‘Tis the season for giving. And the latest World Giving Index shows Americans are among the world’s most generous people, ranking No. 5 out of 140 countries. U.S. donors in 2016 gave more than $389 billion to charity, with 72 percent of the funds coming directly from individuals, according to the National Philanthropic Trust.
But Americans do more than reach in their pockets to help others. They also contribute their time. Nearly 63 million people volunteer in the U.S., serving a combined total of 7.9 billion hours per year, the equivalent of $184 billion of service.
WalletHub determined the most charitable of the 50 states based upon seven measures to assess the share of income donated, the share of population donating time and public charities per capita.
These are the top charitable giving states:
1. Utah
2. Georgia
3. Minnesota
4. Maryland
5. Alabama
Source: Wallethub. Tennessee ranked 23rd among the 50 states.