US church locations from public map data: church office contacts, fields, by-state counts and prices.
How many churches are in California?
The 2020 U.S. Religion Census counted 23,567 congregations of all faiths in California (Grammich et al., Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, 2022). Buddhist temples, synagogues and mosques are in that figure as well as churches; the census gives no church-only count for the state.
California is big on church counts and small on churches per person. Overture Maps places (release of 2026-09-23) has ~30,000 church locations listed on public maps there, number 2 of 51 (states and DC) behind Texas, and 6.8% of the US map count. Spread over the population, that is 75.9 per 100,000 residents, number 48 of 51 and far below the US rate of 129.3. The map count is 27% above the census figure, since maps list places: a closed church can stay listed, one congregation can be listed twice, and congregations sharing a building can be listed once.
The 2020 U.S. Religion Census counted 23,567 congregations of all faiths in California.
23,567Overture Maps lists ~30,000 church locations in California, number 2 of 51 (states and DC).
~30,000California has 75.9 church locations per 100,000 residents, number 48 of 51 and well below the US rate of 129.3.
75.9Los Angeles has 9% of California's church locations; the 15 largest city counts hold 30%.
9%Order this list
Where churches in California are
Los Angeles has the most church locations, 9% of the state and more than three times San Diego's count. Five Central Valley cities are in the top 15 (Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton and Modesto), and Fresno has more listings than San Francisco.
| City | Listed on public maps |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles | ~2,700 |
| San Diego | ~840 |
| Sacramento | ~750 |
| Fresno | ~590 |
| San Francisco | ~560 |
| Oakland | ~540 |
| San Jose | ~530 |
| Bakersfield | ~500 |
| Long Beach | ~390 |
| Stockton | ~350 |
| Riverside | ~330 |
| San Bernardino | ~300 |
| Anaheim | ~290 |
| Santa Ana | ~220 |
| Modesto | ~220 |
Counts are rounded.
In the Bay Area, San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose have similar counts. Southern California's other entries are Long Beach, Riverside, San Bernardino, Anaheim and Santa Ana. The 15 cities hold 30% of California's church locations; the rest are spread over hundreds of smaller cities and towns.
California compared with the US
After Pentecostal, California's next church tags are "Protestant, denomination not given", Jehovah's Witnesses and Anglican or Episcopal, each far smaller than the rows above them.
Map category tags, not denominational shares.
| Category | Places |
|---|---|
| Christian, tradition not given | ~23,000 |
| Baptist | ~2,400 |
| Religious organization with a worship name | ~1,600 |
| Roman Catholic | ~1,500 |
| Pentecostal | ~810 |
| Protestant, denomination not given | ~270 |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | ~260 |
| Anglican or Episcopal | ~160 |
Counts are rounded.
Baptist is the largest named church tag, ahead of Roman Catholic, but the "Christian, tradition not given" row dwarfs both. More California church listings name a website than the US average: 81%, against 77%.
Questions about churches in California
How many churches are in California? 23,567 congregations of all faiths, by the 2020 U.S. Religion Census. On public maps, California has ~30,000 church locations, the second-largest map count after Texas.
Why does California have so few churches per person? California's population is large next to its church count. The map puts California at number 48 of 51 for church locations per resident, with 75.9 per 100,000 people. The map can't say why; it counts places, not how often people attend.
How many churches are in Los Angeles? The Los Angeles row in the table counts listings whose address says Los Angeles. Long Beach, Anaheim, Santa Ana and the other cities of the region are separate rows, so the table shows the city, not the metro area.
Can I buy a California church email list? Yes. You can order California churches as a state file from the order panel on this page. It gives one row per church location, with the email (where the church publishes one), its phone, its website and the page where we found the email. We update and verify your list when you order, so you receive a fresh list. Delivered within 24 hours, usually much sooner.
Sources for California
| Figure | Source | File or publication date |
|---|---|---|
| Congregations of all faiths in California | 2020 U.S. Religion Census (Grammich et al., ASARB), 2020_USRC_Summaries.xlsx | Data year 2020; published 2022; file dated June 2023 |
| California church locations, rank, share, cities, map tags, website share | Overture Maps places, release 2026-09-23.1 | 2026-09-23 |
| Church locations per 100,000 residents | Overture Maps places; US Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population | 2026-09-23; July 1, 2025 |
| Map count against the census figure | Our comparison of the two counts above | 2026-10-03 |
What these numbers don't show
Metro totals. The city table follows address city names, not metro areas.
Congregations that rent space. Churches meeting in schools, theaters or offices often have no map listing.
Language of worship. A Korean, Spanish-language or Chinese congregation is not marked as such on the map.
Attendance. Rates per resident count places, not worshippers.
LimitsDownload the data
churches-register-2026-10.csvCSVCC BY 4.02026-10-03
nodilist.com, "How many churches are in California?", church locations from Overture Maps places release 2026-09-23.1 with the 2020 U.S. Religion Census congregation count, https://nodilist.com/churches/california/.
- churches-register-2026-10.csv: church locations on public maps for California and every other state and DC, with rates per 100,000 residents, shares of the US and ranks.
The census figures are copyright ASARB and are not in the file. Contains data from Overture Maps Foundation, licensed under CDLA Permissive 2.0.