Which Is The Most Secular / Non-believing State In The USA?
A the title suggests, I would like to know which state (or area) of the USA is considered the most secular / non-believing. Since I live in the UK I am putting this question out to all my American readers in hope that they can throw back some figures for me.
Why do I want to know? Well, I’m currently going into my second year of university studying Computer Science with Information Security (which is way more interesting to me that it sounds to you). It’s a three year course, and at the end I will weigh up my options before deciding whether to do a PhD in it. Whenever I actually leave university, I have always had plans to emigrate to America. Truth be told, there are far more jobs in the computer industry over there, especially in the areas I want to go into (Gaming and/or Web Technology).
I don’t want to end up in a Bible Belt area for obvious reasons, so I’d like a place where I could feel at ease with my beliefs, and find other secular people to hang out with. California’s “Silicon Valley” is a good place to start, since it has the technology and I know of at least one secular/atheist group for workers there. Amiable Atheist recently made me aware of Arizona which has an increasing number of non-believers.
So, which state do you consider the most secular / atheist? Do you have any figures to show this result? What other aspects of this area would make it desirable for a liberal atheist technology geek like myself?
I await your answers!
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Wikipedia has a nice demographic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism#North_America
In general, the North West, and the North East tend to be more secular than the mid-West or South.
Overall, it would appear that Alaska (no kidding) is the most non-religious.
Ben Abbott
30 Jun 08 at 7:05 pm (GMT)
Mississippi.
Oh wait… you said __most__ secular. Dang. Missed it by about 50 states.
Oliver
30 Jun 08 at 7:42 pm (GMT)
Nearly every U.S. state has pockets of non-believers amidst a generally religious population. Since most states have multiple population centers, who cares if there’s a concentration of evangelicals in one area that may be hundreds of miles from where you might wish to live? Even Kansas, one of the best known states for off-the-wall believers, has elected a progressive governor. Boulder, Colorado, might be your best choice. Even though it’s less than a hundred miles from loony-tunes Colorado Springs (home to Focus on the Family, among other far-out religious organizations), it’s decidedly left-wing and clearly areligious. It’s also a high-tech mecca and, even though the city itself is an expensive place to live (based on U.S. standards), there are nearby towns (Louisville, Broomfield, Longmont) with lower real estate prices and a short commute (7-10 miles) to one of the best small towns in the western U.S.
Zac
30 Jun 08 at 7:48 pm (GMT)
Hi Adrian,
The northeast and northwest portions of the States tend to be more secular-minded than other parts, with concentrations in the urban areas.
However, don’t automatically assume the Bible Belt is one vast Jesusland. Atheists on book tours have been better received there than one may think.
Beyond that, however, you’ll probably feel most comfortable in a setting which is not all that different from the one you’re in now. Do you live in the city? Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Boston, or DC may be more your thing then.
Good luck!
Robert
30 Jun 08 at 10:35 pm (GMT)
I live in Silicon Valley, and the tech subworld here is very secular. We have lots of immigrants from South and East Asia, so there are plenty of non-Christians around; this is mostly handled by people just not talking about religion. In two decades in the business, I don’t think I was ever once asked about my religion.
I like living here; the climate is good and there’s lots of open space in the surrounding hills (and quite a bit is state or county parkland, open to everyone). It’s a relatively easy drive to the beach, there’s lots of good local cultural activities (and spectacular ones in San Francisco), and yet it is suburban enough so that I can keep a garden.
BUT: It is amazingly, enormously, perilously, expensive to live here, even with the highest tech salaries in the nation. You need two spouses/partners working at high-paying jobs to buy a small fixer-upper house, or face a long and difficult commute. Rent is also high. (At least the newest long-distance trains have internet connectivity.) Groceries, utilities, and services also command a premium here.
The valley is one of the best tech working environments anywhere. There are so MANY companies, doing so many different things, with such different corporate cultures, that you can actually job-shop in your early working years to find the place you really want to work at. There’s a lot to be said for a job so rewarding that you can’t wait to get to work!
Karen
30 Jun 08 at 11:28 pm (GMT)
Last time I checked Oregon (where I live) and Washington had the lowest percentages of regular churchgoers in the country. Which really makes me wonder what it must be like living in the Bible Belt because it still seems like there’s WAY too many of them….
CB
4 Jul 08 at 2:52 am (GMT)
While I have lived in ten states, I really can not answer your question with a “I KNOW for SURE” answer.
I would say while California may not be the most NON religious state, it is certainly among those who are.
In my very knowledgable and experienced view (Which happens with age, 73, many more varied experiences than most even come close to having.) The problem with the San Fransisco area is most poeple who move there seem to lose the ability to know what they hell a fact is or to think logically.
I find the only difference between the Clueless Clods of the Loony Left (many of whom live in SF) who deny the facts proving the Iraq War is fully justifed and a necessary part of the War On Terror AND the Programmed Religious Robots of the Right who deny Evolution is a Proven Fact and Homosexuals are BORN, IS THE SUBJECT matter.
Members of both groups refuse to Learn and/or DENY any facts which PROVE them WRONG. Neither group would pass simple quizes and neither grrop are open to learning.
Thanks for your time and Good Luck on Your Future.
Neil
“A Pro Iraq War Agnostic Atheist Activist, a Vet, and a Iconoclastic Philosophizing Grumpy Old Son Of A Beach!”
http://www.VetsForFreedom.org/
Neil C. Reinhardt
27 Jul 08 at 2:01 am (GMT)
The conflict in Iraq was about WMD’s that did not exist. What it is about today is a mystery. No one in a position of authority is willing to take a position on that. If I am wrong, please post a link … I’d love to know why we continue to occupation (what is our goal, and what is the strategy to reach that goal).
Ben Abbott
27 Jul 08 at 3:35 am (GMT)
I’ll second the Colorado suggestion, but Boulder may not be the best option. While it is very liberal and not very religious at all, the people there, I’ve found are either the chill type that I think you’re looking for, or they’re very in your face about everything. Maybe it’s just me, but I get the feeling every time I’m there that someone near me would want to stab my eyes out if they knew what I believed (not referencing atheism here). Now a place more like a suburb of Denver would be a better choice to me. First, you’re near more tech job opportunities as Denver is much bigger and has a much bigger tech industry. Secondly, in some of the suburbs, the people are very laid-back and even the religious ones will sit down and smoke a bowl with you :). Now I personally prefer Fort Collins as it is a veeeeeeery relaxed place and being a college town, it is fairly liberal and has a good number of atheists/agnostics. However, I don’t believe the tech job opportunities are very good within the city and the commute to Denver would be terrible.
Willy
4 Sep 08 at 6:27 am (GMT)