Kentucky isn’t a state of givers — at least not time and money, new study shows
Charitable giving hasn’t ranked highly on the to-do list for Kentuckians over the last several years, according to a new study.
Kentucky ranks dead last in America for the percentage of people who donate their time, and tied for second-last in the nation for the percentage of people who donate money to charity, according to Wallethub, a personal finance website.
Kentucky ranked 32nd out of the 50 states for overall charitable actions, which included a combination of “volunteering and service” and “charitable giving,” according to Wallethub’s study.
Kentucky was above average — 23rd — for volunteering and service. But the volunteering and service category took into account more than just the percentage of people who donate their time. It also took into account the “retention rate” of volunteers, the number of hours people volunteer, the state’s community service requirement for high school graduation and the frequency of food and clothing donations.
The study also took into account more anecdotal acts of giving, such as “share of population who do favors for their neighbors” and “amount of money that people would lend their neighbors in need.”
Wallethub used data and information from 2013-2020 to compile the rankings. The data came from the U.S. Census Bureau, Corporation for National & Community Service, Education Commission of the States, IRS, National Center for Charitable Statistics, Feeding America, Charity Navigator, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Gallup and more.
Several other southern states ranked low across several categories. Mississippi and Florida ranked in the bottom two for the lowest volunteer rates in the country. Mississippi was also tied for the third-worst percentage of people who donate their time. Louisiana and Arkansas joined Kentucky in the bottom five for the population of people who donate money.
Mississippi also had the fourth-fewest charities per capita. Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were all in the bottom 10 for overall charitable giving.
The study did state that the United States has been the most charitable nation in the world over the last 10 years, with more than $449 billion given to charity from U.S. donors in 2019.
Utah was ranked the most charitable state in the country. It ranked first for the highest volunteer rate, the highest percentage of donated income, the highest percentage of population who donate time and the highest percentage of people who donate money, according to the study.
Arizona was ranked the least-charitable state in the country. It ranked in the bottom five for percentage of population who donate time, percentage of population who collect or distribute food, and number of charities per capita, according to the study.
This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 11:43 AM.