Which charitable causes did American households give donations to during the past year?
According to Scarborough Research, that may depend on which city you live in. The firm’s research found that the percentage of households contributing to specific types of causes differed from city to city.
Below, Scarborough ranks the top U.S. cities, by percent of households that contributed to a wide range of organizations — political, religious, arts/cultural, healthcare/medical, and social care/welfare — during the past year.
Top Cities: Arts/Cultural Organization Contributing Households
| Rank | Market | % Of Households |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, D.C. | 16% |
| 1 | San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, CA | 16% |
| 2 | Boston, MA | 15% |
| 3 | Honolulu, HI | 14% |
| 3 | Denver, CO | 14% |
| 3 | Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN | 14% |
| 3 | Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY | 14% |
| 4 | Portland, OR | 13% |
| 5 | Seattle/Tacoma, WA | 12% |
| 5 | Hartford/New Haven, CT | 12% |
| 5 | New York, NY | 12% |
| 5 | Baltimore, MD | 12% |
| 5 | San Diego, CA | 12% |
| 5 | Philadelphia, PA | 12% |
| 5 | Los Angeles, CA | 12% |
| National Average | 9% | |
| Source: Scarborough USA+ Release 1 2008. | ||
Top Cities: Healthcare/Medical Organization Contributing Households
| Rank | Market | % Of Households |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY | 23% |
| 1 | Rochester, NY | 23% |
| 2 | Syracuse, NY | 22% |
| 2 | Boston, MA | 22% |
| 3 | Hartford/New Haven, CT | 21% |
| 4 | Providence/New Bedford, RI | 20% |
| 4 | Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN | 20% |
| 5 | West Palm Beach/Fort Pierce, FL | 19% |
| 5 | Washington, D.C. | 19% |
| 5 | Harrisburg/Lancaster/Lebanon/York, PA | 19% |
| 5 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA | 19% |
| 5 | New York, NY | 19% |
| 5 | Buffalo, NY | 19% |
| 5 | Philadelphia, PA | 19% |
| National Average | 16% | |
| Source: Scarborough USA+ Release 1 2008. | ||
Top Cities: Political Organization Contributing Households
| Rank | Market | % Of Households |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN | 16% |
| 2 | Denver, CO | 13% |
| 2 | Washington, D.C. | 13% |
| 2 | Portland, OR | 13% |
| 2 | San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, CA | 13% |
| 3 | Fort Myers/Naples, FL | 12% |
| 4 | Seattle/Tacoma, WA | 11% |
| 4 | Des Moines/Ames, IA | 11% |
| 4 | Boston, MA | 11% |
| 4 | San Diego, CA | 11% |
| 5 | Columbus, OH | 10% |
| 5 | Austin, TX | 10% |
| 5 | Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM | 10% |
| 5 | Providence/New Bedford, RI | 10% |
| 5 | Milwaukee, WI | 10% |
| National Average | 8% | |
| Source: Scarborough USA+ Release 1 2008. | ||
Top Cities: Religious Organization Contributing Households
| Rank | Market | % Of Households |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salt Lake City, UT | 58% |
| 2 | Birmingham, NY | 57% |
| 3 | Charlotte, NC | 54% |
| 3 | Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN | 54% |
| 3 | Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, NC | 54% |
| 4 | Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville/Anderson, SC | 52% |
| 4 | Asheville/Anderson, SC | 52% |
| 5 | Memphis, TN | 51% |
| 5 | Lexington, KY | 51% |
| 5 | Atlanta, GA | 51% |
| National Average | 43% | |
| Source: Scarborough USA+ Release 1 2008. | ||
Top Cities: Social Care/Welfare Organization Contributing Households
| Rank | Market | % Of Households |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, D.C. | 27% |
| 2 | Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN | 26% |
| 2 | Seattle/Tacoma, WA | 26% |
| 3 | Honolulu, HI | 25% |
| 4 | Denver, CO | 24% |
| 4 | Portland, OR | 24% |
| 5 | San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, CA | 23% |
| National Average | 17% | |
| Source: Scarborough USA+ Release 1 2008. | ||
View the press release.
Get the complete ranking of all 81 top-tier markets measured by Scarborough.
