How Many Catholic Dioceses Are in the US?

A Shepherd’s Care in Every Corner: A Guide to the Catholic Dioceses of the United States

Have you ever looked at a map of the United States and wondered how the Catholic in her wisdom, ensures that every soul, in every city and small town, is cared for? It’s a question that goes beyond simple numbers and touches the very heart of how God provides for His family. The Church’s structure is not like a corporation with branch offices; it is a beautiful, living mosaic, a network of spiritual families, each with its own shepherd.

Many people ask, “How many Catholic dioceses are there in the U.S.?” Although there is a simple answer, that number is a doorway into a much richer story—a story of history, faith, and the loving, organizational care of Mother Church. In this journey together, we will discover the exact number of these spiritual homes. We will learn the beautiful meaning behind terms like “diocese,” “archdiocese,” and “eparchy.” We will explore the deeper, theological reasons for this structure and see how it reflects God’s own heart. Finally, we will bring it all back home, helping you connect more deeply with your own diocese and the shepherd God has appointed for you.

So, How Many Catholic Dioceses Are There in the U.S.?

The most complete and current count reveals that there are 197 ecclesiastical jurisdictions of the Catholic Church in the United States.¹ This number represents the total of all the distinct spiritual families, each led by a bishop, that serve the faithful across the nation. This single figure opens up to reveal the beautiful complexity and true universality of the Church. It is not one monolithic body but a communion of Churches, each with its own rich heritage.

This total of 197 jurisdictions is composed of several different types of spiritual territories:

• 177 Latin Church Dioceses: These are the most common form of diocese in the U.S., belonging to the Roman or Latin Rite that most American Catholics experience in their parish life. This number includes 32 archdioceses, which hold a position of regional prominence and leadership.¹
• 18 Eastern Catholic Eparchies: These are the dioceses of the various Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with the Pope. They are a vibrant sign of the Church’s diverse history, serving communities such as Ukrainian, Maronite, Byzantine, and Chaldean Catholics, each with its own ancient liturgical and spiritual traditions.¹ This count includes 2 archeparchies, which are the Eastern equivalent of an archdiocese.²
• 2 Special Ordinariates: These unique jurisdictions are not defined by geography but by the people they serve. One is the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, which provides pastoral care to Catholics and their families in every branch of the armed forces, wherever they are in the world. The other is the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, a special structure created with a welcoming heart for former Anglican priests and laypeople who have entered into full communion with the Catholic allowing them to bring their rich spiritual and liturgical heritage with them.¹

These figures, provided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and published in authoritative sources like The Official Catholic Directory, reflect the Church as a living body.⁶ The numbers can change over time as the Holy See, in its pastoral wisdom, may create new dioceses, elevate a diocese to an archdiocese, or merge existing ones to better serve the evolving needs of the faithful.⁹ A recent example is the merger that created the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau.¹⁰

The composition of these 197 jurisdictions is a theological statement in itself. The existence of 18 eparchies for Eastern Catholics is a powerful, physical testament to the Church’s principle of “unity in diversity.” It shows that the Catholic Church “breathes with two lungs,” East and West, as Pope St. John Paul II famously said. The special ordinariates further illustrate the Church’s pastoral flexibility and tender heart, providing care for those in unique circumstances, like military members without a fixed territory or Christians on a journey into full communion. This structure demonstrates that the Church’s unity is not based on rigid uniformity but on a rich communion of diverse traditions, all sharing the same faith and allegiance to the successor of Peter.

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What Is the Difference Between a Diocese, an Archdiocese, and an Eparchy?

The Church uses specific terms to describe its structure, and these words are not just administrative labels. They are rich with history and theological meaning, revealing how the Church understands itself as a family of faith.

The Diocese: Your Spiritual Family

A diocese is the most fundamental and common way the Church is organized. It is not just a territory on a map. The Church’s own law, called Canon Law, offers a beautiful definition: a diocese is “a portion of the people of God which is entrusted to a bishop for him to shepherd”.⁹ Think of it as your extended spiritual family. Your parish, led by your pastor, is your immediate family your diocese is the whole clan, united under one spiritual father—your diocesan bishop. It is within the diocese that the universal Church becomes local, personal, and tangible for you and your neighbors.¹³ The very word “diocese” was borrowed from the administrative divisions of the Roman Empire, showing the Church’s incarnational character—it does not exist in a historical vacuum but engages with and sanctifies human culture and structures.¹¹

The Archdiocese: A Leading Sibling in the Family

An archdiocese is simply a diocese that has been given a place of honor and leadership in a particular region, usually because of its size, historical significance, or population.¹¹ The bishop of an archdiocese is called an archbishop. The archdiocese serves as the principal see, or “metropolitan see,” of a group of neighboring dioceses that together form what is called an ecclesiastical province.² The archbishop’s role is not to govern the other dioceses directly to foster collaboration and unity among the bishops in his province. He acts much like an elder brother in a family, who encourages, supports, and serves as a focal point for the common action of his siblings.¹⁷ This relationship reflects the apostolic principle of collegiality—the bishops working together as a college, or team, with the archbishop as a visible point of unity.

