Rhode Island Named the Least Charitable State in U.S.

Illustration by Kyle Clauss

How can Rhode Island earn the odious distinction of least charitable state in the union after all it gave Curt Schilling?

The Ocean State placed dead last in personal finance social network WalletHub’s list of the most charitable states in the U.S. Massachusetts didn’t fare much better, placing 40th out of 50, despite being home to the fourth-highest number of charities per capita. (Vermont, the least populous state in the U.S., had the highest, while Maine came in fifth.)

The ranking was based on eight key metrics, including volunteer rate, growth in charitable giving, percentage of adjusted gross income donated, percentage of those who claim to have donated time, and number of public charities per 10,000 residents.

Connecticut saw the fourth-highest growth in charitable giving since 2012. Maine, on the other hand, saw the fourth-lowest growth. Four of the bottom five states in percentage of donated income are in New England: Massachusetts (46), Rhode Island, (47), Maine (48), and New Hampshire (50).

WalletHub also broke down the ranking by red and blue states, depending on how each one voted in the 2012 presidential election. Right-leaning states had an average rank of 22.21, and the left, 28.54.

You can view the full ranking here.