’Tis the season for giving, and the latest World Giving Index shows that United States rose to third place in 2022 after a significant decline in 2021 when it was ranked 19th among the most generous countries in the world. U.S. donors in 2022 gave nearly $500 billion to charity, with 64% of the funds coming directly from individuals, according to the National Philanthropic Trust.
Americans do more than just reach in their pockets to help others, though. They also contribute their time — and plenty of it. Nearly 61 million people volunteer in the U.S., serving a combined total of 4.1 billion hours per year, the equivalent of $122.9 billion of service.
In the spirit of inspiring altruism, WalletHub determined the most charitable of the 50 states by comparing them across 19 key indicators of charitable behavior. Our data set ranges from the volunteer rate to the share of income donated to the share of sheltered homeless.
Want to give back instead of receiving this holiday season? Use WalletHub’s Charity Calculator to help you determine how best to pitch in, depending on your resources and availability.
Main Findings
Most Charitable States in America
Overall Rank* | State | Total Score | Volunteering & Service Rank | Charitable Giving Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Utah | 69.65 | 4 | 5 |
2 | Wyoming | 69.21 | 1 | 10 |
3 | Minnesota | 67.66 | 3 | 11 |
4 | Maryland | 66.05 | 10 | 2 |
5 | Maine | 65.12 | 2 | 32 |
6 | Delaware | 63.86 | 7 | 20 |
7 | Pennsylvania | 62.46 | 14 | 8 |
8 | Oregon | 62.19 | 5 | 34 |
9 | South Dakota | 61.58 | 9 | 28 |
10 | Ohio | 60.76 | 13 | 17 |
11 | Virginia | 60.75 | 31 | 1 |
12 | North Dakota | 60.44 | 12 | 21 |
13 | Colorado | 60.04 | 21 | 12 |
14 | Illinois | 60.03 | 18 | 14 |
15 | Washington | 58.38 | 17 | 25 |
16 | Missouri | 58.24 | 19 | 23 |
17 | Connecticut | 58.22 | 25 | 16 |
18 | Nebraska | 58.06 | 6 | 48 |
19 | Georgia | 58.01 | 38 | 4 |
20 | New Hampshire | 57.96 | 11 | 37 |
21 | Iowa | 57.86 | 22 | 19 |
22 | Arkansas | 57.75 | 37 | 6 |
23 | Kansas | 57.29 | 24 | 26 |
24 | Texas | 56.91 | 32 | 15 |
25 | Idaho | 56.69 | 8 | 47 |
26 | New York | 56.69 | 40 | 3 |
27 | Alaska | 56.46 | 20 | 31 |
28 | Vermont | 56.07 | 23 | 30 |
29 | Montana | 55.06 | 15 | 43 |
30 | Oklahoma | 54.61 | 27 | 33 |
31 | New Jersey | 54.56 | 33 | 22 |
32 | North Carolina | 54.42 | 34 | 24 |
33 | Indiana | 54.19 | 16 | 44 |
34 | Florida | 53.82 | 41 | 13 |
35 | Tennessee | 53.81 | 30 | 35 |
36 | Michigan | 53.75 | 36 | 27 |
37 | Massachusetts | 53.72 | 42 | 9 |
38 | Kentucky | 52.84 | 29 | 41 |
39 | Wisconsin | 52.78 | 35 | 29 |
40 | Hawaii | 52.73 | 26 | 42 |
41 | California | 51.99 | 50 | 7 |
42 | Alabama | 50.99 | 44 | 18 |
43 | South Carolina | 50.80 | 39 | 36 |
44 | West Virginia | 50.69 | 28 | 49 |
45 | Louisiana | 47.73 | 45 | 38 |
46 | Nevada | 47.59 | 46 | 39 |
47 | Rhode Island | 46.79 | 49 | 40 |
48 | Mississippi | 45.16 | 47 | 46 |
49 | New Mexico | 44.90 | 48 | 45 |
50 | Arizona | 41.82 | 43 | 50 |
*No. 1 = Most Charitable
With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.
An In-Depth Look at the Top States for 2024
Utah
Utah is the most charitable state, boasting the highest volunteer rate at 40.7% and the most volunteer hours per capita at 39.42 hours. The state has a high population of religiously devout individuals, and these spiritual beliefs provide the foundation for Utah’s philanthropy. Our study found Utah residents to be the most financially generous out of all the states, donating 3.89% of their income to help those in need. Plus, more than half of the Beehive State’s population donates their time to a good cause. The Utah Nonprofits Association even invites nonprofits to nominate their star volunteers to receive the “Hearts & Hands Award” during their annual Philanthropy Day celebration, highlighting their dedication to supporting their community.
Wyoming
Wyoming is the second-most charitable state overall, with an impressive 39.2% volunteer rate, which is the second-highest in the country. When you consider that the state is the least populated in the nation, it may not be surprising to learn that it excels at providing many charitable giving options on a per-resident basis. For example, Wyoming has the third-highest number of Feeding America food banks per 1 million residents and the most charities at 47.41 charities per capita. In addition, residents and businesses unite each year for WyoGives Day, raising millions of dollars to support those in need within their communities.