The Eparchy: A Celebration of Diverse Traditions

An eparchy is the term used in the Eastern Catholic Churches for a diocese.² Its bishop is called an eparch. An archeparchy is the Eastern equivalent of an archdiocese, and it is led by an archeparch.² The word “eparchy” comes from the ancient Greek word for a province,

eparchia, showing its deep roots in the Christian East.¹⁹

The existence of eparchies is a vibrant and essential sign of the Church’s true universality. There are 23 distinct Eastern Catholic Churches—such as the Byzantine, Maronite, Chaldean, and Ukrainian Churches—each with its own ancient liturgy, theology, and spiritual heritage, all in full and joyful communion with the Pope.³ The Second Vatican Council solemnly declared that all these diverse rites are of

“equal right and dignity” and that the Church wishes to preserve and foster them in every way.²⁰ When you see an eparchy, you are seeing a living expression of this sacred promise and a window into the breathtaking diversity of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. It is a powerful reminder that “Catholic” is not synonymous with “Roman,” but embraces a vast family of cultural and liturgical expressions united in one faith.

How Are All These Dioceses Organized for Collaboration?

Just as a family has ways of gathering and working together, the family of dioceses in the United States has structures that foster cooperation and a common pastoral mission. This organization shows a Church that is both rooted in ancient tradition and adaptive to modern needs.

The Ecclesiastical Province: An Ancient Bond of Faith

The primary way dioceses are grouped is into ecclesiastical provinces. A province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese and several neighboring “suffragan” dioceses.²² This structure is not a modern invention; it dates back to the early centuries of the Church. It often followed the old boundaries of the Roman Empire, providing a way for bishops in a region to meet in synods for common counsel, support, and to uphold the integrity of the faith.²⁴

In the United States, there are 32 Latin Catholic provinces, such as the Province of Boston or the Province of Los Angeles, each led by its metropolitan archbishop.²⁶ There are also

2 Eastern Catholic provinces, which are called Metropolia: the Ukrainian Metropolia of Philadelphia and the Ruthenian Metropolia of Pittsburgh.⁴ This structure is part of the Church’s own Canon Law and represents a deep, historical bond of communion.

The USCCB Regions: A Modern Framework for a National Voice

To address the pastoral needs of a large and diverse country, the U.S. Bishops have also organized themselves into 15 administrative regions to facilitate the work of their national conference, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).³⁰ This modern framework helps them collaborate more effectively on pastoral issues facing the Church in America today, from social justice to evangelization.

This structure is a beautiful example of organized diversity:

• Regions I through XIV group the Latin dioceses, often by state or geographic area. For example, Region VI includes all the dioceses in Ohio and Michigan, allowing their bishops to easily confer on issues relevant to their part of the country.¹⁰
• Region XV is unique and pastorally insightful: it includes all the Eastern Catholic eparchies in the United States.³⁰ This ensures that these smaller but vital communities have a distinct, unified, and respected voice within the national conference, safeguarding their unique heritage.

The existence of both ancient provinces and modern regions shows the Church’s genius. It does not discard its sacred, historical structures. Instead, it builds upon them, creating new and practical frameworks as needed to ensure effective pastoral action and collegiality in the modern world.

What Is the Church’s Deeper, Spiritual Reason for Having Dioceses?

The organization of the Church into dioceses is not just a matter of practical administration; it is rooted in a powerful theological truth about God’s plan for our salvation. A diocese is the way the universal Church becomes a local, personal reality for every believer.

The Diocese as a “Particular Church”: The Universal Made Local

This is the most important spiritual concept to grasp. A diocese is far more than an administrative box on an organizational chart. The Church teaches, most beautifully in the documents of the Second Vatican Council, that a diocese is a “particular Church”.⁹ This means that in your local diocese, under the leadership of your bishop who is in communion with the Pope,

“the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and operative”.¹³ The universal with its over 1.⁴ billion members worldwide, is not just some far-off reality in Rome.³² It becomes tangible, visible, and alive in the Diocese of Cheyenne, the Archdiocese of Miami, or the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles. The diocesan structure is God’s pastoral plan to ensure that the infinite love of Christ becomes finite, personal, and accessible to every single person in a specific place and time.

