With the pandemic straining the economy from Wall Street to Main Street, one might think charitable giving declined in 2020, but a new survey shows the opposite is true.
According to numbers crunched by Top Data, Americans’ donations to various charities actually increased in 40 of 50 states.
The survey, based on a non-scientific survey of 1,000 Americans, finds the average adult in the U.S. donated $608 to charity in 2020 — up 16% from the year before. What’s more, 16% of those polled say they plan to donate some or all of their next COVID-19 stimulus check to those in need.
By state, donations in Idaho jumped the most from 2019 to 2020, with a 153% increase; Wyoming saw donations pop 103%; Montanans gave 82% more than in 2019′ and Utah saw personal donations jump 80%. Oregonians’ donations increased 68%, rounding out the top five.
On the other side of the coin, pun intended, people in Rhode Island ranked as least generous, with their personal donations down 43% between 2019 and 2020.
Here’s the full list of residents’ donations by state, with the percent of change between 2019 and 2020, according to Top Data.
1. Idaho — 153%
2. Wyoming — 103%
3.Montana — 82%
4. Utah — 80%
5. Oregon — 68%
6. Ohio — 67%
7. Hawaii — 59%
8. Alabama — 58%
9. Louisiana — 56%
10. Colorado — 52%
11. North Dakota — 50%
12. Nevada — 48%
13.Kansas — 44%
14. Alaska — 39%
15. Kentucky — 37%
16. Nebraska — 34%
17. Oklahoma — 33%
18. Washington — 30%
19. Illinois — 29%
20. West Virginia — 29%
21. Minnesota — 26%
22. New York — 25%
23. Iowa — 24%
24. Connecticut — 24%
25. Georgia — 22%
26. Maryland — 22%
27. Michigan — 20%
28. South Carolina — 19%
29. Virginia — 19%
30. Missouri — 19%
31. South Dakota — 18%
32. Tennessee — 17%
33. New Mexico — 16%
34. Delaware — 16%
35. Pennsylvania — 16%
36. North Carolina — 15%
37. Wisconsin — 14%
38. Arkansas — 11%
39. Mississippi — 5%
40. Texas — 4%
41. California — 0
42. New Jersey — 0%
43. Florida — -2%
44. Arizona — -4%
45. New Hampshire — -9%
46. Indiana — -10%
47. Massachusetts — -17%
48. Vermont — -20%
49. Maine — -25%
50. Rhode Island — -43%