Alabamians ranked among the most charitable people in the country

It’s no surprise that Alabamians love to give. The state has long had a reputation for its Southern hospitality, but have you ever wondered which Alabama cities are the most generous? Well wonder no longer.

Philanthropy.com recently studied how much each state in the country gives and donates to charity. Alabama is the third-most charitable state in the entire country. Alabamians give 4.87% of their adjusted gross incomes to charity, which translates to over $3 billion dollars of giving. Utah tops the list, giving an incredible 6.61% of their income to charity. Mississippi ranked second with a giving ratio of 5.04%.

The research also gave data for the cities and municipalities that are the most giving in each state, and OnlyInYourState.com made a list of the ten cities that have the biggest hearts in Alabama. The cities of Anniston and Oxford topped the list, giving 5.5% of its adjusted gross income, or $57 million, to charity.

Here is the full list of the most charitable metropolitan areas in Alabama:

10. Auburn-Opelika
9. Mobile
8. Birmingham-Hoover
7. Florence-Muscle Shoals
6. Gadsden
5. Dothan
4. Decatur
3. Tuscaloosa
2. Montgomery
1. Anniston-Oxford

The giving ratio for each metropolitan area and state was determined as the percentage of residents’ adjusted gross income given to charity determined by reports of charitable deductions on income tax forms. A person’s adjusted gross income is their total income minus business expenses, unreimbursed medical expenses, retirement contributions, and other deductions.

The top ten most charitable cities in Alabama are ranked in order from lowest to highest giving ratios. But as some cities on the list are much larger than others, they may have a smaller giving ratio but give more actual money than others. For example, Auburn-Opelika came in at number 10 because their giving ratio is 4.61%, but that translates to $87 million, which is $30 million more than Anniston-Oxford, which came in at number one. And Birmingham-Hoover, the largest area represented on the list, gave over $1 billion to charity, but that number is only a 4.78% giving ratio.

Regardless of how much your metropolitan area gives, or if your city was on the list at all, we now have hard evidence that Alabamians have big hearts and love to give.