NEW YORK -- The newly issued "American Jewish Year Book 2002" estimates there are 6,155,000 Jews in the United States, making up 2.2 percent of the nation's population, according to The Associated Press.
The book, published by the American Jewish Committee, is the standard reference for statistics and other information on the U.S. Jewish community.
The highest Jewish population percentages were reported for New York state (8.7 percent), New Jersey (5.7 percent) and the District of Columbia (4.5 percent), according to the AP.
The Year Book includes the committee's census of U.S. synagogues, the first conducted since 1936, issued last August.
The census found 3,727 congregations, including 1,501 Orthodox, 976 Reform and 865 Conservative. Orthodox synagogues often have smaller memberships than those in other branches.
