Philanthropy Study Says Waltham Residents Less Generous Than Average American

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

The Chronicle of Philanthropy's "How America Gives" study reported that Waltham residents, with a median income of $51,927, had a median contribution of 2.8 percent, or $1,434, 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 most money in Waltham donated the smallest percentage of their income. The 824 taxpayers reporting income of more than $200,000 in Waltham gave an average of 2 percent, or $4,343.

The largest number of returns filed in Waltham—4,093—were in the $50,000 to $99,999 bracket. These taxpayers gave 4.8 percent, or $1,188.

HOW DATA WAS COLLECTED

• The data is from tax returns based on discretionary income (which means waht they donated after paying expenses).
• Data was not collected for people earning under $50,000.
• Data does not include people who don't itemize their tax deductions.

What do you think of the study? Do you give to charity? To which charities do you donate?