Presbyterian church statistics show a denomination in transition. In the Presbyterian Church (USA), active membership declined from 1,193,770 in 2021 to 1,045,848 in 2024, while new worshiping communities increased from 247 to 327 over the same period. The figures below describe the PC(USA) specifically and identify the measurement year for each result.
Contents
- Denominational size and structure
- Congregations and congregation size
- Membership changes and participation
- Ministers, elders, and ministry formation
- Age, race, gender, and children
- Baptisms and new communities
- Income and spending
Denominational size and structure
The PC(USA) reported 16 synods in each year from 2021 through 2024. It also reported 166 presbyteries in each of those four years. Those figures describe a stable formal structure even as the number of churches and members changed.
In 2024, the median presbytery had 4,903 members. The average presbytery had 107 ministers, 51 churches, and 4 candidates. These averages help put local Presbyterian life in context: a presbytery is a regional body connecting dozens of congregations, with ministers and candidates distributed across that network.
The PC(USA) reported 8,813 churches in 2021 and 8,432 in 2024. The denomination therefore had 381 fewer churches at the end of that comparison. From 2023 to 2024 alone, the number fell by 140 churches. The PC(USA) 2025 church statistics report also described the 140-church decline in 2024.
Statistical coverage matters when interpreting the totals. For 2024, 82% of churches submitted statistical data, representing 91% of PC(USA) membership, according to the PC(USA) 2024 Comparative Summaries. The PC(USA) 2025 church statistics report gives the same coverage description. These percentages indicate that the reported membership picture covers most members, but not every congregation submitted data.
Congregations and congregation size
The distribution of congregations changed across nearly every reported size band between 2021 and 2024. The smallest category grew: churches with 0–25 members increased from 1,770 to 1,918. Churches with 26–50 members were nearly unchanged, moving from 1,908 to 1,898.
Larger size categories generally contracted. Churches with 51–100 members moved from 2,062 in 2021 to 1,978 in 2024. The 101–150 category fell from 1,020 to 916, while churches with 151–300 members declined from 1,180 to 1,007.
The reductions were also visible among the largest reported congregations. Churches with 301–800 members fell from 699 in 2021 to 569 in 2024. Churches with 801–1,600 members fell from 582 to 333. The 1,601-or-more category dropped from 337 churches in 2021 to 34 in 2024.
| PC(USA) church size | 2021 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 members | 1,770 | 1,918 |
| 26–50 members | 1,908 | 1,898 |
| 51–100 members | 2,062 | 1,978 |
| 101–150 members | 1,020 | 916 |
| 151–300 members | 1,180 | 1,007 |
| 301–800 members | 699 | 569 |
| 801–1,600 members | 582 | 333 |
| 1,601+ members | 337 | 34 |
The PC(USA) 2025 church statistics report noted that almost half of total members belong to congregations with 300 or more members. That statement describes the distribution of members, not the number of congregations in each size band. The two measures should be kept separate: a denomination can have many small churches while a large share of members belongs to fewer larger congregations.
Membership changes and participation
Active membership fell by 147,922 between 2021 and 2024, from 1,193,770 to 1,045,848. The PC(USA) 2025 church statistics report recorded a membership decrease of 48,885 in 2024. It also reported an approximately 46,000-person decrease in 2023 and a loss of just over 53,000 people in 2022.
The report said that 2025 would likely be the year membership dropped below one million if the current trend continued. This is a forecast about a future threshold, not a reported 2025 result.
Several membership-flow measures moved in different directions. Membership adjustments changed from -5,143 in 2021 to 2,197 in 2024. Certificate gains increased from 8,647 to 11,608, while certificate losses increased from 7,381 to 8,710. The PC(USA) 2025 church statistics report summarized the 2024 comparison by saying that 11,608 people joined a congregation, compared with 8,710 who transferred to another denomination, a difference of nearly 3,000.
Professions of faith and reaffirmations increased from 10,921 in 2021 to 18,329 in 2024. Youth professions of faith rose from 5,708 to 6,020. Deaths fell from 23,787 to 20,420, while deletions from the roll for any reason rose from 40,549 to 49,544. These categories are reported separately and should not be treated as a single measure of why membership changed.
Elders also declined, from 56,923 in 2021 to 51,433 in 2024. At the same time, commissioned ruling elders increased from 977 in 2021 to 1,173 in 2024. The 2024 figure was up from 1,003 in 2023, according to the PC(USA) 2025 church statistics report.
