New York and Boston may have long been thought of as two of the most Catholic metropolises in America—largely due to the long history of Irish and Italian immigration there. But a new study from the Barna Group shows the most Catholic city in America is way down South: Lafayette, Louisiana, is 50 percent Catholic.

In fact, the only northeastern area that makes the top five of the most Catholic cities in the US is Providence, Rhode Island-New Bedford, Massachusetts, at 39 percent. But that area is edged out by three areas in Texas:

- Harlington, Weslaco, Brownsville, McAllen: 42 percent.
- El Paso, Texas, and Las Cruces, New Mexico: 41 percent.
- Corpus Christi, Texas: 39 percent.