WalletHub: R.I. least charitable state

RHODE ISLAND is the least charitable state in the nation, according to WalletHub. / COURTESY WALLETHUB
RHODE ISLAND is the least charitable state in the nation, according to WalletHub. / COURTESY WALLETHUB

(Updated 11:58 a.m.)
PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island is the least charitable state in the nation, according to WalletHub.
Rhode Island ranked high for the number of charities per capita – 13th, but ranked low in other categories, such as percentage of population who claim to have donated time, number of volunteering hours per capita and volunteer rate, at 47th, 48th and 40th, respectively.
The personal finance website said the most charitable state is Utah, followed by Maryland.
Among the New England states, Connecticut ranked the highest at 11th, followed by Vermont at 13th. New Hampshire was 29th; Maine, 39th and Massachusetts, 40th.
WalletHub described America as a “selfless nation,” noting it ranked second overall in 2015’s World Giving Index, behind only Myanmar.
WalletHub said 95.4 percent of households donate to charities, contributing an annual average of $2,974. According to the National Philanthropic Trust, in 2014, Americans gave more than $338 billion, 72 percent of which came directly from individuals. Nearly a third of annual giving also takes place in December, WalletHub said.
“In the spirit of inspiring more Americans to increase their charitable giving this holiday season, WalletHub aimed the spotlight at the most generous of the 50 states,” it stated on its website.
To come up with its findings, WalletHub examined factors such as volunteer rate, percentage of the population who donated time and money, median contribution to charity and community service requirement for high school graduation.
Data used in the report ranges from 2012 to 2015 and for the Growth in Charitable Giving key metric, WalletHub compared 2012 data with 2006 data. It said it used the most recent data available for each key metric.

No posts to display