2026 Data Report
The State of Catholic Business in America
An analysis of 1,000 Catholic-owned businesses across 22 categories and 49 states
The first comprehensive look at the size, shape, and geography of Catholic entrepreneurship in the United States.
Last updated
Key Findings
40%
of all Catholic businesses fall within just three categories: Other, Healthcare, Home Services.
11.5%
of the entire directory is in Texas alone — making it the nation's leading state for Catholic-owned businesses.
49
states represented — Catholic entrepreneurship stretches coast to coast.
1,000
Total Businesses
22
Industry Categories
49
States Represented
0
Veteran-Owned
The Catholic business community in the United States is larger and more diverse than most people realize. With 1,000 verified businesses spanning 22 industry categories, Catholic entrepreneurs are active in everything from artisan coffee roasting to financial planning to legal services.
This report draws on the Discover Catholic Business directory — the largest curated database of Catholic-owned businesses in the country — to answer a question that has never been examined with data before: what does the Catholic business landscape actually look like?
The findings reveal a community that skews heavily toward product-oriented businesses (6% of listings) over professional services (40%), is geographically concentrated in a handful of states, and has significant opportunity gaps in underserved categories.
Catholic Business Categories: All 22 Industry Sectors
Other dominates the directory with 145 listings — more than Books & Publishing and Coffee combined. Catholic entrepreneurs have traditionally thrived in tangible goods that serve the faith community directly, from rosaries and devotional art to Catholic-themed apparel.
Product-oriented categories (gifts, books, coffee, apparel, food, and more) account for roughly 6% of listings, while professional services (financial, legal, technology, real estate) make up 40%. This gap suggests a significant opportunity for Catholic professionals in service industries to become more visible to their community.
The long tail is notable: the bottom half of categories collectively represents thousands of businesses in niche sectors like funeral services, automotive, and wedding planning — markets where shared faith can be a powerful differentiator.
40% of all Catholic businesses fall within just three categories: Other, Healthcare, Home Services.
| Rank | Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other | 145 | 14.5% |
| 2 | Healthcare | 130 | 13.0% |
| 3 | Home Services | 129 | 12.9% |
| 4 | Finance & Insurance | 104 | 10.4% |
| 5 | Fitness & Wellness | 71 | 7.1% |
| 6 | Media | 64 | 6.4% |
| 7 | Real Estate | 61 | 6.1% |
| 8 | Beer, Wine, & Food | 47 | 4.7% |
| 9 | Gifts & Religious Goods | 44 | 4.4% |
| 10 | Funeral Services | 43 | 4.3% |
| 11 | Automotive | 40 | 4.0% |
| 12 | Education & Homeschool | 24 | 2.4% |
| 13 | Professional Services | 23 | 2.3% |
| 14 | Wedding Services | 20 | 2.0% |
| 15 | Legal Services | 17 | 1.7% |
| 16 | Church Supply | 10 | 1.0% |
| 17 | Apparel & Clothing | 8 | 0.8% |
| 18 | Pilgrimages & More | 7 | 0.7% |
| 19 | Beauty & Personal Care | 6 | 0.6% |
| 20 | Pets & Animals | 3 | 0.3% |
| 21 | Coffee | 2 | 0.2% |
| 22 | Books & Publishing | 2 | 0.2% |
Catholic Businesses by State: Geographic Coverage
Texas leads the nation with 115 Catholic-owned businesses, accounting for 11.5% of the entire directory. This tracks closely with Catholic population data — states with the most Catholics tend to produce the most Catholic entrepreneurs.
The top five states — Texas, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio — collectively represent 44% of all listings. That concentration means the remaining 44 states share the other 56%.
Regionally, the South leads with 379 businesses, followed by Midwest (298), Northeast (123), and West (59). The average state has 20 Catholic-owned businesses listed.
Texas leads the nation with 115 Catholic-owned businesses — 11.5% of the entire directory.
| Rank | State | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 115 | 11.5% |
| 2 | Florida | 103 | 10.3% |
| 3 | Michigan | 90 | 9.0% |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | 74 | 7.4% |
| 5 | Ohio | 58 | 5.8% |
| 6 | Louisiana | 44 | 4.4% |
| 7 | Indiana | 41 | 4.1% |
| 8 | Illinois | 40 | 4.0% |
| 9 | Minnesota | 20 | 2.0% |
| 10 | Georgia | 19 | 1.9% |
| 11 | Virginia | 18 | 1.8% |
| 12 | Kentucky | 16 | 1.6% |
| 13 | California | 15 | 1.5% |
| 14 | Alabama | 14 | 1.4% |
| 15 | Connecticut | 14 | 1.4% |
| 16 | Kansas | 13 | 1.3% |
| 17 | South Carolina | 12 | 1.2% |
| 18 | New York | 11 | 1.1% |
| 19 | North Carolina | 11 | 1.1% |
| 20 | Arizona | 10 | 1.0% |
Top 15 Cities for Catholic-Owned Businesses
Cincinnati, OH leads all cities with 11 Catholic-owned businesses, followed by San Antonio, TX with 8. Major metro areas dominate the top of the list, but smaller cities with strong Catholic communities — from college towns to historic diocesan seats — also appear throughout the rankings.
Cincinnati leads all U.S. cities with 11 Catholic-owned businesses.
| Rank | City | State | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cincinnati | OH | 11 |
| 2 | San Antonio | TX | 8 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh | PA | 7 |
| 4 | Houston | TX | 7 |
| 5 | Chicago | IL | 6 |
| 6 | Baton Rouge | LA | 6 |
| 7 | Fort Wayne | IN | 6 |
| 8 | Dallas | TX | 6 |
| 9 | Louisville | KY | 6 |
| 10 | Miami | FL | 5 |
| 11 | Philadelphia | PA | 5 |
| 12 | Columbus | OH | 5 |
| 13 | Marco Island | FL | 5 |
| 14 | Wichita | KS | 5 |
| 15 | El Paso | TX | 5 |
Business Tiers: Free, Basic, Premium, and Partner
Distribution of businesses across our four listing tiers.
0
Partner Tier
1
Premium Tier
0
Basic Tier
999
Free Tier
Methodology and Data Sources
This report is generated from the Discover Catholic Business directory database, which includes businesses submitted directly by owners, curated from Catholic business directories, and verified through our editorial review process. All listings are approved by our team before inclusion.
Geographic data is derived from business-provided addresses and standardized to U.S. state codes. Businesses without parseable U.S. locations are excluded from geographic breakdowns but included in total counts.
Data as of October 17, 2026. This report regenerates daily with the latest directory data.
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