Guess which states donate the most and least to charity | WashingtonExaminer.com

Guess which states donate the most and least to charity 

Guess which states donate the most and least to charity

By T. Becket Adams | October 7, 2014 | 1:44 pm

The spots in the U.S. where Americans gave the most to charity are located mostly in the South....

The wealthy in America gave less to charity in 2012 than they did in 2006, while those with lower incomes gave more, according to a new report from *the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
And there’s more: Not only did poor Americans give more in 2012 than they did before the Great Recession, but the bulk of donations in the U.S. came from states that voted for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Meanwhile, the seven worst states for charitable donations voted to re-elect President Obama.

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As you can see in the above, the spots in the U.S. where Americans gave the most to charity are located mostly in the South.
And as noted by the Washington Post, there’s a reason why these states donate the way they do: “[T]he states at the top of the giving list — Utah, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee — are also at the top in terms of religious devotion.”
So yes, religious people give to charity.
“The metropolitan region that gave the most was Salt Lake City,” the Washington Post reported, emphasizing that, according to Gallup studies and a report by the Chronicle, this is likely related to the area’s high religious devotion rate and the Mormon practice of tithing.
“The city that gave the least? Hartford, Connecticut, insurance capital of the world. Make of that what you will,” the report added.