More Americans joining Catholic Church than leaving for first time in decades

The Catholic Church in the United States appears to be entering a period of renewed growth, with the latest data showing that more people are now joining than leaving. Figures compiled by Shane Schaetzel, using research from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), the Pew Research Center, the National Catholic Register, and Vatican statistics, suggest that after two decades of decline, adult conversions are once again on the rise.

At the beginning of the millennium, annual conversions stood at around 175,000. Over the following twenty years, the numbers steadily diminished, reaching a low of 70,000 in 2020. Since then, however, the trend has reversed sharply. By 2025, nearly 160,000 adult Americans are projected to enter the Catholic Church, a figure approaching the levels seen at the start of the century. Importantly, these conversions are domestic in character. They do not represent Catholic immigrants being counted anew, but rather Americans themselves choosing to embrace the faith.

The picture of Catholic growth is, nonetheless, complex. Births within Catholic families, measured by infant baptisms, have undergone a pronounced decline, falling from approximately one million annually in 2000 to under half that figure today. Immigration, both legal and illegal, continues to play a central role, providing several hundred thousand new Catholics each year. Legal immigration has remained steady at about 350,000 annually, while illegal immigration, which had all but disappeared after 2007, has sharply increased since 2020, peaking at 480,000 in 2023.

For much of the past two decades, this demographic balance concealed a troubling reality. While large numbers were entering the Church, often through immigration, an equal or greater number of Catholics were departing. From 2000 until around 2020, the American Church consistently experienced a net loss, with more people leaving than joining.

That trend has now shifted. The number of Catholics leaving the Church has fallen markedly since 2020, and by 2024, for the first time in years, the lines of entry and exit have crossed. According to Schaetzel’s research, more are joining the Church than departing from it. If the projections for 2025 hold, this change could represent a significant turning point for American Catholicism.

The figures present a more hopeful picture for the future of Catholicism in the United States than many observers had anticipated. After years of concern over declining retention and diminishing conversions, the evidence now points to a Church regaining its footing, with more Americans entering its fold than leaving it behind.

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