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Jennifer Hutchins
Updated: November 12, 2024
'Neighbors coming together': Maine ranks among 5 most charitable states
Map / Courtesy of WalletHub
Maine is ranked the fourth most charitable state in a new national ranking by personal finance website WalletHub.
On the eve of the holiday giving season, Mainers rank as some of the most generous people in the country, according to a national study.
Personal finance website WalletHub has come up with a tally of the most charitable states in the U.S., and puts the Pine Tree State at No. 4. It trails only Wyoming (No. 1), Utah (No. 2) and Minnesota (No. 3). Delaware rounded out the top five.
Maine is also way ahead of its New England peers, with New Hampshire at No. 24, Vermont at No. 26, Massachusetts at No. 30, Connecticut at No. 31 and Rhode Island at No. 37.
New Mexico is No. 50 on the list.
To determine the most and least philanthropic states, researchers at WalletHub compared the 50 states in two key categories — volunteering and service, and charitable giving. Those were broken down into 17 key metrics.
While Maine was No. 26 for charitable giving, the state placed second-best for volunteering and service, bested only by Wyoming.
The volunteering and service category factored in aspects including volunteer hours per capita and the share of population who do favors for their neighbors. The charitable giving category looked at the share of income donated and the share of population donating time or money.
"There’s not a lot of research explaining exactly why Maine has such a high rate of volunteerism, but we do know that 88% of Maine’s nonprofits have budgets under $500,000 per year, meaning the vast majority of them don’t have more than one or two staff members, if any at all," Jennifer Hutchins, executive director of the Maine Association of Nonprofits, told Mainebiz.
"We also know that volunteerism is related to the values of healthy, resilient communities and a strong civic society," she noted.
"It's clear that all of us are benefiting from so many neighbors coming together to support organizations dedicated to the common good. Certainly, it’s yet one more asset that makes Maine such a great place to live and work."
More information
Find the full report and rankings here.
Mainers seeking worthy causes to which to donate their time or money may find some inspiration in the 2024 Mainebiz Giving Guide, produced in partnership with the Maine Association of Nonprofits.
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