Religion in Arizona: Churches and Denominations

The West

The study of religion in Arizona illustrates a dramatic confluence of historic desert missions, pioneer frontier heritage, and modern suburban migration. Roman Catholicism and evangelical Protestantism represent the state's largest religious traditions, complemented by substantial Latter-day Saint communities, active Jewish and world faith assemblies, and a growing population of unaffiliated residents across the desert Southwest.

Demographics and Patterns in Religion in Arizona

According to comprehensive demographic surveys, including the Pew Research Center 2014 Religious Landscape Study, Christianity encompasses approximately 67 percent of adult residents in Arizona. Protestant traditions collectively represent roughly 39 percent of the adult population, with evangelical Protestant congregations forming the largest segment at 26 percent, followed by mainline denominations at 12 percent and historically Black churches at 1 percent. Roman Catholicism represents the largest single Christian denomination, accounting for approximately 21 percent of adult Arizonans. This enduring Catholic presence reflects both centuries of colonial Hispanic settlement and ongoing migration from Mexico and Central America. Arizona is also distinguished by one of the largest concentrations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints outside Utah, accounting for roughly 5 percent of the adult population. Non-Christian religious traditions comprise approximately 6 percent of adults, led by Jewish communities (2 percent), alongside Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims who each represent roughly 1 percent. About 27 percent of adult Arizonans identify as religiously unaffiliated, reflecting broader western trends toward secularity. Data from the 2020 US Religion Census recorded over 1.1 million Catholic adherents in the Dioceses of Phoenix and Tucson, alongside over 430,000 Latter-day Saints and tens of thousands of Southern Baptists and Lutherans. You can explore national denominational patterns in our report on Baptist churches by state.

Church Directory Data for Arizona

Our directory records 819 active congregations across Arizona, providing a comprehensive snapshot of institutional religion throughout the state. Baptist churches represent the single largest group with 136 listings, accounting for 16.6 percent of all recorded houses of worship. Non-Denominational and independent evangelical congregations follow closely with 119 listings (14.5 percent), reflecting the explosive growth of contemporary community churches in the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan suburbs. Lutheran congregations hold the third position with 114 listings (13.9 percent), while Roman Catholic parishes account for 103 listings (12.6 percent). Pentecostal fellowships maintain 86 listings (10.5 percent), followed by Methodist churches with 59 listings (7.2 percent) and Presbyterian and Reformed congregations with 56 listings (6.8 percent). Liturgical bodies include 29 Episcopal and Anglican parishes (3.5 percent) and 8 Eastern Orthodox churches (1.0 percent). Other notable groups include the Church of the Nazarene (28 listings), independent Christian churches (27 listings), Jewish synagogues (16 listings), Latter-day Saint meetinghouses (12 listings), and Churches of Christ (11 listings). Smaller representations include Seventh-day Adventist, metaphysical, and Mennonite assemblies.

Churches in Arizona in our directory, by denomination

Denomination	Churches listed	Share
Baptist	136	17%
Non-Denominational/Evangelical	119	15%
Lutheran	114	14%
Catholic	103	13%
Pentecostal	86	11%
Methodist	59	7%
Presbyterian/Reformed	56	7%
Episcopal / Anglican	29	4%
Holiness / Church of the Nazarene	28	3%
Christian	27	3%
Jewish	16	2%
Mormon/Latter Day Saints	12	1%
Church of Christ	11	1%
Orthodox	8	1%
Adventist	6	1%
Metaphysical	5	1%
Independent Fundamentalist	3	0%
Mennonite	1	0%

Cities with the most churches

All 819 churches in Arizona

Worshipers and researchers looking for congregational contacts can review our statewide catalog of churches in Arizona, or locate specific traditions through our targeted directories for Baptist churches in Arizona, evangelical churches in Arizona, and Lutheran churches in Arizona.

Spanish Missions, Mormon Colonization, and Sun Belt Growth

Arizona's religious history began with Spanish missionary efforts in the northern frontier of New Spain, then known as the Pimería Alta. In 1692, Italian Jesuit missionary and explorer Father Eusebio Francisco Kino arrived among the O'odham peoples of the Santa Cruz Valley. Kino founded Mission San Xavier del Bac near modern Tucson, introducing European agriculture, cattle ranching, and Christianity. Following the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767, Franciscan friars assumed administration of the missions, completing the magnificent baroque sanctuary of San Xavier in 1797. The Spanish also established presidios at Tubac and Tucson, anchoring Catholic community life that persisted through Mexican governance and continued following the 1853 Gadsden Purchase, which incorporated southern Arizona into the United States. In the late 1870s, a major new religious tradition arrived from the north. Brigham Young, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dispatched organized colonization companies to settle the river valleys of Arizona. Mormon pioneers founded towns along the Little Colorado River, including Snowflake and Saint Johns, before pushing into the fertile Salt River Valley to establish Mesa in 1878. Utilizing cooperative irrigation canals originally engineered centuries earlier by the ancient Hohokam civilization, these settlers built thriving agricultural settlements governed by church wards and stakes. In 1927, the church dedicated the Mesa Arizona Temple, which served as a regional center of worship for Latter-day Saints across the Southwest and Mexico. The mid-twentieth century brought massive demographic expansion to the Sun Belt. Air conditioning, military bases, aerospace manufacturing, and retirement communities attracted millions of transplants from the Midwest, South, and East Coast. These new residents established hundreds of Baptist, Lutheran, and Methodist churches in master-planned communities. In recent decades, the Phoenix metropolitan area has become an incubator for independent evangelical megachurches that attract thousands of worshipers each weekend with contemporary Christian music, extensive youth sports programs, and multimedia presentations. Concurrently, continuous immigration from Sonora and other Mexican states has steadily expanded Spanish-language Catholic parishes throughout central and southern Arizona.

