New Jersey Takes Title of Least Generous State In U.S.

New Jersey Takes Title of Least Generous State In U.S.
By Lou Monaco
Fact Checked by Thomas Leary

It’s time to help New Jersey! We're taking a break from NJ sports betting and taking a hard look states' philanthropic efforts across the U.S.

Ten years ago, Giving Tuesday was created to counteract the spending of shopping holidays – Black Friday and Cyber Monday – with an effort to give to charities in need, via individual contributions and philanthropic donations.

On Giving Tuesday (Nov. 29), hundreds of thousands of Americans will donate money to the charitable organization(s) of their choice. Many write their charitable contributions off as deductions during tax season, which allows us to see just how much Americans are giving, and from which states the most donations come.

Using this data, we can compare the ratio of the average charitable contribution to the average income in each state and use the ratio to determine which states have the most (or least) generous citizens.

Using historical data from the Internal Revenue Service, TopNJCasinos.com determined the average charitable contribution deduction (amount/number of contributions) and the average total income (amount / number of incomes reported) in each state in the 2019 tax year. Then, TopNJCasinos.com calculated how much of the average total income is donated to charity.

Each state was ranked from most generous (1) to least generous (50) based on that percentage.

The result? Well, brace yourself.

Garden State Has Serious Ground To Make Up

The Garden State may be too keyed in on New Jersey online casinos, as New Jersey finished last with the only single digit percentage at 9.2% of income directed toward charity.

The average charitable contribution ($8,735) was the third least generous amount, higher than only Rhode Island ($8,443) and Oregon ($8,232).

(Note, these numbers are significantly affected by the top tax bracket in each given state, meaning the typical New Jersey resident likely isn't donating that high of an amount in a given year).

The state’s average total income of $94,117 was the fourth highest in the nation, behind only the District of Columbia ($109,398), Massachusetts ($102,540), and Connecticut ($101,844).

A sampling of other states that surround New Jersey: New York ($15,936), Connecticut ($13,405), Pennsylvania ($11,465) and Delaware ($9,337).

U.S. States Charitable Contributions

StateAvg. Charitable Contribution Avg. Total Income % of Income
Wyoming $54,107 $85,022 63.6%
South Dakota $28,542 $68,040 41.9%
Arkansas $22,671 $59,691 38%
North Dakota $24,571 $76,198 32.2%
Tennessee $19,631 $66,955 29.3%
Oklahoma $17,870 $62,456 28.6%
Mississippi $14,432 $52,109 27.7%
Utah $20,492 $75,707 27%
Alabama $16,747 $61,811 27%
Kansas $17,866 $70,040 25.5%
Nebraska $16,957 $68,911 24.6%
Florida $18,440 $75,418 24.4%
New Mexico $14,375 $59,014 24.4%
Texas $17,743 $74,333 23.9%
Missouri $15,711 $66,389 23.7%
Indiana $14,532 $63,111 23%
Idaho $15,196 $66,476 22.9%
Georgia $15,665 $68,750 22.8%
Kentucky $13,326 $59,387 22.4%
Louisiana $13,500 $60,563 22.3%
Vermont $15,254 $69,130 22%
West Virginia $11,944 $55,890 21.3%
South Carolina $13,528 $64,531 21%
Ohio $13,515 $65,213 20.7%
North Carolina $13,176 $68,244 19.3%
Michigan $12,733 $66,970 19%
Iowa $12,788 $67,556 18.9%
New York $15,936 $88,997 17.9%
Nevada $12,660 $71,405 17.7%
Wisconsin $12,112 $70,724 17.1%
United States $13,221 $77,079 17.1%
Alaska $12,124 $74,196 16.3%
Maine $10,603 $65,021 16.3%
Pennsylvania $11,465 $73,675 15.6%
Washington $14,311 $93,455 15.3%
Arizona $10,639 $69,667 15.3%
Illinois $11,528 $79,537 14.5%
Colorado $11,484 $84,652 13.6%
Minnesota $10,712 $79,348 13.5%
New Hampshire $11,439 $85,114 13.4%
Connecticut $13,405 $101,844 13.2%
District of Columbia $14,417 $109,398 13.1%
Massachusetts $13,180 $102,540 12.9%
Delaware $9,337 $72,413 12.9%
Montana $13,863 $65,380 12.2%
California $10,738 $89,964 11.9%
Virginia $9,892$84,375 11.7%
Rhode Island $8,443 $72,316 11.7%
Oregon $8,232 $72,579 11.3%
Maryland $8,876 $84,863 10.5%
Hawaii $7,027 $69,761 10%
New Jersey $8,735 $94,117 9.2%


Cream of the Crop

The top five states that are the most generous: Wyoming ($54,107 average charitable contribution), South Dakota ($28,542), North Dakota ($24,571), Arkansas ($22,671) and Utah ($20,492). 

With the nation’s economy struggling as it is on a daily basis, this trend in New Jersey could continue. 

Give what you can New Jerseyans, but maybe just dig a bit deeper?

Stay close to TopNJCasinos for unique content such as this, and don't forget we're also your home for the top NJ NFL online betting sites.

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Author

Lou Monaco had been East Coast Scene columnist for Gaming Today in Las Vegas since June 2019, covering the East Coast sportsbook scene with emphasis on NJ and PA. He also currently is a part-time writer for the high school sports department for NJ Advanced Media (NJ.com) in Iselin, NJ. Lou has over 30 years sports experience with previous stints at ESPN SportsTicker, Daily Racing Form and Oddschecker.

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