From the heart of Amish Country
Welcome to The Amish Life
Simple, honest answers about how Amish families live, worship, cook and work, written by Saul Yoder.
Population figures as of June 2026, from the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, Elizabethtown College.
The people behind the buggies
Who are the Amish?
The Amish are Christian people who live simply, close to family, church and the land. Their faith began in Switzerland during the Reformation, and in 1693 they became their own church under a leader named Jakob Ammann. Today about 421,200 Amish live in North America, mostly in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.
Most Amish families drive horse-and-buggies, stay off the public power grid, wear plain clothing and speak Pennsylvania Dutch at home. Children attend one-room schools through the eighth grade, and young people choose for themselves whether to be baptized and join the church. These choices aren’t about rejecting the modern world. They help keep families and neighbors close.
Every community is a little different, so on this blog Saul explains what is common, what varies, and why. Start with Amish Life 101, or see how the Amish differ from their closest cousins in Amish vs. Mennonite.
Good to know
- Sunday is for rest. Most Amish businesses are closed, and families visit or stay home.
- Photographs: many Amish prefer not to be photographed face-on. Ask first, and accept a “no” kindly.
- On the road: pass a buggy wide and slow, and never honk beside the horse.
- Church at home: services are held in members’ homes every other Sunday, for about three hours.
Asked again and again
Questions people ask most
Tap a question for Saul’s short, plain answer.
What’s the difference between Amish and Mennonites?
They are close relatives: both are Anabaptist Christians whose story began in Switzerland in 1525. The Amish became a separate church in 1693. Today the Old Order Amish drive horse-and-buggies, stay off the public power grid and hold church in members’ homes. Most Mennonites drive cars, use electricity and worship in meetinghouses, though Old Order Mennonites still live much like the Amish.
Do the Amish use electricity?
Not from the public power grid; Amish homes are not wired into it. But most families use power in other forms: batteries, solar panels, diesel engines, bottled gas and air pressure run lamps, washers, tools and shop machinery. The line is about staying independent of the grid, not about the light bulb itself.
What do the Amish eat?
Hearty farm cooking, much of it raised in the family garden: roast chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, buttered noodles, chow-chow and pickled beets, and always something sweet. Shoofly pie, whoopie pies and apple dumplings are the famous ones.
Do the Amish pay taxes?
Yes. Amish families pay income, property, sales and school taxes like their neighbors, even though their children attend Amish schools. The well-known exception: self-employed Amish may claim a religious exemption from Social Security taxes, and in return they do not collect Social Security benefits. The church community cares for its own elderly.
What is Rumspringa?
Rumspringa, meaning “running around,” is the season of youth starting around age 16, when young people who are not yet baptized join a youth group, go to Sunday singings and begin courting. It ends when a young person chooses baptism and joins the church, as most do.
Can an outsider join the Amish?
Yes, but it is rare. A seeker must live in the community for a long time, learn Pennsylvania Dutch, take instruction, accept the local Ordnung (church rules) and be baptized as an adult. Only a handful of outsiders do it each generation.
Find your way around
Explore by topic
Beliefs & CustomsWhat the Amish believe, how church works, and the customs that shape the week.See the stories →
Daily Life & HomesHomes, farms, work and neighbors: the ordinary days, explained plainly.See the stories →
Food & RecipesWhat Amish families really eat, plus Pennsylvania Dutch recipes to make at home.See the stories →
ClothingWhat Amish people wear, piece by piece, and why.See the stories →
Quilts & CraftsQuilts, quilting bees and the handwork that fills Amish homes.See the stories →
Types of AmishOld Order, New Order, Swartzentruber, Beachy, and how they differ from Mennonites.See the stories →
From the writing desk
Stories & guides
Plain-language reading on faith, family, food and the everyday work of Amish life. Choose a topic to narrow the shelf.
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Recipe of the season
Amish Friendship Bread
The sweet cinnamon loaf passed from kitchen to kitchen with a shared starter. Bake one, and give a bag of starter to a friend.
Amish words
Words you’ll hear in Amish Country
Pennsylvania Dutch is spoken in Amish homes every day. Here are a few words worth knowing. Tap a card to read more.
Ordnungsay: ORD-nungThe unwritten church rules each district lives by.
Every Amish church district keeps its own Ordnung: rules about dress, buggies, phones and work, handed down and reviewed before communion twice a year. Because each district decides for itself, two settlements a few miles apart can differ in small details.
Rumspringasay: RUM-shpring-ahThe “running-around” years of Amish youth.
Beginning around age 16, young people who are not yet baptized join a youth group, court, and enjoy more freedom than they will have as members. Rumspringa ends with baptism, a free choice usually made between 18 and 22.
Ausbundsay: OWS-buntThe Amish hymnal, first printed in 1564.
The Ausbund is often called the oldest Protestant hymnal still in continuous use. Its slow, unison hymns are sung without instruments, and a single hymn can take many minutes.
Gmaysay: gah-MYA church district of about 20 to 40 families.
The Gmay is small on purpose: every family must be able to travel to church by buggy, and the whole congregation must fit inside one home, shop or barn on a church Sunday.
Kappsay: KOPThe prayer covering Amish women wear.
The Kapp is usually a white organdy covering worn as a sign of devotion and modesty. Its shape hints at where a woman is from: heart-shaped in Lancaster County, more rounded in Ohio and Indiana.
Deitschsay: DYTCHPennsylvania Dutch, the language of the home.
Despite the name, Deitsch is a German dialect, not Dutch. It is the first language of Amish children. English is learned at school, and High German is used for Bible reading and church.
Your guide
About Saul
Hello, I’m Saul. I’m 38 years old and Amish. On this blog I share what Amish faith, family and daily life are really like, and I answer the questions visitors and neighbors ask most, about beliefs, homes, food, clothing, quilts and everyday work.
Every answer is checked against careful sources, and where communities differ, I say so. A friend helps me run the website so I can keep to the ways of my community.
Saul Yoder
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