The Bishop: A Successor of the Apostles for You

The heart of every diocese is its bishop. Through their ordination, bishops are part of an unbroken line of succession that reaches all the way back to the original twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus Christ.³⁴ The bishop is not a manager or a CEO a spiritual father and shepherd. Christ entrusted the care of His entire flock to the Apostles, and that sacred duty is passed down to each diocesan bishop for his particular portion of the people of God.¹³ His mission, given by Christ Himself, is threefold:

1. To Teach: To proclaim the Gospel and explain the truths of the faith with authority.⁹
2. To Sanctify: To make his people holy, principally through the celebration of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, which is the heart of the Church’s life.²¹
3. To Govern: To lovingly guide and care for the spiritual well-being of all the faithful entrusted to him, like a good shepherd caring for his sheep.⁹

Gathered by Word and Sacrament

What makes a collection of people in a territory a living Church? It is the flock being gathered by their shepherd, the bishop, “through the Gospel and the Eucharist in the Holy Spirit”.⁹ The lifeblood of the diocese flows from the pulpit where the Word of God is preached and from the altar where the Eucharist is celebrated. It is in the local parish, united with the bishop and the whole diocese, that we encounter Christ and are formed into His Body, the Church. The diocesan structure is, therefore, a divinely willed framework for intimacy, ensuring that no sheep is without a personal shepherd and every member of the faithful has a concrete spiritual home.

Which Are the Largest and Smallest Dioceses in the U.S.?

The statistics about our dioceses are not just dry facts; they tell a powerful story about the wonderfully diverse pastoral landscapes where the Church carries out her mission. The challenges and blessings of a bishop in a dense city are vastly different from those of a bishop in a sprawling, rural territory, yet the fundamental mission to shepherd souls remains the same.

Titans of Population

• Largest by Catholic Population: The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is the largest in the nation by Catholic population, with older data showing over 4 million faithful and a current population closer to 5 million.³⁵ It is a stunning microcosm of the universal celebrating liturgies in over 32 languages and reflecting an incredible ethnic diversity that is a true gift to the Church in America.³⁵
• Smallest by Catholic Population: In stark contrast, the Diocese of Fairbanks in Alaska has the smallest Catholic population in the nation, with just over 11,000 faithful scattered across its vast territory.⁶

Giants of Geography

• Largest by Geographic Area: The Diocese of Fairbanks also holds this title, covering a staggering 401,823 square miles of Alaskan wilderness.³⁷ A priest or bishop there might have to fly a small plane to visit a remote parish, truly living a missionary life.
• Smallest by Geographic Area: The Diocese of Brooklyn, which encompasses the bustling New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, is the smallest by area at just 179 square miles.³⁷

The most fascinating stories emerge from these contrasts. The Diocese of Fairbanks is the largest in area but smallest in population. Meanwhile, the Diocese of Brooklyn is the smallest in area but is the 5th largest by Catholic population, with nearly 2 million faithful living in its dense urban landscape.³⁶ This demonstrates the remarkable adaptability of the Church’s pastoral structure, which can be applied to such radically different realities.

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Where Is the Catholic Faith Growing and Changing in America?

Although It can be easy to hear stories of parish closures and focus on challenges, a deeper look reveals a powerful story of transformation and renewal in the American Church. The Holy Spirit is clearly at work, bringing new life and vitality to different parts of our country.

A New Heart for the Church in America

For many decades, the great centers of Catholic life in the U.S. Were in the historic cities of the Northeast and Midwest. While faith remains strong in these areas, an incredible story of growth is unfolding in the South and Southwest.³⁸ This demographic shift is not a story of decline one of transformation and relocation. Recent census data shows incredible population growth in dioceses across the Sun Belt. Four of the top ten dioceses for overall population growth are in Texas:

Galveston-Houston, Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth, which together added over 3 million people to their territories between 2010 and 2020.³⁹ Other booming areas include the

Archdiocese of Atlanta, the Diocese of Orlando, and the Diocese of Phoenix.³⁹

The Hispanic Blessing: A Source of Renewal

This incredible growth is largely fueled by the vibrant faith of our Hispanic brothers and sisters. Today, about 36% of U.S. Catholic adults are Hispanic, a share that has grown by 7 percentage points since 2007.⁴⁰ In the western United States, Hispanic Catholics now outnumber White Catholics (58% vs. 27%).⁴⁰ This is not just a demographic shift; it is a powerful cultural and spiritual enrichment for the entire Church in the United States. It brings new energy, deep family values, and fervent popular devotions that are re-energizing parishes and dioceses.

