Maryland ranks 48th as charitable state, according to study

BALTIMORE - With the holidays approaching, there will be calls for donations.

Maryland was ranked 48th in the United States in generosity, according to a study performed by BetMaryland.com.

Using historical tax data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), BetMaryland.com determined the average charitable contribution and average annual income in every state in 2019. Each state was then ranked most (1) to least (50) generous based on the ratio of contribution to income.

By this metric, Maryland is among some of the least philanthropic states in the country.

While the average income was $84,863, the average charitable contribution was $8,876. This puts Maryland in 48th place, with 10.5 percent of the average income going to charity. according to the study. The national figure was 17.1 percent.

Giving Tuesday (Nov. 29 this year) was established 10 years ago to offset the Black Friday and Cyber Monday spending by encouraging people to make donations to charitable organizations and nonprofits.

Wyoming is the most charitable, while New Jersey is the least charitable.

The study says that for the lower-ranking states, the numbers are skewed by the highest earners in each state, so the average American is likely giving what they can.