The Largest Christian Science Communities
Last updated 8 March 2000.
Historically, the Boston-based Church of Christ, Scientist (Christian Science), has been one of the most original religious movements to have originated on American soil. Its theological innovations and legal victories have had significant impact far beyond the confines of its own membership.
Note: The Church of Christ, Scientist, as per its founders instructions, does not release membership figures. Lists here are based on the numbers of congregations the organization reports.
Top 10 U.S. states with
highest concentrations of
Christian Science churches, 1990
| Rank | State | Total State
Residents per
Christian Science
congregation | Number of
Christian Science
congregations |
| 1 | Vermont | 43,289 | 13 |
| 2 | Wyoming | 50,399 | 9 |
| 3 | Maine | 51,164 | 24 |
| 4 | Oregon | 60,475 | 47 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | 61,625 | 18 |
| 6 | Montana | 66,589 | 12 |
| 7 | Washington | 66,667 | 73 |
| 8 | Idaho | 83,896 | 12 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 87,195 | 69 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 88,941 | 55 |
Top 10 U.S. States with
most Christian Science branches, 1990
| Rank | State | Number
of branches | Total State
Residents per
Christian Science
congregation |
| 1 | California | 295 | 100,881 |
| 2 | New York | 108 | 166,578 |
| 3 | Illinois | 104 | 109,910 |
| 4 | Florida | 94 | 137,638 |
| 5 | Texas | 93 | 182,650 |
| 6 | Michigan | 79 | 117,662 |
| 7 | Ohio | 77 | 140,872 |
| 8 | Washington | 73 | 66,667 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 69 | 87,195 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | 64 | 185,651 |
States on both lists (Most Branches per Total State Resident andHighest Total Number of Branches): Washington and Massachusetts. (Boston, Massachusetts, of course, is the world headquarters of the Church of Christ, Scientist.)
Top 25 U.S. Counties with
Most Christian Science branches, 1990
| County | Churches |
| Los Angeles, CA | 75 |
| Cook, IL | 38 |
| King, WA | 26 |
| San Diego, CA | 23 |
| Orange, CA | 20 |
| Middlesex, MA | 18 |
| Wayne, MI | 14 |
| Nassau, NY | 13 |
| Harris, TX | 13 |
| Alameda, CA | 12 |
| Cuyahoga, OH | 12 |
| Santa Clara, CA | 12 |
| St. Louis, MO | 11 |
| San Bernardino, CA | 11 |
| Dallas, TX | 11 |
| Maricopa, AZ | 11 |
| Fairfield, CT | 10 |
| Westchester, NY | 10 |
| New York, NY | 10 |
| Dade, FL | 10 |
| Essex, MA | 9 |
| Contra Costa, CA | 9 |
| Pinellas, FL | 9 |
| Milwaukee, WI | 9 |
| Oakland, MI | 9 |
The counties in this list are generally among the U.S. counties with the highest populations. A county appearing on this list does not necessarily have a larger number of Christian Scientists per capita than other counties.
States in this list: California (7), New York (3), Massachusetts (2), Texas (2), Florida (2), Michigan (2), Arizona, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Washington, Wisconsin, and Connecticut.
Source: Churches and Church Membership in the United States, 1990, published by the Glenmary Research Center, P.O. Box 507, Mars Hill, NC 28754. Principle investigator: Church Growth Research Center, Church of the Nazarene, Kansas City, MO. Data set obtained from the American Religion Data Archive.
Related Pages
This Christian Science geography and statistics web page copyright © 2000 by Adherents.com. Please send comments, questions, corrections, etc. to webmaster@adherents.com. Created April 23, 1999.
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