WalletHub has returned to provide another study of the United States and the 2023 year. This time, the focus was aimed on the most and least charitable states. This is a timely study as the holiday season tends to be focused around the spirit of giving.
“’Tis the season for giving, and the latest World Giving Index shows that United States rose to third place in 2022 after a significant decline in 2021 when it was ranked 19th among the most generous countries in the world,” WalletHub shared.
In 2022, donors within the United States gave nearly $500 billion to charity and 64% of the funds came directly from individuals. Monetary donations are not the only form of giving back that the U.S. excels in; there were nearly 61 million individuals that volunteered, serving a combined total of 4.1 billion hours per year.
Data set for the study ranged from volunteer rate to the share of income donated, as well as the share of sheltered homeless. Through these findings, Utah was deemed the most charitable state in the 2023 year with a total score of 69.65. Utah was followed by Wyoming (69.21) in second place and Minnesota (67.66) in third.
On the other end, the three least charitable states were listed as Mississippi at 45.16, New Mexico with 44.90 and Arizona with 41.82. Utah boasted the highest volunteer rate at 40.7% and had the most volunteer hours per capita with 39.42.
“Our study found Utah residents to be the most financially generous out of all the states, donating 3.89% of their income to help those in need,” WalletHub stated. “Plus, more than half of the Beehive State’s population donates their time to a good cause.”
Utah was also recorded as being tied in first place with Arkansas for the percent of donated income and came in second place for the percentage of population that donated money.