Giving in the 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas
By Drew Lindsay
Senior Editor, Special Projects
October 3, 2017 | Read Time: 2 minutes
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 Itemizer | Average % of Income to Charity | Total in Itemized Contributions | Giving 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 |
