# Decline in Masonic Membership



## Sammcd (May 3, 2015)

Has there been any studies as to the rise in immorality and lack of friendship and brotherly love as Masonic membership  has decreased.


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## andymac1919 (May 3, 2015)

Membership in my Lodge is actually on the rise. We have a degree every meeting ( one emergent and one regular a month)  and more and more are in their 20s. I myself am 24.


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## andymac1919 (May 3, 2015)

Add some context here. Every meeting for the last 3 years. We have around 50 to 60 brothers out to a regular meeting and 40 or so to an emergant.


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## Sammcd (May 4, 2015)

Glad to hear of your growth. My lodge is also in a growth Spurt at this time. My thoughts were more along the line of a correlation between a world wide decline in membership and what appears to me to be an increase in immorality and loss respect for our fellow man.  May be no correlation at all.


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## RyanC (May 4, 2015)

I don't think a rise in immorality is to blame for over all decrease of numbers(even though that is a interesting concept). As it is not just Freemasonry but all fraternities and social clubs that are losing members. The product of Freemasonry is great, but I think the package of it could use some work.


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## NY.Light.II (May 4, 2015)

Decline of morality? Morality defined by who/what? You? A particular religion? Morality is not universal across cultures.  I am not saying we are or are not in decline, just something to keep in mind.


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## Warrior1256 (Oct 27, 2015)

RyanC said:


> The product of Freemasonry is great, but I think the package of it could use some work.


Agreed. Maybe a lecture on Masonic history or another interesting Masonic topic instead of just a business meeting all of the time.


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## Classical (Oct 27, 2015)

My little lodge is growing!


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## cemab4y (Oct 28, 2015)

I used to work in statistical data collection/analysis for the US Department of Commerce (Bureau of the Census). I also used to work in the gaming industry (statistical analysis).

The science of human statistics is called "demographics". I do not believe that there is any statistical correlation between the decline of membership in the Masonic fraternity, to the general decline in "morality" in our society. The term is "causative factor".

Nevertheless, Masonic membership is definetly declining. Here are the statistics for 2012-2013 (The latest year that data is available).

*U.S. Grand Lodges Membership*
*STATE* *2012 MEMBERSHIP* *2013 MEMBERSHIP* *GAIN/(LOSS) *
ALABAMA    27,654   25,885   (1,769)
ALASKA    1,820   1,797   (23)
ARIZONA   8,000   7,812   (188)
ARKANSAS    13,042   12,301   (741)
CALIFORNIA    63,546   55,893   (7,653)
COLORADO   8,885   9,311   426
CONNECTICUT   11,778   10,576   (1,202)
DELAWARE   4,910   4,843   (67)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA    4,438   4,091   (347)
FLORIDA    42,959   41,134   (1,825)
GEORGIA   41,255   40,750   (505)
HAWAII   1,778   1,787   9
IDAHO*    3,670   3,567   (103)
ILLINOIS   65,781   64,705   (1,076)
INDIANA   60,449   58,363   (2,086)
IOWA   20,203   19,338   (865)
KANSAS   21,225   20,176   (1,049)
KENTUCKY   43,658   42,019   (1,639)
LOUISIANA    20,404   19,431   (973)
MAINE   19,860   18,573   (1,287)
MARYLAND    16,146   15,429   (717)
MASSACHUSETTS    33,048   30,861   (2,187)
MICHIGAN   34,686   32,997   (1,689)
MINNESOTA   13,587   13,062   (525)
MISSISSIPPI   18,063   17,565   (498)
MISSOURI   45,850   42,274   (3,576)
MONTANA*    5,565   5,401   (164)
NEBRASKA   11,895   11,405   (490)
NEVADA    4,163   4,085   (78)
NEW HAMPSHIRE*   6,497   6,097   (400)
NEW JERSEY    22,523   22,514   (9)
NEW MEXICO   5,389   4,669   (720)
NEW YORK    42,669   41,305   (1,364)
NORTH CAROLINA   43,112   42,296   (816)
NORTH DAKOTA    2,876   2,885   9
OHIO    94,867   91,040   (3,827)
OKLAHOMA    23,842   22,622   (1,220)
OREGON   8,946   8,648   (298)
PENNSYLVANIA    108,758   107,731   (1,027)
RHODE ISLAND   3,573   3,444   (129)
SOUTH CAROLINA*   37,810   36,689   (1,121)
SOUTH DAKOTA*   5,471   5,654   183
TENNESSEE*   40,926   39,943   (983)
TEXAS    93,188   81,340   (11,848)
UTAH    2,057   2,081   24
VERMONT    5,855   5,708   (147)
VIRGINIA   37,177   36,335   (842)
WASHINGTON   15,450   14,774   (676)
WEST VIRGINIA   20,808   20,251   (557)
WISCONSIN   11,742   11,367   (375)
WYOMING    3,579   3,417   (162)
*TOTALS* *  1,305,433   1,246,241   (59,192)*
*Revised 2012 figures===================
=====================================

These data are provided by the various Grand Lodges to the Masonic Service association. The methodology of collection by the various Grand Lodges is uneven, and not uniform across the entire USA. Nevertheless, the picture is bleak. Only about three Grand Lodges report an increase. Hawaii saw a net gain of 9 Masons.

Of course some individual lodges are growing, no doubt.  But the national trend is (for me) very scary. As the number of Masons declines, the number of lodges will follow the decline (Two lodges that I belonged to in the past have been forced to consolidate). And there are many states where men belong to multiple lodges. When these multiple members are deceased, the loss is felt in all of the lodges that they belonged to.

What are masons/lodges/Grand Lodges doing to reverse the trend? I must say, in all candor, that I am unimpressed and disappointed in what I have seen.  Far too many masons are not even convinced that there is a problem!!!

Can the trend be reversed? I believe so. If 21st Century Masonry could appeal to 21st Century men, then we could get this craft back to growing again.


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## Brother_Steve (Oct 28, 2015)

I would tend to believe that the decline of membership is weighted heavily in deaths followed by npd.

We are taking in new members every year. We had three Master Mason degrees this year. We made 9 new MM and have others in progression. We are just not replacing the Deaths/NPD fast enough.

Also, I believe freemasonry is competing with creature comforts that exploded after the 1950s up and through to the present day.

Men with children can be occupied with sports year round. Practices after work, games on the weekend ... have more than one kid and they are both in sports? Traveling teams? Freemasonry may be the farthest thing on your mind IF you even know what Freemasonry is.


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## pointwithinacircle2 (Oct 28, 2015)

Perhaps the decline of Freemasonry is caused by too many Masons sitting around lamenting the decline of Freemasonry instead finding one thing they actually like about the Craft, studying it, and preparing a paper and presenting it to their Lodge.  Just a thought.
<end rant>


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## BroBook (Oct 28, 2015)

I have heard some say they want join because of divisions in the craft black/white , among others, but I think the decline may be just the wheat being separated from the chaff . We forget that we really don't make masons, they are or they are not, ceremony rarely can change that.


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## Warrior1256 (Oct 28, 2015)

BroBook said:


> We forget that we really don't make masons, they are or they are not, ceremony rarely can change that.





JamestheJust said:


> They wander around for a bit, watching fairly ordinary ritual, and then find something else to do.
> 
> Lack of delivered value is a major issue for Freemasonry.


I think that both are good points.


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## JJones (Oct 28, 2015)

BroBook said:


> We forget that we really don't make masons, they are or they are not, ceremony rarely can change that.



I look at it differently.  The ritual can and does change men...but only those who are ready to be changed.  We can and do make men into masons...but only those  good men who are first prepared at heart.  In my opinion, this is why we have criteria for membership in the first place.  This is why it used to *be hard to get in*. A man will not benefit being brought to light unless he is truly prepared and worthy, otherwise you're just giving the secrets away to men who wont take them to heart.


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## BroBook (Oct 28, 2015)

That's exactly what I meant my brother I was offering a reason why we lose some after they are accepted into our ORDER. PEACE!!!


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## JJones (Oct 28, 2015)

BroBook said:


> That's exactly what I meant my brother I was offering a reason why we lose some after they are accepted into our ORDER. PEACE!!!



I see that now. I'm sorry that I misread your post, sleep has been scarce recently.


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