8:24 a.m.
Saturday, November 15, 2025 8:23 am
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With Americans donating over $592 billion per year to charity, the personal-finance company WalletHub today released its report on the Most Charitable States for 2026.
Key Stats
"The most charitable states aren't just the places where people give the largest raw amounts of money. The share of the population contributing and the percentage of their individual incomes they're willing to use to help others are big factors in showing how charitable people are. In addition, many people can't afford to give much money, especially due to the influence of inflation, but they generously donate their time, which is just as important."
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"Wyoming is the most charitable state, in large part because residents spend an average of around 29 hours per year volunteering, the fifth-most in the country. The state also has the 14th-highest percentage of residents who volunteer, at roughly 34%. In addition, residents of the Equality State generously give money to charity, donating nearly 4% of their adjusted gross income on average, the highest percentage in the country. On top of that, Wyoming has the second-most Feeding America food banks per capita, and it shelters over 82% of its homeless population."
- Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst
| Most Charitable States |
| 1. Wyoming 2. Utah 3. Maryland 4. Minnesota 5. Virginia 6. Colorado 7. Delaware 8. Maine 9. Pennsylvania 10. Oregon |
11. Montana 12. Alaska 13. Connecticut 14. Washington 15. New York 16. Ohio 17. Iowa 18. Idaho 19. Georgia 20. Vermont |
Key Stats
- The charities with the highest ratings from WalletHub include the Optica, Aga Khan Foundation, and Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust.
- Delaware has the most charities per capita, which is 2.8 times more than in Utah, the state with the fewest.
- Utah has the highest volunteer rate, which is 2.5 times higher than in Rhode Island, the state with the lowest.
- Utah has the most volunteer hours per capita, which is 4.7 times more than in Mississippi, the state with the fewest.
"The most charitable states aren't just the places where people give the largest raw amounts of money. The share of the population contributing and the percentage of their individual incomes they're willing to use to help others are big factors in showing how charitable people are. In addition, many people can't afford to give much money, especially due to the influence of inflation, but they generously donate their time, which is just as important."-
"Wyoming is the most charitable state, in large part because residents spend an average of around 29 hours per year volunteering, the fifth-most in the country. The state also has the 14th-highest percentage of residents who volunteer, at roughly 34%. In addition, residents of the Equality State generously give money to charity, donating nearly 4% of their adjusted gross income on average, the highest percentage in the country. On top of that, Wyoming has the second-most Feeding America food banks per capita, and it shelters over 82% of its homeless population."
- Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst