As the Christmas season approaches, new research reveals which U.S. states are the most and least charitable.
A recent study released by WalletHub ranked all 50 states according to their charitable activity, based on two main factors: the level of volunteering and service among residents, and the percentage of income donated to charitable causes.
Wyoming ranked as the most charitable state in the nation, earning an overall score of 69.49. Rounding out the top 10 were Utah, Maryland, Minnesota, Virginia, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Oregon.
At the other end of the spectrum, New Mexico was ranked the least charitable state, followed by Nevada, Mississippi, Alabama, Rhode Island, Louisiana, West Virginia, Arizona, Florida, and Michigan.
In Wyoming, residents volunteer an average of 29 hours per year and donate nearly 4% of their adjusted gross income to charity. The state also shelters 82% of its homeless population.
Utah stood out, with nearly half of its residents (47%) volunteering and contributing an average of 46 hours of volunteer time per person each year. More than 68% of Utahans said they had helped their neighbors, while residents donated an average of 3.5% of their income to charity.
In Maryland, 16% of taxpayers give to charity, and 83% of the state’s homeless population is sheltered.
When examining only volunteering and service, Utah topped the list, followed by Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Minnesota, Maine, Oregon, Delaware, Alaska, and New Hampshire.
In terms of charitable giving, the 10 leading states were Virginia, New York, Maryland, Georgia, California, Wyoming, Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Illinois. New Mexico ranked lowest in both volunteering and charitable giving categories.
Utah recorded the highest volunteer rate among all states, followed by Vermont, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Kansas. Rhode Island had the lowest volunteer rate, followed by Nevada, Alabama, New Mexico, and Florida.
Residents of Wyoming and Utah gave the highest share of their income to charity, followed by those in Arkansas, Georgia, and New York. By contrast, West Virginia residents donated the smallest percentage of their income, followed by Maine, Rhode Island, Alaska, and Wisconsin.
Maryland topped the list for the highest percentage of residents who donate money, followed by California, Utah, Virginia, and New Jersey. Conversely, West Virginia ranked last, followed by North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, and Alaska.
North Dakota ranked first for the share of residents who collect and distribute food, with Indiana, Ohio, South Dakota, and Arkansas completing the top five. Rhode Island had the lowest share of residents involved in food collection and distribution, with New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, and Colorado rounding out the bottom five.
Delaware, Montana, Vermont, and Wyoming tied for the highest number of charities per capita, with Maine also among the top five. Meanwhile, Utah had the fewest charities per capita, followed by Arizona, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Kentucky.
