Does Rhode Island deserve its reputation for being among the nation’s least charitable states?

Rhode Island again ranked near the bottom of WalletHub’s annual list of the most charitable states, coming in at No. 45 in the ranking released last month.

The list compares states in 19 indicators of charitable behavior, including volunteer rate, share of donated income and share of sheltered homeless.

While one ranking system may somehow shortchange Rhode Island’s generosity, the state consistently scores near the bottom of philanthropic and charitable giving rankings produced by other groups too.

Yet anyone who has lived here for even a short time can recount examples of significant and heartwarming generosity witnessed across the state.

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The United Way of Rhode Island’s annual 401Gives Day that started at the beginning of the pandemic is one such example. It has set new fundraising records each year, from $1.3 million in 2020 to $3.1 million this year.

So, what gives?

Are the rankings off, or do Rhode Islanders give but just not as much as we could?

Does Rhode Island deserve its reputation for being among the nation’s least charitable states?