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Giving in the 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas

By  Drew Lindsay
October 3, 2017
New York
New York

The Chronicle used 2015 Internal Revenue Service data on itemized charitable giving to create a snapshot of giving in every county and metropolitan area in the country. (Only donations of taxpayers who took a deduction are included.) Here are figures for the nation’s 50 largest metro areas.

The last column points to each area’s “giving opportunity” — the dollars that would have been raised if giving rates in each of four income groups had matched national averages. The full methodology for the report is here.

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The Chronicle used 2015 Internal Revenue Service data on itemized charitable giving to create a snapshot of giving in every county and metropolitan area in the country. (Only donations of taxpayers who took a deduction are included.) Here are figures for the nation’s 50 largest metro areas.

The last column points to each area’s “giving opportunity” — the dollars that would have been raised if giving rates in each of four income groups had matched national averages. The full methodology for the report is here.

Metro Area Population Average Giving per ItemizerAverage % of Income to CharityTotal in Itemized ContributionsGiving Opportunity
New York 20 million $6,410 2.8% $20.1 billion $2.1 billion
Los Angeles 13.2 million $6,098 2.9% $9.8 billion $726 million
Chicago 9.5 million $5,289 2.7% $6.8 billion $907 million
Dallas-Fort Worth 6.8 million $7,626 3.8% $5.2 billion --
Houston 6.3 million $7,949 3.7% $5.0 billion --
Philadelphia 6.0 million $4,430 2.5% $4.0 billion $966 million
Washington 5.9 million $5,290 2.9% $6.3 billion $548 million
Miami-Fort Lauderdale 5.9 million $8,460 3.4% $4.3 billion --
Atlanta 5.5 million $8,044 4.6% $5.7 billion --
Boston 4.7 million $5,885 2.5% $4.6 billion $1.0 billion
San Francisco 4.5 million $7,275 2.7% $6.1 billion $909 million
Phoenix 4.4 million $5,168 3.1% $2.3 billion $126 million
Riverside, Calif. 4.4 million $3,846 3.0% $1.8 billion $69 million
Detroit 4.3 million $4,700 2.8% $2.3 billion $211 million
Seattle 3.6 million $5,825 3.0% $3.1 billion $150 million
Minneapolis-St. Paul 3.5 million $4,532 2.6% $2.7 billion $438 million
San Diego 3.2 million $4,709 2.5% $2.0 billion $422 million
Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla. 2.9 million $5,965 3.2% $1.3 billion $49 million
St. Louis 2.8 million $5,250 3.0% $1.8 billion $10 million
Baltimore 2.8 million $4,675 3.0% $2.3 billion $87 million
Denver 2.7 million $4,863 2.7% $2.0 billion $270 million
Pittsburgh 2.4 million $4,510 2.5% $1.1 billion $231 million
Charlotte, N.C. 2.3 million $6,457 3.6% $1.9 billion --
Portland, Ore. 2.3 million $4,169 2.6% $1.5 billion $257 million
San Antonio 2.3 million $6,576 3.8% $1.2 billion --
Orlando, Fla. 2.3 million $5,520 3.2% $900 million $57 million
Sacramento 2.2 million $3,689 2.4% $1.1 billion $278 million
Cincinnati 2.1 million $4,580 2.7% $1.2 billion $137 million
Cleveland 2.1 million $4,437 2.8% $1.1 billion $113 million
Kansas City, Mo. 2.1 million $5,259 3.2% $1.4 billion --
Las Vegas 2.0 million $6,097 3.3% $1.0 billion $1 million
San Jose, Calif. 1.9 million $14,046 4.6% $5.1 billion $217 million
Austin, Tex. 1.9 million $6,249 3.0% $1.4 billion $52 million
Nashville 1.8 million $7,641 4.0% $1.2 billion --
Virginia Beach 1.7 million $4,722 3.4% $1.0 billion --
Providence, R.I. 1.6 million $2,748 1.8% $600 million $376 million
Milwaukee 1.6 million $4,629 2.8% $1.0 billion $101 million
Jacksonville, Fla. 1.4 million $7,434 4.2% $900 million --
Memphis 1.3 million $9,329 5.6% $1.0 billion --
Oklahoma City 1.3 million $7,256 4.0% $900 million --
Louisville, Ky. 1.3 million $4,836 3.1% $700 million $4 million
Richmond, Va. 1.2 million $4,892 3.1% $900 million $37 million
New Orleans 1.2 million $5,570 3.1% $600 million $35 million
Raleigh, N.C. 1.2 million $5,511 3.3% $1.0 billion --
Hartford, Conn. 1.2 million $2,994 1.9% $600 million $393 million
Salt Lake City 1.1 million $8,412 5.5% $1.2 billion --
Birmingham, Ala. 1.1 million $9,388 5.4% $1.1 billion --
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y. 1.1 million $3,411 2.3% $400 million $125 million
Columbus, Ohio 1.0 million $4,189 2.7% $1.1 billion $133 million
Indianapolis 1.0 million $5,413 3.2% $1.2 billion $14 million
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A version of this article appeared in the October 3, 2017, issue.
Read other items in this Special Report: How America Gives package.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Fundraising from Individuals
Drew Lindsay
Drew is a longtime magazine writer and editor who joined the Chronicle of Philanthropy in 2014.
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