Some Religious Groups Have Higher Yearly Income Than Others, According to Pew Research

Members of some religious groups that have higher incomes tend to be better educated than most Americans, according to a recent survey.

According to a study by Pew Research and its 2014 Religious Landscape Study, Jews, Hindus Episcopalians, and Presbyterians are some of the most financially successful religious groups that are also in the class of the nation’s highly educated.

Within each of these three religious groups, over four-in-ten Jews (44 percent), over one-third of Hindus (36 percent) and Episcopalians (35 percent) make up those who live in households with yearly incomes of $100,000 or more. Moreover, nearly half (46 percent) of Hindu adults and one-third (31 percent) of Jewish adults hold post-graduate degrees.

Catholics, who make up 20 percent of the nation’s population, also make up nearly the same share (19 percent) in the nation’s top income bracket.

The study also notes that religious nones -- such as atheists and agnostics -- are also among those with the highest household incomes, which further raises the question of whether there are any points of connection between religious belief and wealth.