Study: How Lisle Fares Among Nation's Most Charitable Communities

Lisle residents are charitable, according to a new study that looks into how much people give to chairty based on their income.

The study released Monday used Internal Revenue Service data to compile giving statistics based on ZIP codes, showing Lisle is No. 2,194 out of 28,725 communities for total giving across incomes among ZIP codes nationwide.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy conducted the study, which reviewed the most comprehensive IRS returns from 2008 to determine the level of giving of residents across the country. The study examined giving data by ZIP code and by income level in every city and town in the United States, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Lisle residents of all incomes made $16.2 million total charitable contributions, ranking the community as No. 2,194, according to the study. Percent of income given to charity: 3.8 percent.

Because of discrepancies in data for those with incomes under $50,000, the study only included those with incomes of $50,000 or more.

The most giving group in Lisle was among residents reporting the lowest income, between $50,000 to $99,999, according to the study. Residents in that earning bracket had a discretionary income of $26,679 and donated 5.8 percent of their income or an average contribution of $1,554.

Lisle residents reporting income of $100,000 to $199,999 had a discretionary income of $81,315, but gave a smaller percentage in contributions, according to the study. The average contribution made was $2,947 or 3.6 percent of income. 

The highest earning group, those with incomes of $200,000 and higher were the least giving based on discretionary income, according to the study. Of the 820 tax returns in this bracket, the average discretionary income was $356,179. The average contribution was $7,420 or 2.1 percent of income reported.

The community doesn’t rank as highly when looking at the median contribution, according to the study. The village’s rank drops to 13,072 out of 28,725 with a median contribution of $2,385 for all incomes.

As a state, Illinois ranked 20 with total contributions of $6 billion, a median discretionary income of 56,113 and a median contribution of $2,371 and 4.2 percent of income. 

Other Key Findings

Middle-class Amer­i­cans give a far bigger share of their discretionary income to charities than the rich. Households that earn $50,000 to $75,000 give an average of 7.6 percent of their discretionary income to charity, compared with an average of 4.2 percent for people who make $100,000 or more. In the Washington metropolitan area, for example, low- and middle-income communities like Suitland, Md., and Capitol Heights, Md., donate a much bigger share of discretionary income than do wealthier communities like Bethesda, Md., and McLean, Va.

Wealthy people who live in neighborhoods with many other wealthy people give a smaller share of their incomes to charity than rich people who live in more economically diverse communities. When people making more than $200,000 a year account for more than 40 percent of the taxpayers in a ZIP code, the wealthy residents give an average of 2.8 percent of discretionary income to charity, compared with an average of 4.2 percent for all itemizers earning $200,000 or more.

Source: The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Read how the data was compiled 

Also written by Mary Ann Lopez

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