Philanthropy Study: Walpole Residents Less Generous Than Average American

The percentage of their income Walpole residents give to charity is less than the  national average, according to a study released Monday.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy's "How America Gives" study reported that Walpole residents living in the 02081 zip code, with a median income of $68,627 gave a median contribution of 2.6 percent, or $1,818, of their income to charity in 2008, the tax year for which data was collected. The dollar amount was more than the average for Massachusetts but less than the national average. Total contributions overall were $12 million for Walpole.

By way of comparison, the state and country's median contribution was 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.