Signs of Hope and Vitality

This growth creates pastoral challenges, such as the need for new church buildings and more priests to serve the expanding flock.³⁸ But it is also bearing incredible fruit. In many of these growing areas, we see hopeful signs for the future. Dioceses like Arlington, Virginia, are celebrating large classes of newly ordained priests.⁴¹ Dioceses like Austin and Charlotte are among those with a high number of men studying for the priesthood, showing that where the Church is growing in people, it is also growing in vocations and hope.⁶ We are living through a historic transformation, where the Holy Spirit is renewing the face of the Church in America, making it more diverse, more vibrant, and more reflective of the global Church.

What Does It Mean for Me to Belong to a Diocese?

After exploring the vast and beautiful landscape of the Church in the U.S., let’s bring this journey back to what matters most: you. What does it mean for you to be a member of your specific diocese? It means your faith has an address, a family, and a shepherd.

You Have a Shepherd

It means you are not an anonymous face in a global crowd of over a billion Catholics. You have a shepherd, your diocesan bishop, who has been appointed by the Holy Father as a successor of the Apostles with the sacred duty to know, love, and guide you and all the faithful in your area.⁹ He prays for you, he offers the Eucharist for you, and he is spiritually responsible for your soul’s journey to heaven. The diocesan structure is the Church’s answer to the modern problems of anonymity and disconnection.

You Have a Family

It means your parish is not an island. It is connected to a larger family of faith that includes all the other parishes, schools, hospitals, and Catholic Charities services within your diocesan boundaries.¹² When you support a diocesan appeal, volunteer for a diocesan ministry, or send your children to a Catholic school, you are strengthening your own extended spiritual family.

You Have a Mission

It means you are part of the local Church’s mission to be Christ’s hands and feet in your community. Your diocese is the primary vehicle for what the Church calls the “new evangelization”.⁴³ By participating in the life of your parish and diocese, you are helping to build a “culture of encounter,” bringing the light and love of Jesus to your neighbors.⁴³ Belonging to a diocese is not a passive status; it is a call to action. It gives us a specific part of the Lord’s vineyard to cultivate, ensuring that our journey of faith is never one we must walk alone.

How Can I Find and Connect with My Own Diocese?

It is a great blessing to know your diocese and your bishop. If you are unsure which diocese you belong to, it is very easy to find out and to forge a deeper connection with your local Church.

Finding Your Spiritual Home

• Check Your Parish: The easiest place to start is your local parish. Your weekly bulletin, the parish website, or a sign in the church vestibule will almost name your diocese and the current bishop.
• Use Online Tools: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) hosts an excellent online “Find a Bishop & Diocese” tool on their website, usccb.org. You can often search by city or state to find your diocese.⁴⁴ Other helpful websites like Parishes Online allow you to search for parishes by zip code, which will then show the diocese to which they belong.⁴⁵ Many diocesan websites also have their own parish locators that let you search by zip code.⁴⁶

A Call to Deeper Connection

Once you know your diocese, take the next step to connect with your larger faith family:

• Visit the Diocesan Website: Explore your diocesan website. There you will find inspiring messages from your bishop, news from parishes across the diocese, and information about vital ministries and upcoming events.
• Read Diocesan News: Look for your diocesan newspaper or magazine, whether in print or online. It is a wonderful way to feel connected to the joys, challenges, and stories of faith from your Catholic neighbors across the region.
• Pray for Your Bishop: This is the most important connection of all. Pray for your bishop by name every day. He carries the heavy and sacred responsibility for all the souls in his care, and he relies on the prayers of his flock to sustain him in his ministry.
• Participate in Diocesan Life: When your diocese holds a special event, like the Chrism Mass during Holy Week, a Eucharistic Congress, a conference, or a pilgrimage, consider participating. It is a powerful and faith-filled experience to worship and learn alongside your bishop and fellow Catholics from across your region.

Conclusion

We began with a simple question of numbers, and our journey has led us to a powerful spiritual truth. The 197 dioceses, eparchies, and ordinariates of the United States are not just dots on a map. They are a vibrant, living network of faith communities, each a “particular Church” where Christ himself is present and active.

This intricate structure, with its roots in ancient tradition and its branches reaching into our modern world, is a magnificent testament to God’s loving providence. It is the way the Good Shepherd ensures that every one of us, no matter where we live, has a shepherd to guide us, a family to belong to, and a clear path to the nourishment of the Word and the Sacraments.

You are a precious and irreplaceable part of this beautiful mosaic. We encourage you to embrace your identity as a member of your diocese. Pray for your bishop, support your local Catholic community, and joyfully take up your part in the mission of your particular Church. For it is here, in your own spiritual home, that you are connected to the entire Body of Christ, working to build up the Kingdom of God, one soul at a time.

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