Congregations' income compared with expenses
Percent of U.S. congregations, Faith Communities Today, 2025 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Income exceeds expenses by more than 5% (44%). Lowest: Budget exactly balanced (14%).
- Income exceeds expenses by more than 5%: 44%
- Operating at a deficit: 24%
- Income exceeds expenses but within 5%: 18%
Source: Lifeway Research, Most Churches Report Good Financial Health · Article published 2025-03-19.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Income exceeds expenses by more than 5% (44%). Lowest: Budget exactly balanced (14%). Income exceeds expenses by more than 5%: 44%. Operating at a deficit: 24%. Income exceeds expenses but within 5%: 18%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2025. Source: Lifeway Research, Most Churches Report Good Financial Health (https://research.lifeway.com/2025/03/19/most-churches-report-good-financial-health/).
Where can I get the full data and a citation?
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About this data
Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research by organizations such as Lifeway Research, Barna Group, Springtide, the American Bible Society and PRRI. 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. Figures are reproduced from the publishers named above; see the source for full methodology.