What States Give the Most to Charity?
Who gives the most to charitable insitutions?
In 2012 The Chronicle of Philanthropy examined charitable giving by zip code. The data came from charitable deductions listed on IRS forms of taxpayers earning $50,000 or more in 2008.
The most generous state in the country by far was Utah, where residents gave an average of 10.6 percent of their income. The Mormon Church has a tradition of tithing 10 percent of their income to the church, but the state also led in the percentage of the population who volunteered their time to charities (45%).
The top 10 states for charitable giving were located mostly in the south:
- Utah (10.6%)
- Mississippi (7.2%)
- Alabama (7.1%)
- Tennessee (6.6%)
- South Carolina (6.4%)
- Idaho (6.4%)
- Arkansas (6.3)%)
- Georgia (6.2%)
- North Carolina (5.9%)
- Maryland (5.7%)
The six New England states were ranked the lowest among the 50 states giving just 3% or less each. Interestingly, however, when religious giving was taken out of the picture, the Northeast region had the highest rate of giving to secular causes.
Davis & Hodgdon Associates CPAs has been assisting nonprofits, individuals and businesses with tax and accounting services in the Burlington Vermont Metro area for more than 20 years. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to call 802.878.1963 or email [email protected].
