Arizona earns title of 'least charitable' state in new study, here's insight into ranking
PHOENIX, ARIZONA: It is the season of Thanksgiving, but the state of Arizona didn't fare well when it came to helping those in need.
In a recent study conducted by the financial services organization WalletHub, Arizona emerged as the "least charitable" state in the current fiscal year.
Arizona ranks 43rd in volunteering and service contributions
As per WalletHub, an organization that excels in determining several other lists including volunteering and service contributions, Arizona occupies the 43rd position among the 50 states.
The ranking is, however, not surprising, as Arizona has consistently ranked towards the bottom half of the list for the past few years.
According to AZ Central, for the past nine years, only 5-7% of taxpayers from the state have contributed to charitable causes, as found in a study conducted by the Common Sense Institute Arizona.
While the state is only one of the 11 states to have a tax credit to encourage people to donate more to charitable causes, the scheme is yet to deliver the results. Per the outlet, Arizonans get up to $1,892 in tax credits available for making donations to charitable causes.
However, the scheme is yet to show results as Arizona has one of the fewest charities per capita. It also has the lowest percentages of people donating and collecting food.
Which states are the least charitable?
As per WalletHub, Nevada, Rhode Island, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Arizona are in the bottom five positions, with Arizona occupying the 50th position.
In volunteering services, which is also a type of charity, Arizona ranks 43rd. On the other hand, even after being one of the wealthiest states, California occupies the last position in the Volunteering and Service Rank.
Which states are most charitable?
Utah tops the study by being the most charitable of the states, followed by Wyoming, Minnesota, Maryland, and Maine, respectively. Wyoming not only has an impressive score in the list of charitable donations but also holds the first position in the list of Volunteering and Services.
Nonprofit organization A New Leaf doesn't agree with the WalletHub study
While the financial study shows that Arizona residents are averse to the trend of donating, Alyssa Turley, a philanthropy coordinator for a Mesa-based nonprofit organization called A New Leaf, notices the opposite trend.
She said, "We see a tremendous amount of charitable giving throughout the entire year," adding, "I get phone calls pretty much daily from people asking how they can support us, our facilities, and our programs."
