Posted on August 22, 2002

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'Giving USA Update' Reveals Itemized Contributions Rose 6 Percent in 2000

Americans who claimed charitable contributions on their federal income taxes reported giving an average of $3,636 per tax in 2000, according to the latest Giving USA Update from the AAFRC Trust for Philanthropy.

The 2000 figure is an increase of 6 percent above the national average amount for 1999 ($3,441). The third quarter 2002 Giving USA Update shows the growth in itemized charitable giving and giving reported for each state from 1996 to 2000. The overall growth in 2000 was driven in part by giving in New England states, where the average amount itemized jumped more than $470 per return, reaching $3,391 in 2000. Filers in Pacific states reported the second-highest level of increase, with growth of 10 percent in the average amount claimed per return with itemized gifts. The other seven regions showed increases ranging from 2 percent to 5 percent from 1999 to 2000.

The Update, which was conducted by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, examines nine measures of giving in each state, including average amount claimed in charitable gifts, itemized gifts as a share of estimated income by income group, percentage of tax returns with itemized deductions for charitable gifts, and giving by very high income tax filers. The report finds that itemized deductions as a share of estimated income considerably exceed national averages in Utah and in six Southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Over the past five years, itemized gifts increased by 84 percent in New England, the highest rate of growth seen in the period. In the Pacific region itemized gifts grew by 76 percent in the same time span. Most regions saw growth over five years of 49 percent to 66 percent. The slowest rate of growth was seen in the East South Central region which includes Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.

"We know a number of factors affect contributions," says Eugene R. Tempel, Ed.D., CFRE, executive director of the Center on Philanthropy. "Among these are religious affiliation and the extent of a person's connections to others in the community. Charitable giving is one measure of social capital. It is encouraging to see continued growth in the amount claimed on tax returns in 2000, even as the high stock values of the late 1990s started to level out."

“Average Amount of Itemized Charitable Contributions Grew 6% in 2000.” AAFRC Trust for Philanthropy Press Release 8/20/02.

Primary Subject: Philanthropy and Voluntarism

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