Ministers, elders, and ministry formation
The number of ordained ministers declined from 18,458 in 2021 to 17,742 in 2024. The PC(USA) 2025 church statistics report described the 2024 change as a decline of 236 ordained ministers. Candidates declined from 724 in 2021 to 638 in 2024.
Ordinations were 156 in 2021 and 149 in 2024, after reaching 170 in 2022. Ministers received from other denominations fell from 40 in 2021 to 31 in 2024. Ministers dismissed to other denominations numbered 13 in both 2021 and 2024. Ministers restored to the roll increased from 2 to 4.
Other ministerial categories also changed. Ministers removed from office declined from 52 in 2021 to 35 in 2024. Deceased ministers fell from 460 to 372, and retiring ministers dropped from 394 to 249. These figures describe reported annual events, while the ordained-minister total describes the number in the comparison-year population.
The PC(USA) also reported 10 organized churches in 2021 and 4 in 2024. During the same period, churches dissolved increased from 104 to 123, and churches dismissed to other denominations increased from 5 to 14. New church developments or fellowships rose from 107 to 113.
Age, race, gender, and children
The 2024 race table covered 79% of membership data. Among the reported race data, white members numbered 727,425 and represented 87.6%. Black/African American/Africa members numbered 38,687, or 4.6%; Asian/Pacific Islander/South Asian members numbered 31,872, or 3.9%; and Hispanic/Latinx members numbered 14,927, or 1.8%.
The same table reported 3,102 Middle Eastern/North African members, or 0.4%; 2,481 Native American/Alaska Native/Indigenous members, or 0.3%; and 11,737 multiracial members, or 1.5%. Because the table covered 79% of membership data, these percentages describe the reported table rather than an independently estimated full-denomination total.
The age profile reported for 2024 included 60,119 members ages 18–25, representing 7%; 113,420 members ages 26–40, representing 13%; and 140,865 members ages 41–55, representing 16%. Members ages 56–70 numbered 215,641, or 25%, while members age 71 and over numbered 294,987, or 34%.
Reported gender data included 515,586 women, or 59.2%; 353,657 men, or 40.6%; and 1,728 non-binary or genderqueer members, or 0.2%. These percentages are identified in the PC(USA) 2024 Comparative Summaries as shares of reported gender data.
The 2024 child counts were 29,731 children age 4 and under, 61,000 elementary school children, 31,808 middle school children, and 39,429 high school children. The categories identify age or school stage and are not presented as a single unduplicated membership total.
Baptisms and new communities
The PC(USA) reported increases in several baptism categories between 2021 and 2024. Baptisms presented by others rose from 7,511 to 7,826. Baptisms at confirmation increased from 972 to 1,351, and all other baptisms increased from 1,287 to 1,824.
The PC(USA) 2025 church statistics report said baptized infants declined by 2% in 2024 compared with 2023. It also said adult baptisms were more than 40% higher in 2024 than in 2021. Those comparisons use different baselines and should not be combined into one percentage change.
New worshiping communities increased from 247 in 2021 to 327 in 2024. The PC(USA) 2025 church statistics report described a more than 6% increase in 2024 and an addition of 19 communities. This growth occurred alongside the decline in the number of established churches, so the two measures represent different forms of congregational organization.
Income and spending
The PC(USA) reported annual income of $2,279,081,812 and annual expenses of $2,038,054,374 for 2021. In that year, personnel spending was $1,091,908,107, facilities spending was $432,950,238, and mission spending was $206,061,063.
The 2024 income categories included $2,260,400,608 in regular contributions, $462,403,672 in investment income, $243,283,338 in capital and building funds, and $226,500,755 in bequests. Subsidy or aid receipts were $17,224,336, and other income was $315,015,810.
Reported 2024 expenditure categories included $2,045,546,497 in local program expenditures, $178,305,210 in local mission expenditures, $890,412,067 in capital expenditures, $271,219,085 in investment expenditures, $70,768,920 in per capita expenditures, and $64,112,865 in other mission expenditures.
The PC(USA) 2025 church statistics report said income from all sources increased by 22% in 2024, rising by almost $640 million. It reported total income of $3.5 billion in 2024, compared with just under $2.3 billion in 2021. The report also said that 2024 returned the statistics publication to its usual release schedule after the 2023 report was delayed. These income figures and timing notes provide context for comparing the reported financial years.