Holliston Residents Contribute Less to Charity Than Average American

The percentage of their income Holliston residents give to charity is less than the county, state and country averages, according to a study released today.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy's "How America Gives" study reported that Holliston residents, with a median income of $74,062, had a median contribution of 2.3 percent, or $1,709, of their income to charity in 2008, the tax year for which data was collected.

By way of comparison, the county, state, and country's median contribution was 3.2 percent, 2.8 percent and 4.7 percent, respectively. (See chart below.)

The study is based on exact dollar amounts released by the Internal Revenue Service that show the value of charitable deductions claimed by American taxpayers in 2008. 

The Chronicle’s rankings show the percentage of their income that households donated from the money they had left after paying their taxes and covering housing, food, and other essential expenses.

Detailed data is searchable by zip code.

While The Chronicle used averages to compare towns, readers may also search by income bracket. The study shows that the middle-income residents of Holliston, those making between $100,000 and $199,999, contributed the lowest percentage of their income at 2.2 percent. On the other hand, those with the lowest income, below $100,000, donated the highest amount at 3.8 percent.

The 653 residents that reported income more than $200,000 had an average income of $247,836 and they donated an average of 2.4 percent, or $6,736.