5. New Mexico
> Charitable donation per taxpayer: $719
> Taxpayers who donate to charity: 19.2% (8th lowest)
> Average income per taxpayer: $44,691 (2nd lowest)
> Pct. of households earning $200,000 or more: 2.3% (15th lowest)
New Mexico’s poverty rate is the fourth highest in the country, and the average income per taxpayer is the second lowest at just $44,691 in 2009. According to 2009 IRS figures, New Mexico residents gave just $719 per person to charity, and only 19.2% reported giving anything at all. Even when divided by the state’s very low income per taxpayer, New Mexico still falls in the bottom 10% for charitable donations.
4. North Dakota
> Charitable donation per taxpayer: $672
> Taxpayers who donate to charity: 14.7% (2nd lowest)
> Average income per taxpayer: $51,591 (22nd highest)
> Pct. of households earning $200,000 or more: 2.2% (13th lowest)
North Dakota’s average income per tax return has increased dramatically in recent years — from $39,870 in 2004 to $51,591 in 2009. While this was an increase of nearly 30%, the average charitable contribution per return only increased 15.6%. In addition, only 14.7% of North Dakota taxpayers donate to charity — the second smallest percentage.
3. West Virginia
> Charitable donation per taxpayer: $662
> Taxpayers who donate to charity: 13.1% (the lowest)
> Average income per taxpayer: $44,895 (3rd lowest)
> Pct. of households earning $200,000 or more: 1.4% (the lowest)
Just 13.1% of West Virginia’s taxpayers reported making any kind of charitable donation in 2009, by far the smallest percentage in the U.S. In comparison, 40.1% of Maryland residents reported at least some form of monetary contribution to charity in that year. In its defense, the state is extremely poor, with the third-lowest average income per taxpayer, the fifth-highest poverty rate, and the lowest percentage of households earning $200,000 or more — just 1.4%.
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2. Vermont
> Charitable donation per taxpayer: $662
> Taxpayers who donate to charity: 21.4% (14th lowest)
> Average income per taxpayer: $48,698 (16th lowest)
> Pct. of households earning $200,000 or more: 2.8% (24th highest)
From 2004 to 2009, the average charitable contribution per income tax return in Vermont decreased 4.8%, from $695 to $662 — the second smallest amount in the country. Worse still, the state has the 14th lowest percentage of taxpayers who donate to charity. While the state is among the poorest as a measured by average income, the state has one of the lowest poverty rates in the country.
1. Maine
> Charitable donation per taxpayer: $612
> Taxpayers who donate to charity: 22.6% (16th lowest)
> Average income per taxpayer: $46,683 (10th lowest)
> Pct. of households earning $200,000 or more: 2.0% (6th lowest)
Although Maine’s average income per taxpayer is relatively low — the 10th lowest in the country to be exact — this does not explain its exceptionally low average charity donation per taxpayer. At just $612, it is just 25% of the average donation of Utah’s average donation, $2,388, the most generous state. In addition to having the lowest average donation, the state also has the second lowest donation as a percentage of taxpayer income.
-Michael B. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale, Ashley C. Allen
