US church locations from public map data: church office contacts, fields, by-state counts and prices.
How many churches are in Illinois?
The 2020 U.S. Religion Census counted 12,153 congregations of all faiths in Illinois (Grammich et al., Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, 2022). Synagogues, mosques and temples are part of that total.
Overture Maps places (release of 2026-09-23) lists a higher number, ~15,000 church locations in Illinois, 25% above the census figure; ranked by that gap in percentage terms, Illinois is number 17 of 51 (states and DC). Its map count is number 10 of 51 and 3.4% of the US total. For its population the state has fewer church locations than average: 119.4 per 100,000 residents, against 129.3 nationally, number 32 of 51. Listings that stay up after a church closes and churches with more than one listing are the likely reasons the map runs ahead of the census.
The 2020 U.S. Religion Census counted 12,153 congregations of all faiths in Illinois.
12,153Overture Maps lists ~15,000 church locations in Illinois, number 10 of 51 (states and DC).
~15,000Chicago addresses hold 21% of the state's church locations, more than the next 14 cities together.
21%Illinois has 119.4 church locations per 100,000 residents, against 129.3 for the US.
119.4Order this list
Where churches in Illinois are
Chicago addresses hold 21% of the church locations in Illinois, more than the other 14 cities in the table put together. Rockford is a distant second, with less than a tenth of Chicago's count.
| City | Listed on public maps |
|---|---|
| Chicago | ~3,200 |
| Rockford | ~270 |
| Peoria | ~210 |
| East St Louis | ~190 |
| Springfield | ~180 |
| Decatur | ~170 |
| Aurora | ~170 |
| Joliet | ~160 |
| Elgin | ~130 |
| Champaign | ~110 |
| Waukegan | ~110 |
| Belleville | ~100 |
| Bloomington | ~90 |
| Danville | ~90 |
| Evanston | ~90 |
Counts are rounded.
East St Louis is fourth and Belleville twelfth: both sit in the Metro East, across the Mississippi from St. Louis. Peoria, Springfield, Decatur, Champaign, Bloomington and Danville are the downstate cities in the list, and Aurora, Joliet, Elgin, Waukegan and Evanston are the Chicago-area cities with their own rows. All 15 cities together hold 34% of the state's church locations, so most Illinois listings are in smaller places.
Illinois compared with the US
Baptist is the largest named tag in Illinois, with about twice as many listings as Roman Catholic. Anglican or Episcopal and Jehovah's Witnesses rows complete the eight largest tags.
Map category tags, not denominational shares.
| Category | Places |
|---|---|
| Christian, tradition not given | ~11,000 |
| Baptist | ~1,900 |
| Roman Catholic | ~960 |
| Religious organization with a worship name | ~710 |
| Pentecostal | ~390 |
| Protestant, denomination not given | ~170 |
| Anglican or Episcopal | ~100 |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | ~70 |
Counts are rounded.
Illinois listings are a little more complete than the national average. 85% are marked open by their source (US: 83%) and 81% name a website (US: 77%).
Questions about churches in Illinois
How many churches are in Illinois? 12,153 congregations of all faiths in the 2020 U.S. Religion Census. Public maps show ~15,000 church locations, because they count listed places rather than congregations.
How many churches are in Chicago? Addresses written as Chicago hold 21% of the church locations in Illinois. Suburbs such as Evanston and Aurora have their own rows, so the Chicago row is not a total for the metro area.
Does Illinois have more churches per person than Missouri or Indiana? No. Illinois has 119.4 church locations per 100,000 residents, against 166.4 in Missouri and 159.9 in Indiana. Wisconsin, at 112.4, is slightly lower than Illinois.
Can I get a list of Illinois churches? Yes. You can order Illinois churches as a state file from the order panel on this page. Each row is one church location with the phone and website the church publishes, and the office email with the page it came from where the church publishes one. We update and verify your list when you order, so you receive a fresh list. Delivered within 24 hours, usually much sooner.
Sources for Illinois
| Figure | Source | File or publication date |
|---|---|---|
| Congregations of all faiths in Illinois | 2020 U.S. Religion Census (Grammich et al., ASARB), 2020_USRC_Summaries.xlsx | Data year 2020; published 2022; file dated June 2023 |
| Illinois church locations, rank, share, cities, map tags, open and website shares | Overture Maps places, release 2026-09-23.1 | 2026-09-23 |
| Church locations per 100,000 residents for Illinois and its neighbours, and the rank | Overture Maps places; US Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population | 2026-09-23; July 1, 2025 |
| Map count against the census figure, and its rank | Our comparison of the census and map counts for the 50 states and DC | 2026-10-03 |
What these numbers don't show
The Chicago metro area. Suburban listings are spread over dozens of city rows, most of them below the top 15.
Storefront churches that changed hands. A listing can outlast the congregation that used the space.
Current status. A listing marked open by its source may still belong to a closed church; we haven't checked.
Size. A cathedral and a house church each count once.
LimitsDownload the data
churches-register-2026-10.csvCSVCC BY 4.02026-10-03
nodilist.com, "How many churches are in Illinois?", church locations from Overture Maps places release 2026-09-23.1 with the 2020 U.S. Religion Census congregation count, https://nodilist.com/churches/illinois/.
- churches-register-2026-10.csv: church locations listed on public maps for Illinois and every other state and DC, with rates per 100,000 residents, shares of the US and ranks.
The census figures, copyright ASARB, are not in the CSV. Contains data from Overture Maps Foundation, licensed under CDLA Permissive 2.0.