Study: Red States Give More to Charity Than Blue States

Middle-income people gave more to charities in 2008 than wealthy people, and those in Republican-leaning states gave more than those in Democratic states, a new study by the Chronicle of Philanthropy finds.

The South is first among four regions studied by the Chronicle, giving an average of 5.2 percent of discretionary income to charity, compared with 4.1 percent in the Northeast.

-- What do you think of the study's findings? How much do you give to charity? Tell us in the comments. --

Religious involvement plays a major role in charitable giving: When only donations to secular charities are counted, the Northeast leads, giving 1.4 percent of discretionary income to the South's 0.9 percent. (See the second PDF displayed to the right of this story's text.)

The charitable giving data, based on IRS records of Americans who itemized their deductions, is searchable down to the ZIP code level in the Chronicle of Philanthropy's interactive map. Below is information on greater Liburn, ZIP code 30047.

BY THE NUMBERS: How Do Lilburn Residents Give?

485: Ranking of the Lilburn ZIP code among 28,725

35.2 million: Total contributions

$3,426: Median contribution

$57,414: Median discretionary income

6: This is the percentage of income given

WORTH NOTING: How Does Lilburn Stack Up?

• A greater percentage of people (7.1 percent) in the income range of $50,000 to $99,999 gave more than those with a higher income.
• Gwinnett County residents gave 7 percent of their income to charity, though Lilburn residents gave 6 percent.
• Established residents, those ages 45-64, gave the most of their income at 29.6 percent.

Among the study's other key findings:

• The top eight states for charitable giving in 2008 voted for John McCain for president. Georgia ranks eighth on the overall list. (See the PDF displayed to the right of this story.)
• People who earned $50,000 to $70,000 a year gave an average of 7.6 percent of their discretionary income to charity, compared with 4.6 percent for people who made more than $100,000.
• States that offer tax incentives for charitible giving can increase total donations, often at no cost to the donor when the state provides dollar-for-dollar tax credits.

Be sure to tell us in the comments how you feel about chartible giving in Lilburn, Gwinnett County, and beyond.