With Americans donating over $592 billion per year to charity, the personal-finance company WalletHub this week released its report on the Most Charitable States for 2026, along with expert commentary. It also released a Charity Calculator to help donors decide where and how to give.
Most Charitable States
The top 20 states in terms of charitable giving are Wyoming at number one, followed by Utah, Maryland, Minnesota, Virginia, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Pennsylvania and, at number 10, Oregon. Rated 11 through 20 are Montana at number 11, followed by Alaska, Connecticut, Washington, New York, Ohio, Iowa, Idaho, Georgia, and Vermont at number 20.
California ranked 37th overall, while the bottom five were Rhode Island at number 46, Alabama, Mississippi, Nevada and, at number 50, New Mexico.
Key Stats
The charities with the highest ratings from WalletHub include the Optica, Aga Khan Foundation, and Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust.
Delaware has the most charities per capita, which is 2.8 times more than in Utah, the state with the fewest.
Utah has the highest volunteer rate, which is 2.5 times higher than in Rhode Island, the state with the lowest.
Utah has the most volunteer hours per capita, which is 4.7 times more than in Mississippi, the state with the fewest.
“The most charitable states aren’t just the places where people give the largest raw amounts of money. The share of the population contributing and the percentage of their individual incomes they’re willing to use to help others are big factors in showing how charitable people are. In addition, many people can’t afford to give much money, especially due to the influence of inflation, but they generously donate their time, which is just as important,” said WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo. “Wyoming is the most charitable state, in large part because residents spend an average of around 29 hours per year volunteering, the fifth-most in the country. The state also has the 14th-highest percentage of residents who volunteer, at roughly 34 percent.”
Expert Commentary
What are the biggest challenges facing U.S.-based charities in the current economic environment?
“Operational costs are increasing for US-based charities, while the number of individual donors are decreasing. Greater awareness is needed among donors (and especially within philanthropy) about the necessary costs of running nonprofit organizations committed to employee and volunteer wellbeing.”
Donnie Maclurcan, Ph.D. – Affiliate Professor, Southern Oregon University
“There is no doubt that many charities are struggling in the current economic climate. Charities now face major funding uncertainty, with government contracts and grants becoming less stable than in the past. According to the Nonprofit Finance Fund’s (NFF) 2025 State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey, 84 percent of respondents receiving government funding expect cuts. As government, especially federal, support recedes, competition for philanthropic dollars and other revenue sources is likely to intensify significantly. In addition to funding volatility, another pressing challenge for charities is rising operational costs, from staff wages and benefits to materials and facility expenses. The same NFF survey found that 86 percent of respondents said high costs due to inflation have affected their organizations and the communities they serve.”
Jiahuan Lu – Associate Professor, Syracuse University
What advice do you have for choosing the right charity?
“First, always make sure that the organization you are giving to is registered with the IRS. You can do this by looking them up online through the IRS website or sites like Charity Navigator or Candid. These sites allow you to at least make sure the organization is legitimate and your donation is eligible for a tax write-off if you plan to itemize your deductions. Next, I always advise people to give to a local charity that they see working in their community. Again, this reduces the likelihood that the organization is not legitimate, and you can see the tangible benefits of your donations. If you are unfamiliar with a lot of charities and want to branch out to give in new ways, ask friends and neighbors about the causes and organizations they support, or look to volunteer so you can see what organizations are doing in person. This last summer, I volunteered with a new organization and was so impressed with their work and impact that I now give as a monthly donor.”
Jessica K. A. Word, PhD – Associate Professor, University of Nevada Las Vegas
“There are a number of tools like Charity Navigator, Give Well and Charity Watch which provide a great deal of background information. So that is a good place to start. It is also important to think about what you want your relationship to the charity to be over time. So asking if this is the charity addressing something that will be around for a long time (like homelessness) or is there an immediate need to solve an immediate problem (like aid for war refugees) is important. It can be a good idea to try and plan out your charity strategy. How much can I give this year? Then decide who you want to give to every year and how much you can afford to give to those more immediate needs.”
Dr. Matthew Hale – Associate Professor, Seton Hall University
Do you believe charities should face increased regulations and scrutiny in order to reduce fraud?
“Charities have moral and legal obligations to disclose information to the public (through their informational tax returns – IRS 990’s and their own self-disclosures on the web and information shared with current and prospective donors). I am sure that there are some unethical behaviors by some charities, but this seems to be overly reported in relation to the proportion of charities, which are honest. Charities can be delisted by the IRS for fraud and abuse, as well as subject to investigation by states’ attorneys general. It seems like the tools needed already exist.”
Patrick Rooney – Professor Emeritus, Indiana University Indianapolis
