Study: Rich give smaller share of income to charity than middle class

The study, conducted by the Chronicle of Philanthropy using tax-deduction data from the Internal Revenue Service, showed that households earning between $50,000 and $75,000 year give an average of 7.6 percent of their discretionary income to charity.

That compares to 4.2 percent for people who make $100,000 or more. In some of the wealthiest neighborhoods, with a large share of people making $200,000 or more a year, the average giving rate was 2.8 percent.

Religion is the big factor here. “Regions of the country that are deeply religious are more generous than those that are not,” the Chronicle said.

Red states give much more than blue states.