As the giving seasons begins, Missouri and Kansas have a ways to go to catch up with the most charitable states in the nation. Missouri ranked No. 24 and Kansas came in at 34th in WalletHub’s annual study that examines the generosity habits of Americans.
The study is based on 19 key indicators in two broad categories: volunteering/service and charitable giving. WalletHub noted that the United States ranked as the world’s most generous country over the past decade according to the World Giving Index.
Several nearby states beat Missouri and Kansas in the charitable study.
Utah finished No. 1 in the charitable giving study, followed by Minnesota, Maryland, Oregon and Ohio. The bottom five on the list were Rhode Island, Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico and Arizona.
“While the COVID-19 pandemic may have disrupted some volunteer opportunities in 2020, it hasn’t stopped people from giving,” a WalletHub analysis of the data said. “In fact, donor grantmaking was up 16 percent in the first four months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. Plus, the COVID-19 stimulus will allow Americans to take an above-the-line tax deduction of $300 per person for charitable donations in 2020.”
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Utah and Minnesota tied for No. 1 for the state with the highest volunteer rate, followed by Oregon, Iowa and Alaska. Four states (Utah, Arkansas, Georgia and Wyoming) tied for No. 1 for the state with the highest percentage of donated income. Alabama was No 5.
Utah also finished No. 1 on the list of states with the highest percentage of people who donate their time, followed by Minnesota, New Hampshire, Montana, and Hawaii and Nebraska.
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The full WalletHub list of most charitable states is as follows: 1. Utah; 2. Minnesota; 3. Maryland; 4. Oregon; 5. Ohio; 6. Pennsylvania; 7. Virginia; 8. North Dakota; 9. Maine; 10. Colorado; 11. Alaska; 12. Georgia; 13. Wyoming; 14. Washington; 15. New Hampshire; 16. Arkansas; 17. North Carolina; 18. Wisconsin; 19. New York; 20. Illinois; 21. Massachusetts; 22. Nebraska; 23. Connecticut; 24. Missouri; 25. Idaho; 26. Indiana; 27. New Jersey; 28. Florida; 29. Delaware; 30. South Dakota; 31. Oklahoma; 32. Kentucky; 33. Montana; 34. Kansas; 35. Michigan; 36. Vermont; 37. Texas; 38. Tennessee; 39. South Carolina; 40. Alabama; 41. Iowa; 42. Hawaii; 43. California; 44. West Virginia; 45. Nevada; 46. Rhode Island; 47. Mississippi; 48. Louisiana; 49. New Mexico; 50. Arizona.