Religious U.S. States Most Generous

Teresa Neumann : Aug 22, 2012
Chronicle of Philanthropy

"Religion plays a major role in how much money Americans give to charity. The parts of the country that tend to be more religious are also more generous." -Study by Chronicle of Philanthropy

(Washington, DC)—Newswires are buzzing with a somewhat explosive new study by the Chronicle of Philanthropy showing that the most "religious" U.S. States are also the most generous when giving to charitable causes. There is also a political red/blue element that some media outlets are including in their reports, and others are ignoring.

The study was reportedly based on IRS records in 2008, the most recent year statistics were available.

The AP, said this: "States with the least religious residents are also the stingiest about giving money to charity, a new study on the generosity of Americans suggest."

A pared down article on NPR highlights one of the many findings in their report: "It turns out that lower-income people tend to donate a much bigger share of their discretionary incomes than wealthier people do. And rich people are more generous when they live among those who aren't so rich."

The Chronicle of Philanthropy's own website—which features charts breaking down giving state-by-state and by metropolitan areas—notes: "Religion plays a major role in how much money Americans give to charity. The parts of the country that tend to be more religious are also more generous."

The top five most giving states were, Utah, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina. The least generous states were all in New England: New Hampshire, Main, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.