May 14, 2012 issue
Religion study: In a few counties, Mennonites and Amish stand out
By Mennonite World Review staffA new study of religion in the United States that lists congregational adherents by county shows that in at least six counties, a particular Mennonite or Amish group is the largest religious body.
The six counties are LaGrange in Indiana, Harvey and Gray in Kansas, Holmes and Wayne in Ohio and Hutchinson in South Dakota.
In at least three other counties — Marion and McPherson in Kansas and Elkhart in Indiana — adding all Mennonite (and in Elkhart County, Amish) groups together makes them the county’s largest religious group.
The Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies collected data from 236 religious groups in 2010. Combined with Census information from that year, the data offer a window into the presence various Anabaptist groups have at the county level.
A map displaying the census findings is available in the print edition of MWR.
For the complete data, visit rcms2010.org.
Comment on the article Religion study: In a few counties, Mennonites and Amish stand out
Please keep comments civil. MWR editors reserve the right to remove any comment. When posting a comment, you agree to the MWR Comments Policy. Name and comment will be posted; commenters are strongly encouraged to give their full name. Email address is for follow-up only and will not be made public.
Download