churches sent their
spires skyward; that males formed
considerably less than half the total
church memberships that a larger per-
centage of Catholic males than Pro-
testant males were members; that In
sixteen states the majority of the total
church membership were Roman Cath
olcs; but that Of the grand total of
church members reported for the
United States 61.6 per cent were Pro-
testants and 367 per cent Roman
Catholics; these are the salient ana
conspicuous facts appearing in the
proof sheets of a United States census
bureau bulletin, prepared by chief
Statistician William G. Hunt Of the
division of population of the u4lted
States census bureau.
The bulletin will be issued this month.
It is in the nature of an abstract OF
the comprehensive report, now IN
press, giving the results of the fifth
census of religious bodies in the United
States.
Women Outnumher Men
It is stated that United States cen
sus statistics of church membership
by sex were collected for the first
time in 1906 OF the total number of
members reported by the various re-
ligious bodies and classified by sex,
43.1 per cent We're males and 569 per
cent females. Among the Protestants
the difference was greater, only 39.3
per cent being males In the Roman
Catholic churches there were relatively
more males, the number forming 49.3
per cent of the total membership.
Fewer males than females were
found among the Latter-day Saints,
ths Lutherans. Disciples, Methodists.
Baptists, Presbyterians and Protest
ant Episcopalians. the percentages of
male members decreasing in the order
shown. and there being but 35.5 per
cent male among the Epscopalians
Among the Christian Scientists, only
276 per cent were males and of the
Shakers but 21.3 per cent; but, in the
Greek orthodox church, 93,9 per cent
were male, as practically all Greek
immigrants have been males.
Proportion to Total Population
OF the total estimated population Of
continental United States in 1905, the
church members formed 391 per cent,
as against 1921 per cent for 1890,
amounting to ga per cent moro in 1906
than in 1890 OF this GA per cent in
crease. the Roman Catholic church is
credited with A per cent, and the Pro-
testants with Is per cent; the remain
der being divided among all other de
nominations.
1t is stated in the bulletin that the
total number of members reported by
the various religious bodies for 1906
was 1886. 445, of which number the
Protestants were credited with 90,
PSI 7742. and the Roman Catholics with
12.079.142. or the Protestant bodies the
Methodists numbered 5.749,S3S; the Bap-
lists 5,662,234 the Lutherans 2112,4
the Presbyterians 1880 $50 and the Dis
ciples or Christians 1142,359.
OF the total of 80 936,445 church mem
bers GIG per cent We're Protestants,
36.7 per cent Roman Catholics and II
per cent members of other religious
organizations. The rate of increase
shown for the Roman Catholic church
is 93.5 per cent, which Is more than
twice that for all the Protestant bod
les combined. The Methodists report
ed 17.5 per cent Of all Protestant church
members the Baptists 172 per cent.
Increase in Organizations
The total number of local religious
organizations in 1906 is given as 2l2,
23O an increase since 1890 of 47,079.
or 2S.5 per cent. The Protestants are
credited with an increase in this par
ticular amounting to 27.S per cent, the
Roman Catholic church 1.9 per cent.
the Jewish congregations 23.9 per cent
and the Latter-day Saints 1873 per cent.
The Methodists reported the largest
number of local organizations, 64701;
the Baptists reported 54,SS0, the Pres
byterans 15,506, the Lutherans II, 703
and the Roman Catholics IL, 4S2.
Other interesting features of the bull
letin are those showing that the total
seating capacity of churches was 5S,
536 $50, an increase over the 1890 United
States census figures Of 34.4 per cent;
that the rate of increase was practical
ly the same for both Protestants and
Roman Catholics. and kept pace with
the increase in population, and that ST.
257575,S67 was invested in church edi-
fees in 1906. The total amount of debt
was sos, O5O 946, or sc per cent of the
total value; of this total the Protest
ant bodies owed $53,3Ot, ,254 and the
Roman Catholics, S49 4SS,O55, In six
teen states q majority of the church
members were Roman Catholic; in
twenty-nine were Roman Catholic; in
one, Utah. Latter-day Saints.