Leader Insights

Average Church Size Statistics 2027: Latest 2026 Data and Trends

How big is the typical U.S. church? The latest sourced figures on median congregation size, how churches split by attendance, megachurches and how size shapes growth and budgets, from Lifeway Research, Barna Group and Faith Communities Today. Every figure links to its original study. Updated October 2026.

Church size statistics at a glance

StatisticFigureYearSource
Median U.S. congregation attendance in 2025 (65 in 2020)702025Lifeway Research
Change in median congregation size since 2000 (137 to 70)-49%2025Leader Insights
Protestant churches by weekend attendance: under 50, 50 to 99, 100 to 249, 250 or more (2025)22% / 27% / 32% / 18%2025Lifeway Research
Protestant churches with fewer than 100 people (2023)67%2023Lifeway Research
Median attendance by tradition (2020)Catholic 400, Evangelical 65, Mainline 502025Faith Communities Today
Regular attendees in the congregation of the average churchgoer3602025Lifeway Research
Protestant churchgoers who attend megachurches (2026)17%2026Lifeway Research
Protestant churchgoers in congregations of 100 or fewer adults (2023)41%2023Barna Group
Churches growing: under 50 attending vs. over 25023% vs. 62%2025Lifeway Research
Pastors with good to great wellness: churches of 50 or fewer vs. over 25053% vs. 80%2024Lifeway Research
Median share of budget spent on personnel, smallest to largest Southern Baptist churches42% to 50%2026Lifeway Research
Median congregational income in 2025$205,0002025Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations

What is the size of the typical church?

How do churches split by size?

Megachurches

How size shapes growth, staffing and budgets

Church income

Looking ahead to 2027: what the latest data points to

No 2027 statistics have been published yet. Here is what the newest readings suggest. We update this page as new research arrives.

Church size statistics: common questions

What is the average church size in the U.S.?

The median U.S. congregation had about 70 attendees in 2025, up from 65 in 2020 and 137 in 2000 (Lifeway Research). The average churchgoer, however, attends a congregation of about 360 regular attendees, because large churches hold a big share of the people.

What percent of churches have fewer than 100 people?

It depends on the study. Lifeway Research found 49% of Protestant churches under 100 in 2025 (22% under 50 and 27% with 50 to 99), 67% in 2023 and 68% in 2022. Surveys differ in method and sample, so compare figures from the same study over time.

How many megachurches are there?

Hartford Institute data cited by Lifeway Research counted 1,642 U.S. congregations with sustained worship attendance of at least 2,000 in 2017. Megachurches draw 17% of all Protestant churchgoers (Lifeway Research, 2026).

How does church size vary by denomination?

Catholic and Orthodox parishes have a median attendance of about 400, evangelical Protestant congregations 65 and mainline Protestant congregations 50 (Faith Communities Today, 2020).

Do bigger churches grow faster?

More of them grow. In 2025, 62% of churches over 250 attendees were growing, 59% of churches with 100 to 250, 45% with 50 to 99 and 23% with fewer than 50 (Lifeway Research).

Open all 1,870 statistics, free

Full charts, CSV and PNG downloads, citations, branded share images, boards and board briefs with a free account.

Create your free account

More church statistics

About this data

Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Different studies define the same topic differently, so figures from different sources are not directly comparable; each is labeled with its publisher and year.