Earlier this year, the Public Religion Research Institute informed us of the least religious cities in the country. They just published the religious breakdowns of the biggest cities in America, material gathered from the American Values Atlas, and surprise! They’re full of heathens:

Some of the highlights:

The “Nones” are the top group (or tied for the distinction) in 10 major cities.

In every city where Catholics dominate, the Nones come in at second.

In every city polled, the Nones cracked the top three. No other “religious” group can say that. (Though we are a pretty wide umbrella.)

Why is that? I suspect that when it comes to larger cities, where you’re frequently in contact with people outside your social bubble, religion becomes much less of a priority. You realize that people often demonized by traditional religions are pretty damn awesome. But when you live in rural areas, surrounded mostly by people who think just like you, those religious beliefs get reinforced.

Feel free to chime in with alternative theories.



