Unchurched Belt

The term "Unchurched Belt" refers to a region in the far Western United States that has low rates of religious attendance. The term derives from Bible Belt and the notion of the unchurched.

The term was first applied to the U.S. west coast in 1985 by Rodney Stark and William Sims Bainbridge, who found that California, Oregon, and Washington had the United States' lowest church membership rates in 1971, and that there was little change in this pattern between 1971 and 1980. [Roger Finke and Christopher Scheitle, [http://rra.hartsem.edu/finkescheitlearticle.htm Accounting for the Uncounted: Computing Correctives for the 2000 RCMS Data] , "Review of Religious Research", Vol. 47, No.1, (2005)]

States that are generally agreedwho to belong in the region include Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. Demographic patterns do not always break down along state lines. California cities and counties such as Los Angeles and San Francisco may be included, as are most of Arizona and Nevada. Despite some influence from evangelicals and Mormons, the western regions of Idaho, Montana and possibly Colorado may also be included. Some Northeastern regions like New York City and certain parts of New England are saidwho to be unchurched.

The five U.S. states with the lowest rate of church adherence are Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Alaska, and West Virginia. [http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/maps/map.asp?state=101&variable=3]

References

* [http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/geo/courses/geo200/religion.html Map Gallery of Religion in the United States]
* [http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=22579 Gallup Poll (subscription required)]
* [http://www.beliefnet.com/story/190/story_19045_1.html News Story on Gallup Poll]