Pavel Prikhodko, Ph.D. Machine Learning
America is not only a country of many opportunities, but also a country of many religions. Historically, people from around the world traveled to America to create one of the most diverse and eclectic communities of different religions. Immigrants and their children comprise the largest parts of the Orthodox Christian, Islam and Catholic religions. Let’s examine the role of Orthodox Christianity in the America.
The Orthodox Church in America has a variety of names, including Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Christian, Holy Orthodox and Orthodox Christian. The various communions may have specific names according to ethnicity or location. Russian, Bulgarian, Georgian, Polish, Czech and Slovak churches all recognize the independence of American Orthodox Church.
According to information published by Pew Research Center in 2015, people who profess Orthodox Christianity are mostly immigrants from Europe (20 percent of all members). Seven percent of Orthodox people were born in Asia, and immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa make up the same percentage. The rest of Africa represents 4 percent of all Orthodox Christians, and only 2 percent of Orthodox people were born in American countries excluding the U.S.
Generally, Orthodox Christians were White: 81 percent in 2014. Blacks made up 8 percent of all Orthodox Christians, while Latinos and Asians represented 6 percent and 3 percent respectively.
If we examine age distribution, we can see that people between 30 and 49 made up the largest portion of Orthodox Christians: about 40 percent. People aged 18 to 29 were in second place with 26 percent. In 2014, people aged 50 to 64 included 21 percent of all Orthodox Christians in America. The rate of people aged 65 and over was 13 percent.
According to the information published in 2014, Orthodox Christians were mostly men: 56 percent. In comparison, the total share of men who follow the Orthodox religion was 46 percent in 2007. The total percentage of Orthodox woman decreased between 2007 and 2014, from 54 percent to 44 percent.
In 2014, about 48 percent of American Orthodox Christians were married, while 31 percent were never married. Almost 10 percent were divorced or separated, and 6 percent were widowed.
A large number of Orthodox people earned a quite high salary – 36 percent had an annual income between $50,000 and $99,999. About 30 percent of Orthodox Christians earned a salary of over $100,000. People earning a salary lower than $30,000 encompassed 18 percent of all Orthodox Christians. People earning between $30,000 and $49,999 shared nearly the same rate (17 percent).
Educational distribution among Orthodox Christians varied between different levels of education. The percentage of Orthodox Christians who had completed some college was 34 percent in 2014, while 27 percent had completed at least high school. About 20 percent held an undergraduate degree, and 18 percent had completed a post-graduate degree.
About Pavel Prikhodko
Pavel Prikhodko, Ph.D. Machine Learning
Pavel has worked for many years as a researcher and developer on a wide range of applications (varying from mechanics and manufacturing to social data, finance and advertising), building predictive systems and trying to find stories that data can tell.
In his free time, he enjoys being with his family.
Other posts by Pavel Prikhodko: