The United States is made up of many diverse ethnic groups and the culture varies greatly across the vast area of the country and even within cities — a city like New York will have dozens, if not hundreds, of different ethnicities represented within a neighborhood. Despite this difference, there exists a strong sense of national identity and certain predominant cultural traits. Generally, Americans tend to believe strongly in personal freedom and responsibility, and that an individual determines their own success or failure, but there are many exceptions. You will find Mississippi in the South to be very different culturally from Massachusetts in the North.
Although constitutionally a secular state, the United States is in practice more religious than other Western countries with 80% of people identifying with having a religious affiliation. However, this trend varies greatly by region, with the West Coast and Northeast being largely secular and the American South being heavily Evangelical Christian. Current estimates are that 49% of Americans belong to a Protestant church and another 23% are Roman Catholic. 5% of Americans belong to non-Christian religions such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Many businesses and institutions are closed on Sundays, and a number of areas in the South and Midwest forbid certain activities to take place on Sundays, while some Jewish businesses close on Friday nights and Saturdays for the Sabbath.
American culture is often described as “polarized” in the media, irreconcilably divided into the rural and the urban, the politically “red” versus the politically “blue”. Indeed, 21st-century voting patterns bear this out, with many Americans themselves acknowledging a significant cultural rift. However, the American political system tends to amplify differences among its constituents while downplaying their similarities. Studies reveal that despite surface divisions, Americans largely agree on fundamental cultural values. Even on political matters, Americans are less divided than commonly believed, with differences often exaggerated by a few contentious issues while they maintain considerable consensus on the more mundane matters of governance.
Source: wikivoyage.org