People who believe the government should be stingy with its spending are more likely to open up their own pocketbooks, according to a recent study.
WalletHub’s 2015 Most and Least Charitable States found that Republican-leaning states are more generous than their Democratic-leaning counterparts.
When it comes to generosity, the West is the best, with three of the top four most charitable states are in the American west.
WalletHub ranked the states based on eight metrics: volunteer rate, percentage of population donating time and money, median contribution to charity, growth of charitable givings, percentage of adjusted growth income donated, number of public charities, volunteering hours per capita, and whether community service is required for high school graduation.
10. Minnesota
Minnesotans had one of the nation’s highest volunteer rates, and donated time a a rate second only to Utah.
9. Oklahoma
Oklahomans had one of the highest-ranking percentages of donated income.
8. Washington
Washington not only benefits from the concentration of wealthy donors in the Puget Sound region, but three western counties (Grant, Adams and Whitman) whose contribution rates rank among the nation’s highest.
7. Georgia
Georgia reported the third-highest growth in charitable giving between 2006 and 2012.
6. Tennessee
Tennessee had one of the highest percentages of population donating time in the country.
5. South Dakota
South Dakota ranks in the poorest and most charitable category of WalletHub’s survey.
4. Oregon
Oregon has above average rates for volunteering and charitable donations, and Oregonians of all income levels historically give at high levels.
3. Idaho
Idaho experiences one of the highest levels of growth in charitable giving in the country, according to WalletHub.
2. Maryland
Maryland is among the richest and most charitable states in the country, tied at second with for the percentage of its population that donates money to charity.
1. Utah
Utah led the country in several metrics, inluding the highest percentage of the population who claimed to have donated time, the highest percentage of the population who calimed to have donated money, the highest volunteer rate and the highest percentage of donated income.
