Religion: how Washington compares

The Pacific Northwest is considered the least-churched region in the country because, in recent years, more people here than anywhere else have checked "unaffiliated" when filling out survey forms about their religious practices. In a 2008 report by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, those surveyed could choose from about 40 different belief systems, including various sects of the world's largest religions.

Nationwide, about 16 percent of those surveyed chose "unaffiliated." In Washington, 23 percent chose "unaffiliated."

Robbie Mills, a spokesman for the Pew Forum, said that though Washington has one of the highest rates of unaffiliated people, it shouldn't be assumed that this is the least-churched region. The Forum expects to release more data on topics including "degrees of religiosity" that may offer insight on how the northwest compares with other regions.

For example, 26 percent of those surveyed in Vermont and New Hampshire chose "unaffiliated" -- 3 percent more than in Washington. Also, only 11 percent of the Vermont-New Hampshire survey said they are evangelical Protestants, compared with 25 percent in Washington.

There are more Catholics in Vermont and New Hampshire (29 percent) than there are in Washington (16 percent), but only 45 percent of Catholics attend church regularly, compared with 60 percent of evangelical Protestants.