Church attendance in the United States has increased for the first time in 25 years, according to new research from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, marking a notable reversal after decades of declining participation.

The study found that median in-person worship attendance reached 70 people per congregation in 2025, up from 65 before the pandemic. Researchers said the increase was the first positive gain recorded since they began tracking congregations in 2000.

The findings come after a prolonged period of decline for American churches. Median attendance had fallen dramatically over the past quarter-century, while church closures and the growing number of Americans identifying with no religion became defining trends in the country's religious landscape.

The new report, based on data from 7,453 congregations representing 79 denominations and faith traditions, also found improvements in several other areas. Congregational volunteering has rebounded, finances have strengthened and more church leaders report that their congregations are stronger than they were before the pandemic.

The increase is not evenly distributed, however. Smaller congregations continue to struggle, and researchers caution that the overall rise does not erase the substantial losses churches experienced over the past 25 years.

Researchers have characterized the development as a “recalibration” rather than a full-scale religious revival. The increase appears to reflect, at least in part, people returning to in-person worship and shifting between congregations rather than a sweeping increase in the number of Americans participating in organized religion.

Still, the reversal is significant after years in which attendance numbers consistently moved in the opposite direction. The findings suggest that some Americans are once again placing greater value on gathering in person, volunteering and participating in local religious communities.

The trend also comes amid other signs of changing religious attitudes among younger Americans. Separate Gallup research has found increased religious engagement among young men, including a rise in the share who say religion is very important to them.

While the latest data does not establish that the country is experiencing a broad religious revival, it provides one of the strongest signs in decades that the long decline in church attendance may be beginning to level off.