Historically, the Boston-based Church of Christ, Scientist (Christian Science), has been one of the most original religious movements to have originated on American soil. Its theological innovations and legal victories have had significant impact far beyond the confines of its own membership.
Note: The Church of Christ, Scientist, as per its founders instructions, does not release membership figures. Lists here are based on the numbers of congregations the organization reports.
Top 10 U.S. states with highest concentrations of
Christian Science churches, 1990
Rank
State
Total State Residents per Christian Science congregation
Number of Christian Science congregations
1
Vermont
43,289
13
2
Wyoming
50,399
9
3
Maine
51,164
24
4
Oregon
60,475
47
5
New Hampshire
61,625
18
6
Montana
66,589
12
7
Washington
66,667
73
8
Idaho
83,896
12
9
Massachusetts
87,195
69
10
Wisconsin
88,941
55
Top 10 U.S. States with most Christian Science branches, 1990
Rank
State
Number of branches
Total State Residents per Christian Science congregation
1
California
295
100,881
2
New York
108
166,578
3
Illinois
104
109,910
4
Florida
94
137,638
5
Texas
93
182,650
6
Michigan
79
117,662
7
Ohio
77
140,872
8
Washington
73
66,667
9
Massachusetts
69
87,195
10
Pennsylvania
64
185,651
States on both lists (Most Branches per Total State Resident andHighest Total Number of Branches): Washington and Massachusetts. (Boston, Massachusetts, of course, is the world headquarters of the Church of Christ, Scientist.)
Top 25 U.S. Counties with Most Christian Science branches, 1990
County
Churches
Los Angeles, CA
75
Cook, IL
38
King, WA
26
San Diego, CA
23
Orange, CA
20
Middlesex, MA
18
Wayne, MI
14
Nassau, NY
13
Harris, TX
13
Alameda, CA
12
Cuyahoga, OH
12
Santa Clara, CA
12
St. Louis, MO
11
San Bernardino, CA
11
Dallas, TX
11
Maricopa, AZ
11
Fairfield, CT
10
Westchester, NY
10
New York, NY
10
Dade, FL
10
Essex, MA
9
Contra Costa, CA
9
Pinellas, FL
9
Milwaukee, WI
9
Oakland, MI
9
The counties in this list are generally among the U.S. counties with the highest populations. A county appearing on this list does not necessarily have a larger number of Christian Scientists per capita than other counties.
States in this list: California (7), New York (3), Massachusetts (2), Texas (2), Florida (2), Michigan (2), Arizona, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Washington, Wisconsin, and Connecticut.
Source:Churches and Church Membership in the United States, 1990, published by the Glenmary Research Center, P.O. Box 507, Mars Hill, NC 28754. Principle investigator: Church Growth Research Center, Church of the Nazarene, Kansas City, MO. Data set obtained from the American Religion Data Archive.