Wisconsin : Religions

Jesuit missionaries are the first to arrive in Wisconsin. Protestant settlers and missionaries of different sects, including large numbers of German Lutherans, came during the 19th century, along with Protestants from the east. Jews settled primarily in the cities. In 2000, there were 1,695,680 Roman Catholics in Wisconsin. Lutherans make up the largest Protestant group, though they are divided in denominations: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American, 463,432; the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, 241,306; and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, 241,306. Other leading Protestant groups include the United Methodists, with 129,216 adherents, and the United Church of Christ, with 83,768 members. There were an estimated 28,230 Jews in 2000, primarily in the Milwaukee area. The Muslim population had about 7,796 members.