Religious Affiliation and Inequalities: A Contemporary Study of U.S. Religious Groups

Religious differences in socioeconomic status (SES) are crucial for understanding inequality and the religious landscape in the United States. This paper updates the state of the field on SES rankings by examining income and wealth disparities across seven major religious groups: white Catholics, Latino Catholics, white mainline Protestants (MPs), white conservative Protestants (CPs), religious nones, Black mainline Protestants, and Black conservative Protestants. Findings reveal that: (1) white Catholics have SES parity with white MPs, with some indications that white Catholics could surpass white MPs on key income and wealth measures; (2) white Catholics have significantly higher income and wealth than Latino Catholics, underscoring SES disparities among Catholics; (3) white CPs have higher SES than in the past, surpassing Latino Catholic SES; (4) white religious nones and white Catholics have comparable SES; and (5) Black Protestants have significantly lower income and wealth than other religious groups. This study offers a comprehensive, contemporary view of how religion intersects with economic status, providing insights into how religious identity and SES are associated.