Houston, Hindus are the most highly educated religious group in the United States, followed by Jews, according to a new analysis by the Pew Research Centre, which examined educational attainment across America’s major faith communities.
The Washington-based Pew Research Centre said the findings of the 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study (RLS) are one of the most comprehensive surveys of religion and public life in the United States.
According to the RLS study made public on February 19, 70 per cent of Hindus and 65 per cent of Jews have a bachelor's degree or higher education; this compares with 35 per cent of US adults overall.
Other religious groups with above-average levels of higher education include Muslims, Buddhists, and Orthodox Christians, each with more than four in 10 adults holding at least a bachelor's degree.
Mainline Protestant Christians were also found to be above the national average.
In contrast, the share of college graduates among Evangelical Protestants, Catholics, and members of historically Black Protestant churches was lower than the national average, the study said.
According to Pew, the overall US adult population has around four in 10 people with a bachelor's degree or higher, underscoring the wide educational gaps between religious groups.
The report noted that immigration and demographic patterns help explain these differences, particularly among Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists, many of whom came to the US through higher-education or skilled-worker pathways.
A total of 36,908 respondents participated in the Religious Landscape Study of US adults, which was conducted between July 17, 2023 and March 4, 2024.