Prayer Statistics (2026 Edition)

Last updated June 2026 · 11 cited sources

Prayer remains the most widely practiced spiritual discipline in the United States. Even as religious affiliation has declined, a majority of American adults still pray regularly — and roughly 55% say they pray every day¹. This report rounds up the most reliable, sourced statistics on how, how often, and who prays in America.

How often do Americans pray?

According to the Pew Research Center's Religious Landscape Study, about 55% of U.S. adults pray daily, while roughly 76% pray at least once a month and around 23% say they seldom or never pray¹. Gallup's long-running trends similarly find that a majority of Americans pray, with belief in God still reported by roughly 81% of adults².

Prayer by gender

Women consistently report praying more than men. Pew finds 64% of women pray daily versus 46% of men — one of the largest and most durable gender gaps in American religious behavior³.

Prayer by age

Older Americans pray more often than younger ones. Among adults 65 and older, roughly two-thirds pray daily, compared with a notably smaller share of adults under 30⁴. This age gradient mirrors broader generational differences in religious commitment, with Gen Z and Millennials reporting lower rates of daily prayer than older cohorts⁵.

Prayer among Christians vs. the unaffiliated

Practice varies enormously by religious identity. Among U.S. Christians, a large majority pray daily, and among historically Black Protestant and evangelical traditions the share praying daily exceeds 75%⁶. By contrast, among the religiously unaffiliated ("nones"), only a small minority pray daily, and many say they seldom or never pray⁷. Keeping a regular rhythm is easier with a tool built for it — many believers use a prayer journal app or a daily devotional app to stay consistent.

Prayer by region

Prayer is most common in the South. States such as Mississippi and Alabama report some of the highest rates of daily prayer in the country — well above 60% — while the Northeast and Pacific Northwest report the lowest⁸.

Prayer in churches

Prayer is also central to congregational life. Lifeway Research finds that the overwhelming majority of Protestant churchgoers pray for their church and its leaders, and that personal prayer is among the strongest predictors of spiritual growth that churchgoers report⁹. Barna Group similarly identifies prayer as the single most-practiced spiritual discipline among practicing Christians¹⁰. Churches looking to encourage the habit across their congregation can do so through digital discipleship tools and church engagement features.

Prayer and well-being

A substantial body of research has examined links between prayer, religious practice, and measures of well-being. Pew has reported that highly religious Americans — including those who pray daily — are somewhat more likely to describe themselves as "very happy" than those who are less religiously active¹¹. Researchers caution that these are correlations, not proof of causation.

Sources

1. Pew Research Center — Religious Landscape Study: Frequency of prayer
2. Gallup — Belief in God among Americans
3. Pew Research Center — The Gender Gap in Religion (daily prayer by sex)
4. Pew Research Center — Religious practice by age
5. Pew Research Center — Religion among Millennials and younger adults
6. Pew Research Center — Prayer frequency among U.S. Christians
7. Pew Research Center — Religious practice among the unaffiliated
8. Pew Research Center — Religious practice by U.S. state
9. Lifeway Research — Prayer habits of Protestant churchgoers
10. Barna Group — Spiritual disciplines among practicing Christians
11. Pew Research Center — Religion in Everyday Life (happiness and practice)

Change log

• Jun 2026Initial 2026 edition published.