Wealth and religion

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Wealth and religion are linked in many studies. Wealth means having a lot of money and assets, while religion is a social system with beliefs and a sense of meaning.

Global shares of wealth by religion (2015): Catholics about 55%, Muslims about 5.8%, Hindus about 3.3%, Jews about 1.1%, and those who are irreligious or follow other beliefs about 34.8%.

In the United States, a study of 1985–1998 by Lisa Keister found that Jews and Episcopalians had the highest median net worth, Catholics and other mainline Protestants were in the middle, and conservative Protestants had the least. People who attend religious services tended to be wealthier than those who do not, even after accounting for education and other factors. In the study, the overall median net worth was about $48,200; Judaism around $150,890 and conservative Protestant around $26,200. Some of America’s wealthiest families historically come from white, mainline Protestant backgrounds.

A 2012 study found Hindus in the U.S. were most likely to have higher incomes: 48% had household incomes of $100,000 or more, and 70% earned at least $75,000.

Pew Research Center findings show education helps explain wealth differences among religions. In 2014, Jews were the most financially successful group in the U.S., with 44% of Jewish households earning at least $100,000, followed by Hindus (36%), Episcopalians (35%), and Presbyterians (32%). A 2015 Pew report noted that Hindus, Jews, atheists, and agnostics tended to be relatively wealthy, with gaps largely tied to education levels. A 2016 Pew update added that some religious groups—and atheists and agnostics—have higher incomes on average, and wealthier groups are usually better educated.

Within Jews, income varies by branch: Modern Orthodox Jews had a median household income around $158,000 in 2016, and Open Orthodoxy about $185,000, compared with the U.S. median of about $59,000 that year. Education and income are closely linked across groups, with Hindus having high college attainment (about 77%), followed by Jews (59%), Episcopalians (56%), and Presbyterians (47%).

Research also shows wealth can affect religion indirectly—through education, family size, and women’s work participation—and there can be direct effects too. Some religious beliefs that encourage large families or limit women’s work can lower wealth accumulation, while other religious commitments can help people build wealth.