813110/Religious Organizations
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
1.58M
employees, 2023
1.58M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 186,801 US Religious Organizations business locations employed 1.58 million people and paid $45.2 billion in annual payroll, $28,701 per employee on average. Employment was up 2.5% from 2022. Texas had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
186,801
+0.7% vs 2022
Employees
1,576,295
+2.5% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$45.2B
+7.0% vs 2022
Average pay
$28,701
+4.4% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Religious Organizations in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 14,784 | 150,026 | $28,620 | 1.25% |
| California | 12,379 | 124,742 | $32,673 | 0.76% |
| Florida | 9,407 | 99,785 | $31,282 | 1.00% |
| New York | 8,420 | 74,260 | $31,543 | 0.85% |
| Pennsylvania | 9,420 | 66,379 | $25,615 | 1.16% |
| North Carolina | 8,995 | 65,432 | $26,570 | 1.53% |
| Ohio | 7,911 | 59,961 | $25,147 | 1.18% |
| Illinois | 7,046 | 58,493 | $29,524 | 1.03% |
| Georgia | 6,792 | 56,907 | $28,206 | 1.29% |
| Tennessee | 5,827 | 49,233 | $26,871 | 1.66% |
| Virginia | 6,213 | 46,429 | $28,666 | 1.30% |
| Michigan | 5,942 | 45,849 | $27,047 | 1.13% |
| Indiana | 5,296 | 43,961 | $26,051 | 1.50% |
| Missouri | 4,764 | 41,527 | $27,075 | 1.58% |
| Alabama | 4,524 | 38,265 | $24,048 | 2.10% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Religious Organizations employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 7,477 | 73,896 | $33,346 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 3,758 | 48,986 | $32,756 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 4,387 | 48,395 | $33,013 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 3,663 | 36,876 | $33,091 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 2,703 | 33,065 | $29,379 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 3,092 | 32,521 | $31,249 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 3,219 | 29,829 | $37,815 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 3,044 | 28,678 | $29,578 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 1,195 | 24,545 | $33,923 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 192 | 21,896 | $58,444 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 1,902 | 20,905 | $30,399 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 2,077 | 19,955 | $30,378 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 1,806 | 18,464 | $37,395 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 1,772 | 18,262 | $29,256 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 1,378 | 17,990 | $28,348 |
Business size
US Religious Organizations business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 115,035 | 61.6% |
| 5 to 9 | 38,143 | 20.4% |
| 10 to 19 | 17,488 | 9.4% |
| 20 to 49 | 11,655 | 6.2% |
| 50 to 99 | 3,275 | 1.8% |
| 100 to 249 | 990 | 0.5% |
| 250 to 499 | 139 | 0.1% |
| 500 to 999 | 45 | 0.0% |
| 1,000 or more | 31 | 0.0% |
Related industries
The industries this code belongs to
Part of Other Services (except Public Administration) 81Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations 813Religious Organizations 8131Religious Organizations 81311
Questions and answers
How many people work in Religious Organizations in the US?
1.58 million people worked at 186,801 US Religious Organizations business locations in 2023, up 2.5% from 2022. That is 1.13% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Religious Organizations?
$28,701 a year per employee in 2023, from $45.2 billion in annual payroll (up 4.4% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Religious Organizations jobs?
Texas had the most, with 150,026 employees in 2023, followed by California (124,742) and Florida (99,785).
Which metro areas have the most Religious Organizations jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (73,896), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (48,986), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (48,395) had the most Religious Organizations employees in 2023.
Are most Religious Organizations businesses small?
91.4% of the 186,801 Religious Organizations business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 76 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.