Community Engagement
Average Charitable Giving

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Average Charitable Giving

What does this measure?

Contributions to charitable organizations, measured as an average per tax return with itemized contributions.

Why is this important?

Charitable giving supports a wide variety of organizations, including those that provide essential services to the community and people in need. The level of giving shows residents' willingness to invest in programs and organizations serving the community.

How is the region performing?

In 2020, the average charitable contribution in the Mid-Hudson Valley region was about $10,000, below the $12,000 state (excluding NYC) and $15,900 national average. Residents in Columbia County had the highest average charitable contribution in the region at just below $12,900 followed by Dutchess County at $10,600 and the lowest was Sullivan County at $7,000 in 2020.

Due to the change in tax laws, standard deductions nearly doubled for all filers for 2018 and therefore comparisons to prior years are not comparable.

Notes about the data

Figures are in constant 2021 dollars. These figures reflect contributions listed on tax returns with itemized deductions, which researchers estimate cover about 80% of all charitable giving nationally. High-income taxpayers are much more likely to file tax returns with itemized deductions than those with lower incomes. For 2018, the standard deduction has nearly doubled for all filers. No county or state data are available on charitable contributions by taxpayers who take the standard deduction.

Average Charitable Giving
2011201220132014201520162017201820192020
Region$3,450$3,541$3,630$3,847$4,031$4,007$4,226$8,030$8,543$9,958
Columbia$4,073$4,903$4,740$6,021$5,982$4,728$5,910$11,650$15,275$12,854
Dutchess$3,701$3,640$3,863$3,881$3,961$4,004$3,905$7,672$8,081$10,568
Greene$2,965$3,080$2,930$3,007$2,979$3,147$3,431$6,576$6,802$7,946
Orange$3,517$3,707$3,751$4,032$4,386$4,495$4,793$9,011$9,501$10,500
Putnam$3,260$3,308$3,491$3,703$3,754$3,562$4,115$7,086$7,100$8,528
Sullivan$3,010$3,192$3,151$3,287$3,840$3,447$3,371$6,060$6,850$6,980
Ulster$3,038$2,962$2,975$3,142$3,227$3,373$3,503$6,795$7,189$8,924
NYS (excluding NYC)$4,510$4,976$4,823$5,164$5,277$5,619$5,698$11,437$10,904$11,966
U.S.$5,500$6,066$6,135$6,535$6,779$7,018$7,303$14,023$13,724$15,934

Source: Internal Revenue Service
Notes: Figures are in constant 2017 dollars.




Total Charitable Giving
2011201220132014201520162017201820192020
Region$642,854,910$649,969,687$656,567,509$683,679,140$724,015,350$719,141,308$763,802,215$511,639,902$514,982,588$530,884,936
Columbia$33,549,160$38,831,393$36,686,572$46,183,802$45,704,902$36,122,635$45,094,971$26,911,718$34,827,144$28,151,204
Dutchess$190,119,536$185,115,349$193,475,723$190,352,945$195,598,870$198,418,770$195,419,646$137,407,420$138,108,774$157,993,504
Greene$16,077,095$16,198,434$14,972,402$14,762,014$14,744,512$15,547,579$16,982,054$8,548,644$8,298,991$9,217,614
Orange$218,681,496$228,106,996$228,971,203$244,459,726$269,153,374$274,255,415$296,654,224$207,804,780$205,402,673$199,718,808
Putnam$74,176,771$74,800,768$78,362,006$81,691,842$84,473,697$80,779,446$93,078,505$65,123,790$61,555,618$64,301,338
Sullivan$28,914,919$29,878,292$28,360,558$28,725,091$33,561,286$29,502,127$29,060,294$14,605,642$15,893,150$14,030,582
Ulster$81,335,933$77,038,454$75,739,044$77,503,720$80,778,709$84,515,336$87,512,521$51,237,909$50,896,238$57,471,886
NYS (excluding NYC)$7,977,978,200$8,706,567,975$8,312,656,158$8,777,049,046$9,022,865,307$9,595,780,573$9,793,268,357$7,189,932,939$6,528,970,835$6,300,844,279
U.S.$209,070,062,723$226,984,637,841$224,556,987,002$236,273,639,620$248,352,099,791$260,229,044,413$276,908,039,145$207,971,861,433$195,515,632,559$201,824,043,943

Source: Internal Revenue Service
Notes: Figures are in constant 2017 dollars.




INDICATORS TREND | STATE
Children Living in Poverty Increasing
Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families Increasing
Single-Parent Families, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Rate of Child Abuse and Neglect Decreasing
Rate of Foster Care Admissions Decreasing
Teen Pregnancy Decreasing
Average Charitable Giving Increasing
Voter Registration Rate Increasing
Voter Participation Rate Increasing
Total Population Increasing
Population by Age Not Applicable
Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Household Types Not Applicable
Foreign-Born Population Increasing
Change in Total Jobs Increasing
Employment by Sector Not Applicable
Spending for County Government Increasing
Tourism Revenue Increasing
Preschoolers Receiving Special Education Services Increasing
Prekindergarten Participation Decreasing
Students Receiving Special Education Services Increasing
Per-Student Spending Increasing
Student Performance on Grade 4 English, by Economic Background Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 4 English, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 4 Math, by Economic Background Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 4 Math, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate Increasing
High School Cohort Dropout Rate Decreasing
High School GED Rate Decreasing
Education Levels of Adults Not Applicable
Education Levels of Adults, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income Maintaining
Median Household Income, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty Increasing
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Seniors Living in Poverty Maintaining
Veterans Living in Poverty Decreasing
Children Receiving Subsidized Child Care Decreasing
Students Eligible for Free/Reduced Price Lunch Increasing
Earned Income Tax Credit Participation Decreasing
People Without Health Insurance Decreasing
Deaths from Drug Overdoses Increasing
Early Prenatal Care, by Mother's Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Living Wage Rate by Household Type Not Applicable
Income in Relation to Poverty Level Not Applicable
Babies with Low Birth Weights Increasing
People Living wth HIV Increasing
Mental Health Clinic Visits Decreasing
Homeownership Rates Increasing
Homeless Persons Decreasing
Cost of Homeownership Maintaining
Cost of Renting Not Applicable
Violent Crimes Decreasing
Domestic Violence Decreasing


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