The top 26 states where rich people give away the most money

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The top 26 states where rich people give away the most money

New York City skyline

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New York is the ninth most charitable state in the US.

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Wealthy people live in every state in the US - but some states are more charitable than others.

The IRS publishes data about the number of people who itemize their tax returns every year, and how many people claim which deductions by state and by income bracket.

To arrive at the rankings, we looked at the people who itemized and made between $500,000 and $1 million, and more than $1 million in the year 2016 (the most recent one for which we have data). We looked at how many claimed the itemized deduction for charitable giving. The IRS also indicates how much money was claimed to be donated. Using that information, we could figure out the average claimed donation per $500,000+ income tax return per state.

Here, in ascending order, are the top 26 most charitable states plus Washington DC.

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26: Illinois

26: Illinois

Average annual charitable contribution: $62,328.16
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 96%

25: Texas

25: Texas

Average annual charitable contribution: $64,512.10
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 94%

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24: Vermont

24: Vermont

Average annual charitable contribution: $65,926.79
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 95%

23: Oregon

23: Oregon

Average annual charitable contribution: $67,626.74
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 94%

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22: Washington, DC

22: Washington, DC

Average annual charitable contribution: $69,388.23
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 96%

21: Colorado

21: Colorado

Average annual charitable contribution: $69,734.32
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 95%

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20: Massachusetts

20: Massachusetts

Average annual charitable contribution: $72,307.18
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 95%

19: Nebraska

19: Nebraska

Average annual charitable contribution: $72,662.40
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 97%

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18: Kansas

18: Kansas

Average annual charitable contribution: $77,161.41
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 97%

17: Alabama

17: Alabama

Average annual charitable contribution: $77,645.15
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 97%

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16: New Hampshire

16: New Hampshire

Average annual charitable contribution: $ 79,648.31
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 95%

15: Oklahoma

15: Oklahoma

Average annual charitable contribution: $79,671.18
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 94%

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14: Montana

14: Montana

Average annual charitable contribution: $79,762.65
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 95%

13: Missouri

13: Missouri

Average annual charitable contribution: $82,633.40
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 96%

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12: Tennessee

12: Tennessee

Average annual charitable contribution: $83,978.81
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 96%

11: Idaho

11: Idaho

Average annual charitable contribution: $84,818.72
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 95%

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10: Florida

10: Florida

Average annual charitable contribution: $87,203.13
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 94%

9: New York

9: New York

Average annual charitable contribution: $88,230.77
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 95%

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8: California

8: California

Average annual charitable contribution: $ 89,606.70
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 92%

7: Nevada

7: Nevada

Average annual charitable contribution: $97,608.10
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 92%

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6: Utah

6: Utah

Average annual charitable contribution: $115,864.14
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 96%

5: Georgia

5: Georgia

Average annual charitable contribution: $118,556.79
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 96%

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4: Washington

4: Washington

Average annual charitable contribution: $145,061.53
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 94%

3: South Dakota

3: South Dakota

Average annual charitable contribution: $149,203.57
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 97%

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2: Arkansas

2: Arkansas

Average annual charitable contribution: $203,171.10
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 95%

1: Wyoming

1: Wyoming

Average annual charitable contribution: $ 223,438.62
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 95%

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