Philanthropy Study Says Hopkinton Residents Less Generous Than Average American

The percentage of their income Hopkinton 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 Hopkinton residents, with a median income of $115,267, had a median contribution of 2.4 percent, or $2,814, 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 3.4 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 those making the least money in Hopkinton donated the largest percentage of their income. The 905 taxpayers reporting income of less than $100,000 in Hopkinton gave an average of 4.5 percent, or $1,269.

The largest number of returns filed in Hopkinton—1,468—were in the $100,000 to $199,000 bracket. These taxpayers gave 2.3 percent, or $1,924.

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