Chart Showing the Ratio of Church accommodation to the Total Population Over 10 Years of Age

This interesting assortment of charts outlines the church accommodation (literally, the amount of self-reported seats) of the U.S. and its states and territories. Each square shows the four largest denominations, with the difference between the inner and outer squares reflecting the discrepancy in accommodation and total population. Heathens in Nevada! Baptists and Methodists are among the largest and most widespread groups. Notable regional denominational trends include the Mormons in the Southwest Territories, New England Congregationalists, and large populations of Dutch Reformed in New Jersey and Universalists in Maine. The sheet was originally issued as part of The Statistical Atlas of the United States Based on the Results of the Ninth Census, 1870, compiled by Census Superintendent Francis A. Walker. Lithographed by Julius Bien and published in 1874. The atlas serves as the ultimate 19th-century “data portrait” of a reunified nation, meticulously synthesizing geography, climate, and demographics into a visual manifesto of America’s industrial and economic potential.