What’s the Second Largest Religion in Each State?

What’s the second largest religion in America outside of Christianity? According to this short article in the Gov-Beat section of the Washington Post, it all depends on the region of the country.

• West Coast:  Buddhism
• Mid West & South: Islam
• Northeast: Judaism
• Arizona & Delaware: Hinduism
• South Carolina : more Baha’i

Other maps in the Washington Post story include one that breaks down the different religions by county.

At the beginning of the school year, I like to show my religion students the diversity of religion in our region. These larger maps will offer a great comparison.

And it might be interesting for students to research why the demographics are the way they are. Why, for example, do more Hindus settle in Arizona and Delaware than anywhere else?  And why do more Muslims settle in the South than in the Northeast?