{"id":293024,"date":"2026-03-11T09:50:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T13:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=short-read&p=293024"},"modified":"2026-03-11T09:50:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T13:50:11","slug":"5-facts-about-buddhists-in-the-united-states","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/03\/11\/5-facts-about-buddhists-in-the-united-states\/","title":{"rendered":"5 facts about Buddhists in the United States"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Buddhists
Buddhists seek blessings for the Lunar New Year as they welcome the Year of the Horse at Kwan Ying Vietnamese Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles on Feb. 17. (Sarah Reingewirtz\/MediaNews Group\/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Buddhism has a long history in America. In the 1800s, Chinese migrants<\/a> working in the gold rush and building railroads brought their Buddhist beliefs and practices<\/a> with them. Today, there are millions of Buddhists in the United States, including many who were born to Buddhist families and others who converted into the religion.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some key facts about Buddhists in the U.S., based on Pew Research Center\u2019s 2025 report \u201cHow the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020<\/a>,\u201d the 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study<\/a> (RLS) and the 2022-23 Survey of Asian Americans<\/a> (SAA). (Read the Appendix<\/a> for details about how we combined results from the RLS and SAA.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About this research<\/strong>  <\/summary>\n

This analysis shares key facts about Buddhists in the United States, including the number of Buddhists in the country, what regions they live in, and movement into and out of Buddhism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did we do this? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pew Research Center does opinion surveys, demographic studies and other research to better understand religious identity, beliefs and practices in the U.S. and around the world. Buddhism is among the major world religions we regularly study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about Pew Research Center<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did we do this? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This analysis is based on three Pew Research Center studies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n