Approaching the end of the years means looking back and taking stock, contemplating the many ways in which we evaluate ourselves—as individuals, as groups and as communities. One category that really matters – in communities especially – is how well we have taken care of those that need the most help.
According to the World Giving Index, last year Americans gave $373 billion to charity, and 71% of that came from individuals. Between 2014 and 2015 63 million U.S. residents donated their time to charity as well. We are forced to wonder, while looking at the numbers, which states’s residents gave the most of themselves?
To that end, we look to an annual study on the charitable strengths of each state, produced by WalletHub, a personal finance company. Using a 13-metric scoring methodology, the company scores each state based on data sourced from organizations like the U.S. Census Bureau, Corporation for National & Community Service, Education Commission of the State, and the National Center for Charitable Statistics.
We folded WalletHub’s findings into an easy-to-read slideshow of the ten Most Charitable States in the U.S. Check it out below.
Utah is, far and away, the leader of the pack in this ranking, as it was in last year’s report. The state has the highest volunteer rate, the highest percentage of donated income, the highest percentage of people who claim to have donated time to charities and the highest percentage of population that claim to have donated money.
Other high points include West Virginia, which sports the highest percentage of residents that collect and distribute food. Vermont has more charities per capita than any other state.
But what of the least charitable states—those states in the union that scored poorly enough to hold the lowest positions on WalletHub’s list? We’ve included them below for you, along with scores and their rankings in the categories of Volunteering and Service, and Charitable Giving.
| 41 | Massachusetts | 49.17 Overall Score | 49 Vol. & Service score | 14 Charitable Giving score |
| 42 | Rhode Island | 48.75 | 50 | 18 |
| 43 | Louisiana | 48.29 | 45 | 31 |
| 44 | Florida | 47.80 | 41 | 44 |
| 45 | Montana | 46.96 | 39 | 47 |
| 46 | Hawaii | 46.85 | 48 | 37 |
| 47 | Nevada | 46.14 | 38 | 48 |
| 48 | Texas | 45.92 | 28 | 49 |
| 49 | California | 44.49 | 47 | 46 |
| 50 | Arizona | 42.80 | 35 | 50 |
Arizona is, according to this report, the least charitable state. Other states stand to improve as well. Florida has the lowest volunteer rate of all fifty states, followed by Mississippi and New York. In the category of donated income, residents of New Hampshire gave the smallest percentage of their incomes to charity, followed by New Jersey and Maine.
Residents of Kentucky, according to WalletHub’s findings, claim to donate less time, on average, to philanthropic endeavors than those in any other state. Nevada comes in second on that list, followed by Rhode Island and Mississippi, which are tied for third place.
When it comes to collecting and distributing food, Hawaiians claim the lowest percentage of population who does so, and Nevada has fewer charities per capita than any other state.
For a full breakdown of WalletHub’s scoring methodology, visit the organization’s website here.
