How Much Do Encinitas Residents Give to Charity?

How much is your community giving to charities? A new national study details the generosity in America's communities.

Readers in Encinitas Patch’s ZIP Code 92024 gave a median $2,802—or 3.8 percent of income—per household to charity in 2008, according to a study released Monday by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Residents in ZIP Code 92007 gave at a slightly lower higher rate. They gave a median $2,164 per household, or 3.4 percent of their income, to charity.

Across San Diego County, residents gave to charity at a higher rate. The median contribution was $2,335, or 4.6 percent of their income. Statewide, California residents gave a median $2,396, or 4.4 percent of their income.

The study was based on Internal Revenue Service records from 2008, the most recent year for which such data is available. Because taxpayers are only allowed to claim deductions if they itemize on their tax forms, there is no data to show how much was given by people who didn’t itemize their contributions. You can read more about how the data was compiled on The Chronicle’s website.

The study found:

• The rich are not the most generous. Low-income people give a far bigger share of their income to charities. People who make $50,000 to $75,000 give an average of 7.6 percent of their discretionary income to charity, compared with an average of 4.2 percent for people who make $100,000 or more.
• Rich people give less when they live among other rich people. If a rich person lives in an economically diverse area, they are more likely to give a bigger portion of their income to charity than they would if they lived in a wealthy neighborhood. When people making more than $200,000 a year account for more than 40 percent of a community, the wealthy residents give an average of 2.8 percent of their income to charity—compared with an average of 4.2 percent for all itemizers earning $200,000 or more.
• Red states give more than blue states. States that voted Republican in the last presidential election are far more likely to be generous to charities than those that voted Democratic. The top eight states in giving, including Georgia, preferred John McCain over Barack Obama (see attached PDF).
• Tax incentives encourage giving. State policies that promote giving can make a big difference. In Arizona, charities are reaping more than $100-million annually from a series of tax credits adopted recently.
• Religion has a big influence on giving patterns. States that are deeply religious are more generous than those that are not. Two of the top nine states—Utah and Idaho—have high numbers of Mormons, who have a tradition of tithing at least 10 percent of their income to the church. The remaining states in the top nine are all in the Bible Belt.
• Utah tops the list. The state was ranked No. 1 in giving at 10.6 percent, with Salt Lake City as the most giving city. By contrast, residents in Massachusetts and three other New England states give less than 3 percent. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey and Rhode Island are the least-generous states. California ranked No. 25 nationally. You can see the complete list online here.

The Chronicle website also features an interactive map looking at how America gives.

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