Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA)
Selected Statistical Data
| Clergy, Religious, and Lay Leaders; Leaders in Formation | 1965 | 1975 | 1985 | 1995 | 2005 | 2017 |
| Total priests | 58,632 | 58,909 | 57,317 | 49,054 | 41,399 | 37,181 |
| Diocesan priests | 35,925 | 36,005 | 35,052 | 32,349 | 28,094 | 25,757 |
| Religious priests | 22,707 | 22,904 | 22,265 | 16,705 | 13,305 | 11,424 |
| Priestly ordinations | 994 | 771 | 533 | 511 | 454 | 504 |
| Graduate-level seminarians | 8,325 | 5,279 | 4,063 | 3,172 | 3,308 | 3,405 |
| Permanent deacons | na | 898 | 7,204 | 10,932 | 14,574 | 18,287 |
| Permanent deacon candidates | na | 2,243 | 2,263 | 2,026 | 2,342 | 2,670 |
| Religious sisters | 179,954 | 135,225 | 115,386 | 90,809 | 68,634 | 45,605 |
| Religious brothers | 12,271 | 8,625 | 7,544 | 6,535 | 5,451 | 4,007 |
| Lay professional ministers (lay persons; excluding vowed religious) | — | — | — | 10,674 | 20,379 | 17,722 |
| Lay Ecclesial Ministers in parish ministry | — | — | — | 29,146 | 30,632 | 39,651 |
| Enrollment in Lay Ecclesial Ministry formation programs | — | — | 10,500 | 21,800 | 16,037 | 19,969 |
| Parishes and the Catholic Population | 1965 | 1975 | 1985 | 1995 | 2005 | 2017 |
| Parishes | 17,637 | 18,515 | 19,244 | 19,331 | 18,891 | 17,156 |
| Parishes without a resident priest pastor | 549 | 702 | 1,051 | 2,161 | 3,251 | 3,552 |
| Canon 517.2 parishes where a bishop has entrusted the pastoral care of the parish to a deacon or some other person | na | na | 93 | 314 | 553 | 347 |
| Percentage of diocesan priests active | 94% | 88% | 84% | 76% | 70% | 63% |
| Active diocesan priests per parish | 2 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1 | 1 |
| The Official Catholic Directory population | 46.3m | 48.7m | 52.3m | 57.4m | 64.8m | 68.5m |
| Catholic population (self-identified, survey-based estimate) | 48.5m | 54.5m | 59.5m | 65.7m | 74.0m | 74.3m |
| Foreign-born adult Catholics (survey-based estimate) | — | 4.7m | 4.8m | 7.0m | 15.8m | 16.9m |
| Former Catholic adults:(1) | — | 7.5m | 8.0m | 17.3m | 19.1m | 30.0m |
| Religious Education | 1965 | 1975 | 1985 | 1995 | 2005 | 2017 |
| Primary school-age children in parish religious education | 3.448m | 3.880m | 3.106m | 3.287m | 3.438m | 2.483m |
| Secondary school-age teens in parish religious education | 1.357m | 1.009m | 831,331 | 749,377 | 787,033 | 603,384 |
| Catholic elementary schools | 10,667 | 8,414 | 7,764 | 6,964 | 6,122 | 5,178 |
| Students in Catholic elementary schools | 4.431m | 2.557m | 2.005m | 1.815m | 1.559m | 1.306m |
| Catholic secondary schools | 1,527 | 1,624 | 1,425 | 1,280 | 1,325 | 1,201 |
| Students in Catholic secondary schools | 689,264 | 884,181 | 774,216 | 638,440 | 653,226 | 577,277 |
| Catholic colleges and universities | 305 | 245 | 243 | 231 | 229 | 225 |
| Students in Catholic colleges and universities | 409,471 | 432,597 | 545,461 | 653,927 | 752,718 | 764,448 |
| Sacraments and Rites | 1965 | 1975 | 1985 | 1995 | 2005 | 2017 |
| Baptisms of infants in previous year. | 1.310m | 894,992 | 953,323 | 981,444 | 929,545 | 660,367 |
| Baptisms of other minors in previous year | — | — | — | — | — | 65,855 |
| Baptisms of adults in previous year | 126,209 | 80,035 | 87,996 | 66,886 | 76,605 | 38,374 |
| Receptions into full communion in previous year | — | — | — | 76,176 | 73,402 | 64,106 |
| Confirmations in previous year | — | — | — | 555,767 | 610,282 | 564,158 |
| First Communions in previous year | — | — | — | 794,576 | 807,066 | 702,148 |
| Marriages in previous year | 352,458 | 369,133 | 348,300 | 294,144 | 207,112 | 144,148 |
| Annulments initiated in previous year | — | — | 60,691 | 57,018 | 33,727 | 22,631 |
| Funerals in previous year | 387,739 | 406,497 | 446,822 | 455,477 | 445,616 | 386,126 |
| Attending Mass every week. Prior to 2000, Gallup estimates. From 2000 the CARA Catholic Poll (CCP). | 55% | 42% | 41% | 35% | 23% | 23% |
| Social and Health Services | 1965 | 1975 | 1985 | 1995 | 2005 | 2017 |
| Catholic hospitals | 800 | 657 | 631 | 600 | 571 | 545 |
| Patients served in Catholic hospitals in previous year | 16.9m | 29.9m | 36.6m | 56.4m | 84.7m | 90.6m |
| Value of services provided by Catholic Charities in previous year | — | $361m | $514m | $1.655b | $2.696b | $3.124b |
1.Those raised Catholic who no longer self-identify as Catholic. As the largest religion in the U.S., Catholicism has the largest number of former members. Catholicism has a higher retention rate than most other religions in the U.S. (including all Protestant denominations).
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