Tis the season to be giving. And the latest World Giving Index shows that Americans are some of the most generous people in the world, ranking second out of 140 countries in 2015. That year, U.S. donors gave more than $373 billion to charity, and 71 percent of that figure came directly from individuals, according to the National Philanthropic Trust.
But Americans don’t just reach in their pockets to help the needy. They also contribute their time—and plenty of it. Between 2014 and 2015, nearly 63 million people volunteered with an organization at least once, serving a median of 52 hours per year.
However, not all the states are equally selfless. So, in the spirit of inspiring altruism, WalletHub identified the most charitable states by comparing them across 13 key metrics. Data sets include volunteer rate, percentage of income donated and percentage of sheltered homeless.
New Hampshire was ranked as the most generous state in New England, placing seventh of all 50 states, ahead of all other New England states. Here are some of NH's other stats, both good and not so good:
- 3rd for the percent of people who say they donate their time to charity.
- Tied for 2nd with Illinois for the percent of people who say they donate money.
- 50th for the percent of income donated per person.
Read more about the survey here.
Current Issue - April 2024