The 15 Most Charitable Places in America

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Upgraded Points.

With the winter holidays in full swing, nonprofits and charitable organizations are in the midst of “Giving Season” — one of the busiest times of year for charities in the U.S.

The season kicked off with “Giving Tuesday” on Nov. 28 and runs through Dec. 31. According to Network for Good, 30% of all annual nonprofit giving takes place during this time.

No matter the mission, issue area, or geographic focus, Giving Season represents one of the prime occasions to support nonprofit organizations. It is also when the nation’s most charitable cities — those that have the highest percentage of taxpayers donating to charity — are most active.

While charitable organizations can raise funds through grants, events, and earned income, individual donations are a critical component of most nonprofits’ revenue mix.

According to individual tax return data from the IRS, Americans donate more than $215 billion to charitable causes each year — with a disproportionate amount coming from certain segments of the population.

Here are the top U.S. charitable metropolitan areas ranked by the percentage of taxpayers who report charitable contributions.

1. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 41.2%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $22.08
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $5,505
• Total Charitable Contributions: $7,406,725,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 1,345,350

2. Birmingham-Hoover, AL

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 40.9%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $28.98
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $5,187
• Total Charitable Contributions: $1,076,442,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 207,530

3. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 40.6%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $18.78
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $3,913
• Total Charitable Contributions: $2,270,591,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 580,340

4. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 40.1%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $17.62
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $5,055
• Total Charitable Contributions: $5,235,322,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 1,035,620

5. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 40.0%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $23.29
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $8,988
• Total Charitable Contributions: $8,562,015,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 952,580

6. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 39.8%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $14.93
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $3,318
• Total Charitable Contributions: $2,494,554,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 751,760

7. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 39.2%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $14.18
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $3,143
• Total Charitable Contributions: $3,828,877,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 1,218,280

8. Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 38.8%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $1,857
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $8.86
• Total Charitable Contributions: $458,233,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 246,740

9. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 38.7%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $36.27
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $17,825
• Total Charitable Contributions: $6,801,782,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 381,590

10. Raleigh-Cary, NC

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 38.2%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $15.34
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $3,509
• Total Charitable Contributions: $931,033,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 265,330

11. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 36.7%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $12.33
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $2,603
• Total Charitable Contributions: $1,124,291,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 431,910

12. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 36.5%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $15.26
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $3,554
• Total Charitable Contributions: $6,184,379,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 1,740,170

13. Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 36.4%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $14.09
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $2,931
• Total Charitable Contributions: $855,359,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 291,840

14. Richmond, VA

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 36.3%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $16.57
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $3,493
• Total Charitable Contributions: $845,770,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 242,100

15. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

• Percentage of Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 36.3%
• Charitable Contributions per $1,000 in Total AGI: $17.27
• Average Contribution Amount for Donors: $4,593
• Total Charitable Contributions: $17,053,157,000
• Total Tax Returns With Charitable Contributions: 3,713,070

Methodology

The data used in this analysis is from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 2020 Individual Income Tax Return Form 1040 data series.

To determine the most charitable locations in the U.S., researchers at Upgraded Points calculated the percentage of tax returns with charitable contributions — including those tax returns where individuals took the standard deduction and those where deductions were itemized.

In the event of a tie, the location with the greater amount of charitable contributions relative to total adjusted gross income was ranked higher.

Researchers also calculated the average contribution amount, which was calculated as total charitable contributions divided by total tax returns with charitable contributions.