A new Pew Research Center report, titled Faith on the Hill, sheds light on the religious makeup of the 119th Congress, which is convening today. According to the findings, the vast majority of members in the Senate and House of Representatives continue to identify as Christian.
The data for the report was gathered by CQ Roll Call, a publication known for tracking congressional activities and maintaining legislative data. To gather accurate religious affiliation information, the publication sends questionnaires to incoming members of Congress and follows up with re-elected members.
“Christians will make up 87% of voting members in the Senate and House of Representatives, combined, in the 2025-27 congressional session,” the report states.
Although the number of Christian members of Congress has slightly declined from the previous session’s 88% and from a decade ago, when it stood at 92%, the overall representation of Christians in Congress remains significantly higher than in the general American population. Currently, less than two-thirds of Americans, specifically 62%, identify as Christian.
In stark contrast to the American public, the report highlights that less than 1% of Congress members identify as religiously unaffiliated, often referred to as “nones.” In fact, while “nones” comprise 28% of the U.S. population, only three members of Congress reported having no religious affiliation. This marks an increase of two non-religious members from the previous session.
The 119th Congress will include 71 non-Christian members, a rise of six members compared to the previous session. Among them are 32 Jews, four Muslims, four Hindus, three Unitarian Universalists, three Buddhists, three members who are unaffiliated, and one Humanist. Notably, all but five of these non-Christian members are affiliated with the Democratic Party.
In terms of Christian representation, the new Congress will have 461 Christian members. Of these, 295 are Protestant. As in previous years, Baptists are the most represented denomination, with 75 Baptist members, a rise of eight from the last session. While the report does not specify the exact Baptist group these members align with, it is clear that Baptists remain a dominant force in Congress. Other notable Protestant denominations include Methodists and Presbyterians, both with 26 members each, Episcopalians with 22 members, and Lutherans with 19 members.
The presence of these denominations has diminished in recent years, both within the general American population and in Congress. When the report first debuted in 2011, the religious representation for the 112th Congress showed 51 Methodists, 45 Presbyterians, 41 Episcopalians, and 26 Lutherans. Over the last decade, their numbers have steadily declined.
Notably, Baptists make up a slightly higher percentage in the House of Representatives (15%) than in the Senate (12%). Similarly, Catholics are more prominent in the House, accounting for 29% of its members, compared to 24% in the Senate. Conversely, denominations like Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Lutherans are more prevalent in the Senate than in the House.
The report also observes that, of the 295 Protestant members, 101 did not provide specific details on their denomination. Many gave vague responses like “Protestant” or “evangelical Protestant.” This marks a significant shift compared to a decade ago. In 2015, during the 114th Congress, only 58 members reported being “just Christian” without specifying a denomination.
Regarding party affiliation, Republicans continue to exhibit a higher rate of Christian identification. Of the 218 Republican members, 98% are Christian. Only five Republican members identify as non-Christians — three as Jewish, one as religiously unaffiliated, and one declined to respond to the question of religious affiliation. On the other hand, while both Democrats and Republicans are largely Protestant, the Democratic Party has a notably higher percentage of Catholics, with 32% of Democratic members identifying as Catholic, compared to 25% of Republicans.
Religious diversity is much more pronounced within the Democratic Party. While roughly three-quarters of Democratic members are Christian, the party also includes 29 Jews, three Buddhists, four Muslims, four Hindus, three Unitarian Universalists, one Humanist, and two members who are unaffiliated. Additionally, 20 Democratic members declined to disclose their religious affiliation.
The 119th Congress also includes 166 non-Protestant Christians, 150 of whom are Catholic, nine members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (all Republicans), and six Orthodox Christians. Notably, one Republican member identifies as a Messianic Jew.
The religious affiliation of 21 members remains unreported, either because they chose not to disclose it or were unreachable for comment. The analysis also did not include Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, who will become vice president on January 20, Representative Matt Gaetz, who resigned amidst allegations of sexual misconduct, or Representative Michael Waltz, who announced his resignation to serve as a national security adviser to the Trump administration. All three had reported being Christian.
In summary, the new Pew Research report on the 119th Congress paints a picture of a legislative body that remains predominantly Christian, even as the share of Christians within the U.S. population continues to decrease. While the religious composition of Congress has become slightly more diverse in recent years, the overwhelming majority of members still identify with one form or another of Christianity. The report also highlights the political implications of these trends, showing clear differences in religious diversity between the Republican and Democratic parties. Despite these shifts, the balance of religious representation in Congress continues to reflect a nation whose roots remain firmly grounded in Christianity, though the face of that belief system is changing in subtle ways.