Historic Sanctuaries and Architectural Monuments

Arizona contains several celebrated religious landmarks that reflect its desert setting and diverse cultural roots. Mission San Xavier del Bac, known affectionately as the White Dove of the Desert, stands on the Tohono O'odham San Xavier Reservation south of Tucson. Constructed between 1783 and 1797, its brilliant white stucco exterior, ornate mudéjar portal, and richly painted interior frescoes make it one of the finest surviving examples of Spanish colonial baroque architecture in North America. In downtown Phoenix, the Basilica of Saint Mary, dedicated in 1914 on the site of an 1881 adobe church, features Romanesque revival styling and magnificent German stained glass; it was elevated to a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II during his 1987 pastoral visit. In Mesa, the historic Mesa Arizona Temple occupies twenty acres of manicured citrus groves and reflection pools. Designed in a neoclassical style reminiscent of ancient Near Eastern architecture, the temple was the first built in Arizona and hosts an annual outdoor Easter pageant that draws over one hundred thousand spectators. In Sedona, the Chapel of the Holy Cross, completed in 1956, rises dramatically from a two-hundred-foot red rock butte. Commissioned by sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude, this Catholic chapel integrates modern architecture with desert geology, drawing pilgrims and tourists from around the world.

Geographic Concentration in Urban Desert Corridors

Congregational distribution in Arizona is heavily concentrated in the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan valleys, where more than eighty percent of the state's population resides. Phoenix leads the directory with 194 listings; visitors exploring churches in Phoenix will encounter everything from downtown historic cathedrals to immense suburban evangelical campuses and multi-lingual immigrant fellowships. Tucson ranks second with 155 listings. Documented in our directory of churches in Tucson, the Old Pueblo retains deep Hispanic Catholic roots alongside historic Presbyterian and Methodist institutions near the University of Arizona. Mesa records 61 listings; our guide to churches in Mesa highlights prominent Latter-day Saint stakes alongside active Baptist and Non-Denominational congregations. Scottsdale accounts for 55 listings, serving resort and residential communities in the northeast valley, while Glendale in the West Valley records 44 listings, reflecting strong Lutheran, Baptist, and Catholic community foundations.

Regional Comparison with Neighboring Western States

Placing Arizona within the larger framework of religion in the West illuminates its unique hybrid identity. Like California, analyzed in our study of religion in California, Arizona possesses a foundational Hispanic Catholic heritage and shares a borderland culture shaped by continuous Latin American migration. However, Arizona exhibits a substantially higher concentration of Latter-day Saints and conservative evangelical congregations than California. When compared to its northern neighbor examined in our review of religion in Utah, Arizona presents a far more religiously pluralistic society. While Utah is culturally and demographically anchored by the LDS Church, Arizona's Latter-day Saint population shares civic space with massive Catholic dioceses and hundreds of Protestant bodies. Compared to trends documented in religion in Nevada, Arizona possesses far older agricultural and missionary foundations, resulting in stronger institutional church stability outside the casino and resort corridors.

Find a church in Arizona

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common religion in Arizona?

Christianity is the most common religion in Arizona, encompassing about 67 percent of adult residents. Roman Catholicism is the largest single branch at roughly 21 percent of the population, followed by evangelical Protestant congregations at 26 percent and Latter-day Saints at 5 percent.

What is the largest denomination in Arizona?

The Roman Catholic Church is the largest single denomination in Arizona, with over 1.1 million adherents and 103 directory parishes. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the second-largest organized body with over 430,000 members, followed by Southern Baptist and non-denominational groups.

Why are there so many Latter-day Saints in Arizona?

In the 1870s, Mormon leader Brigham Young sent pioneer families to establish agricultural colonies in Arizona. They settled the Little Colorado River valley and founded Mesa in 1878, using ancient irrigation channels to create productive farms and establishing communities that remain major LDS centers today.

What is Mission San Xavier del Bac?

Mission San Xavier del Bac is an eighteenth-century Spanish mission south of Tucson, Arizona. Known as the White Dove of the Desert, it was founded by Jesuit Father Eusebio Kino in 1692 and built by Franciscans between 1783 and 1797. It is renowned for its magnificent Spanish colonial baroque architecture.

How does church attendance in Arizona compare to other western states?

Church attendance in Arizona is moderate compared to other western states, with approximately 34 percent of adults attending services weekly. This is higher than rates in secular Pacific Northwest states like Oregon and Washington, but lower than attendance levels observed in Utah.

Keep reading

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