Among Givers, Solehi Area Ranks Slightly Lower Than State Average

People who live in Southern Lehigh are fairly generous when it comes to giving, but not quite as generous our fellow Americans – for example, those in Salt Lake City, Utah.

That’s according to a new report from The Chronicle of Philanthropy, which looked at the percentage of discretionary income Americans contributed to charity in 2008.

The Chronicle broke down communities by zip code -- a total of 28,725 -- and looked at the contributions of households in the 18036 and 18034 zip codes that made more than $50,000 a year. The Chronicle counted as discretionary income what taxpayers had left after they paid taxes and paid for food, housing and other essentials.

Among the study's wide-ranging findings:

• Utah is the most generous state, donating 10.6 percent of discretionary income.
• Pennsylvania ranks 7th (3.9 percent). 
• New Hampshire is the stingiest (just 2.5 percent).
• People who live in politically conservative "red states" are more generous than those in liberal or "blue states."

How did Southern Lehigh rate? Check out the table below to find out: 

18036

18034

Zip Code

Totals

Here are a few other interesting findings:

-- Those in the middle class give a much larger share of their income to charity – 7.6 percent for Americans earning $50,000-$75,000 – than the wealthy. Americans making more than $100,000 give an average of 4.2 percent.

-- Wealthy people who live in places surrounded by other rich people give less of a share of their incomes than well-off Americans in diverse communities.

-- Residents from New England states like New Hampshire and Maine gave the smallest share of their discretionary income and those in Southern states gave the most. 

-- Tax credits for giving make a big difference in how much people give. Arizona has special tax benefits for those who donate and charities are receiving more than $100 million each year.