While many complain that Mississippi is usually first on the bad lists and last on the good lists, Mississippians have always been recognized for their generosity. Another report confirms this.
The Fraser Institute’s Generosity Index measures charitable donations as recorded on personal income tax returns in Canada and the United States.
Because the Fraser Institute is based in Canada, this report tracks donations from Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories, as well as the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The data is from the 2016 tax year.
The repot calculates the percentage of tax filers donating to charity, the percentage of aggregate income donated to charity, and the average annual charitable donation.
Mississippians gave 1.67 percent of their income to charity, which was good enough for 10th among the 64 states and provinces. Utah was first at 3.18 percent, followed by Georgia (2.31), Arkansas (2.07), Alabama (1.86), and Idaho (1.78).
The average annual charitable donation was $7,135, which was good enough for 13th. Wyoming was first with $12,991, followed by Arkansas ($10,935), Utah ($10,165), South Dakota ($10,020), and Tennessee ($8,644).
The report also showcased the noticeable differences between giving in the United States and Canada. The 13 Canadian provinces and territories took 13 of the bottom 14 spots when it came to percentage of aggregate income donated to charity. West Virginia’s 0.74 percent was slightly below Manitoba’s 0.76 percent.
But on average annual donation, the Canadian provinces and territories took the bottom 14 places.