Religious congregations across the United States are experiencing their strongest in-person worship participation since the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 shutdowns, according to newly released research.
Hartford Institute for Religion Research reported that average weekly attendance levels at churches and other faith communities have risen above pre-pandemic figures for the first time in several years.
The findings were published Friday through HIRR’s Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations project, commonly known as EPIC, which examined attendance patterns among religious groups nationwide.
Researchers based their conclusions on survey responses gathered from 7,453 congregations across diverse religious groups conducted between September and December 2025.
Data from the study showed that the median number of worshippers attending services in person during 2025 reached 70 people per week. That figure exceeds the median attendance level of 65 reported before pandemic-related closures began in 2020.
The increase also represents a significant improvement from the sharp decline experienced during the height of the pandemic, when the median attendance dropped to 45 participants. Since that period, attendance has gradually climbed each year.
Although researchers described the latest numbers as encouraging, they cautioned against interpreting the increase as a full-scale recovery.
The EPIC study stated that the 2025 results marked “the first positive gain in median attendance in 25 years,” but researchers warned that “it should be interpreted with caution.”
Researchers noted that current attendance trends remain substantially lower than historical norms from earlier decades.
“The current median of 70 remains far below the median in 2000 when the typical congregation drew 137 attenders,” the report explained. “Therefore, this recent gain should be viewed within the much longer historical trajectory of decline.”
Attendance levels also differed significantly depending on religious affiliation. Catholic and Orthodox congregations reported the largest median attendance figures, while Protestant and other religious groups showed lower participation levels.
According to the report, Catholic and Orthodox churches had a median attendance of 200 worshippers, Evangelical Protestant congregations averaged 75 attendees, Mainline Protestant churches averaged 50, and other religious communities reported a median of 22 participants.
Allison Norton, a co-investigator for the EPIC project, said the data reflects adaptation and renewed focus among congregations rather than a dramatic spiritual awakening.
“What we’re seeing is not a revival — it’s a recalibration,” said Allison Norton, co-investigator on the EPIC project, in a statement released last week regarding the findings.
“Congregations have been through an extraordinary period of disruption, and though it has taken a while, many have come out of it with greater clarity about who they are and what they’re called to do. That’s showing up in the data in ways that are genuinely encouraging.”
The report arrives amid ongoing national discussions about the growth of Americans who identify with no religion, although several recent studies suggest the long-term decline in religious participation may be beginning to stabilize.