Minnesota
Minnesota is the third most charitable state, with residents living up to the cultural stereotype of “Minnesota nice” through charitable giving and volunteering. It has the third-highest volunteer rate at 35.5% and grants graduation credits to high school students for service-learning or community service to encourage volunteerism at a young age. In addition, the Minnesota Credit Union Network takes the idea of people helping people to the next level with their statewide CU Forward Day, where employees from credit unions throughout the state spend the day volunteering at various charitable organizations. With that in mind, it comes as little surprise to find that 53% of Minnesota residents donate their time to charity, the second-highest percentage in our study.
- Highest
- 1. Utah
- 2. Wyoming
- 3. Minnesota
- 4. Maine
- 5. South Dakota
- Lowest
- T-45. Hawaii
- T-45. New Mexico
- 47. Alabama
- 48. California
- 49. Nevada
- 50. Florida
- Highest
- T-1. Arkansas
- T-1. Utah
- 3. South Dakota
- 4. Wyoming
- 5. Georgia
- Lowest
- 46. Rhode Island
- 47. New Hampshire
- 48. Alaska
- 49. Maine
- 50. West Virginia
- Highest
- 1. Utah
- 2. Minnesota
- 3. New Hampshire
- 4. Montana
- T-5. Hawaii
- T-5. Nebraska
- T-5. South Dakota
- T-5. Washington
- Lowest
- 46. Arizona
- T-47. Mississippi
- T-47. Rhode Island
- 49. Nevada
- 50. Kentucky
- Highest
- 1. Maryland
- 2. Utah
- 3. Virginia
- 4. California
- 5. New Jersey
- Lowest
- 46. Louisiana
- 47. Alaska
- 48. Arkansas
- 49. Kentucky
- 50. West Virginia
- Highest
- 1. North Dakota
- 2. Indiana
- 3. Ohio
- 4. South Dakota
- 5. Arkansas
- Lowest
- 46. Colorado
- 47. Alaska
- 48. Arizona
- 49. New Mexico
- 50. Rhode Island
- Most
- T-1. Delaware
- T-1. Montana
- T-1. Vermont
- T-1. Wyoming
- 5. Maine
- Fewest
- 46. Louisiana
- 47. New Mexico
- 48. Arizona
- 49. Mississippi
- 50. Utah
Difference Between the Percent of Population Who Claim to Have Donated Money and the Percent of Taxpayers Who Donated Money to Charity
Note: A rank of 1 on the “Most and Least Charitable States Overall Ranking” axis refers to the most charitable state, while a rank of 1 on the “Richest and Poorest States Overall Ranking” axis refers to the richest state.
Generosity of Red vs. Blue
Ask the Experts
Not all charities are created equal. Choosing among them — in addition to deciding whether to give money, time or both and how much — can be a challenge. To help donors plan ahead and to provide insight on various charity issues, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:
- What are the biggest challenges facing U.S.-based charities in the current economic environment?
- What percentage of income should households donate to charity?
- What advice do you have for choosing the right charity?
- Do you believe charities should face increased regulations and scrutiny in order to reduce fraud?
- Should all non-profits be able to receive tax-deductible contributions regardless of their mission?
Ask the Experts
Methodology
In order to determine the most philanthropic states, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key dimensions, “Volunteering & Service” and “Charitable Giving.”
We evaluated those dimensions using 19 key metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the “most charitable.”
Finally, we determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.
Volunteering & Service – Total Points: 50
- Volunteer Rate: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Volunteer Retention Rate: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Volunteer Hours per Capita: Triple Weight (~12.50 Points)
- Community-Service Requirement for High School Graduation: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Share of Population Who Do Favors for Their Neighbors: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Amount of Money that People Would Lend Their Neighbors in Need: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Share of Population Collecting/Distributing Food: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Share of Population Collecting/Distributing Clothes: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Share of Population Fundraising or Selling Items to Raise Money: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Share of Population Who Engage in General Labor (Supply Transportation for People): Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
Charitable Giving – Total Points: 50
- Share of Income Donated: Double Weight (~11.11 Points)
Note: “Income” refers to aggregate gross income. - Share of Population Donating Time: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
Note: “Donors” refers to the share of the population who claim to have donated time. - Share of Population Donating Money: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
Note: “Donors” refers to the share of taxpayers who donated money to charity and the percentage of the population who claim to have donated money. - Public Charities per Capita: Half Weight (~2.78 Points)
Note: “Public Charities” is based on the Internal Revenue Service’s definition of the term. Among others, these charities include “churches, hospitals, qualified medical research organizations affiliated with hospitals, schools, colleges and universities.” They do not include private foundations, most of which do not engage in “the direct operation of charitable programs.” However, religious organizations were included in the data for the following reasons: 1) the available data does not differentiate between secular charities and religious organizations, and 2) many donors and volunteers consider their contributions to such entities as “charitable giving.” - Top-Rated Charities per Capita: Half Weight (~2.78 Points)
- Charity Regulations: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
- Google Search Interest for “Charitable Donations”: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
Note: This metric measures the real intent of the population to find information using the following search terms: “volunteer”, “non profit organizations”, “charity”, “charitable donations” and “charitable organizations”. “Real intent” is measured using the average monthly search volumes for those specific terms. - ‘Feeding America’ Food Banks per Capita: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
- Share of Sheltered Homeless: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Education Commission of the States (ECS), Harbor Compliance, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, The Internal Revenue Service, Feeding America, Windows USA, AmeriCorps, GreatNonprofits, Google Ads and Gallup.
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