Current worship attendance compared to before the pandemic
Percent of U.S. Protestant churches, 2023 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: 70% to less than 90% of previous attendance (29%). Lowest: Less than 50% of previous attendance (8%).
- 70% to less than 90% of previous attendance: 29%
- Between 50% and less than 70%: 23%
- More people than in early 2020: 23%
Source: Lifeway Research, New Normal Settles for Churches Post-Pandemic · Phone survey of 1,004 Protestant pastors, August 29 - September 20, 2023. Article published 2023-11-14.
See all 5 categories, the full chart and more
Free account: full chart, CSV and PNG downloads, ready-to-paste citation, branded share image, and a discussion question for your team.
Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: 70% to less than 90% of previous attendance (29%). Lowest: Less than 50% of previous attendance (8%). 70% to less than 90% of previous attendance: 29%. Between 50% and less than 70%: 23%. More people than in early 2020: 23%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2023. Source: Lifeway Research, New Normal Settles for Churches Post-Pandemic (https://research.lifeway.com/2023/11/14/new-normal-settles-for-churches-post-pandemic/).
Where can I get the full data and a citation?
Create a free Leader Insights account to open the full chart, download CSV or PNG, copy a citation and save the statistic to your own library.
More Attendance statistics
- Change in congregations' worship attendance over two years Lifeway Research, 2026
- Churchgoers' views on the amount of liturgical style in their church Lifeway Research, 2026
- Regular religious service attendance by age group Lifeway Research, 2026
- Americans attending religious services weekly or nearly every week Lifeway Research, 2024
- Americans who typically attend church at Christmastime Lifeway Research, 2024
- Attend religious or spiritual services a few times a year or less Springtide Research Institute, 2024
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.