Study: Alabamians are among the most generous people in America

According to the newly released Almanac of American Philanthropy, Alabamians are among the most generous people in America.

The Almanac includes research into charitable giving and breaks it down by various geographical and demographic variables.

According to the state-level data, Alabama is America’s third most generous state. Here is a look at the top 10 and bottom 10 states, along with the percentage of their residents’ income that went toward charitable giving.

Top 10:
1. Utah: 6.6%
2. Mississippi: 5.0%
3. Alabama: 4.9%
4. Tennessee: 4.5%
5. Georgia: 4.2%
6. South Carolina: 4.1%
7. Idaho: 4.1%
8. Oklahoma: 3.9%
9. Arkansas: 3.9%
10. North Carolina: 3.6%

Bottom 10:
41. Hawaii: 2.5%
42. Wisconsin: 2.4%
43. North Dakota: 2.4%
44. Connecticut: 2.3%
45. Massachusetts: 2.2%
46. Rhode Island: 2.1%
47. New Jersey: 2.0%
48. Vermont: 2.0%
49. Maine: 2.0%
50. New Hampshire: 1.7%

Here’s what the Almanac has to say about state generosity:

The Chronicle of Philanthropy analyzed official IRS data on income and giving, right down to the county level. The results showed that rural states, and specifically the Bible Belt and Mormon West, give more of themselves for charity. Other ways of measuring, carried out by different groups using alternate statistical sources, have shown essentially the same pattern. Though it comes as a surprise to some observers, it is not Americans in the high-income, urban, liberal states like Massachusetts or California who are our most generous citizens. Rather it is residents of middle-American, conservative, moderate-income, religiously active regions who step up the most.

Several observers have pointed out the political twist to this reality. When it reported its findings, the Chronicle of Philanthropy noted that the states that rank highest in charitable giving all voted Republican in the 2012 Presidential election, while all but a couple of the least generous states voted for the Democrat (that’s what the color coding to the left reflects). Economist Arthur Brooks, author of the detailed charity analysis Who Really Cares, likewise states that “the electoral map and the charity map are remarkably similar.” He notes “there is a persistent stereotype about charitable giving in politically progressive regions of America: while people on the political right may be hardworking and family-oriented, they tend not to be very charitable toward the less fortunate,” while, “those on the political left care about vulnerable members of society, and are thus the charitable ones…. This stereotype is wrong.”

Brooks points out that these differences go beyond just what households donate in money. He cites studies showing that conservatives are more likely to do things like donate blood, and to volunteer. Much of this difference he credits to the comparative religiosity of conservatives. The fact that liberals call for government to help others while conservatives feel called to help directly also seems to factor into differences in behavior.

For more information on Americans’ charitable giving, check out the charts on the Philanthropy Roundtable’s website.