Four New England States Made the Top 25 Most Charitable in the Country

Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions, or personal experiences.

We all donate in some way, right?  And I'm not just talking financially. You could donate items, or time to philanthropic organizations.

Whether it's just a few bucks at the pet store when you're checking out, giving blood, donating money to your friend's walk to fight cancer, annual donations to your favorite charity, bags and boxes of clothes and toys to shelters, or carving out personal time to help an organization, it feels good.  From $5 to $500,000, it all helps.  From one hour to 100 hours annually of volunteer work, it all helps.

So where does New England stand in its donations of time and money?  Again, every bit helps.  However, it is nice to know when your state and region is stepping up to the plate so selflessly.

While we wait to see where we land in 2022, Americans donated nearly $485 billion in 2021, up 4% from the previous year according to WalletHub. 

To come up with the list of states with the most generous residents, WalletHub compared all 50 states using several indicators of charitable behavior, including volunteering rates, and how much residents in each state donation financially, comparatively to income.

Maine tops the list for New England states at #11, even though it was near the bottom for percentage of income donations.  A big part of that is because while being one of the poorest states, its donations were through the roof.  Stand up and applaud Maine.

New Hampshire landed at #14, being one of the richest states and donating the most, even though its percentage of donations compared to income was near the bottom.

Massachusetts sits at #20, being one of the richest states and donating the most, and Connecticut is #22 for the same reason.

If you want to see a more complete picture of this WalletHub study, click here. Nicely done, New England.