The Chronicle of Philanthropy did an article recently entitled “How States Stack Up in Generosity.” The piece ranked each state on its generosity. By taking federal tax returns and analyzing how much taxpayers wrote off in charitable contributions, The Chronicle was able to develop a generosity ranking system.

Americans, who earned more than $50,000 yearly, as a whole, have donated $135 billion dollars last year. 4.7% of the average household’s income is donated to charity and 26.5% of Americans volunteer.

Here is the breakdown of the top 10 most generous states:

1)      Utah: The average household claimed charitable donations totaling 10.6% of their income. Also, 46% of the residents are active volunteers.

2)      Mississippi: The average household donated 7.2 percent of their income. However, residents are more likely to donate cash rather than volunteer efforts. There are only 21 percent of active volunteers.

3)      Alabama: The average household donated 7.1% of their income. The state has one of the lowest numbers of registered nonprofit organizations.

4)      Tennessee: The average household donated 6.6% of their income. About 25% of Tennesseans volunteer, which is slightly below the national average of 26%.

5)      South Carolina: The average household donated 6.4% of their income.

6)      Idaho: The average household donated 6.4% of their income. Also, 32% of the residents are active volunteers.

7)      Arkansas: The average household donated 6.3% of their income.

8)      Georgia: The average household donated 6.2% of their income. Georgia is home to three of the nation’s 20 largest nonprofit organizations.

9)      North Carolina: The average household donated 5.9% of their income.

10)   Maryland: The average household donated 5.7% of their income.

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