Wealthy Oklahomans Among Nation’s Most Generous

By David Page

Oklahoma’s wealthiest residents ranked second nationally for giving the most money to charity in 2005, according to a new report.

Wyoming’s wealthiest residents gave the most while the richest people in Rhode Island donated the least, according to an annual report from the Catalogue of Philanthropy. The report is based on 2005 federal tax data, the latest year for which information is available.

The 11th annual study by the Catalogue of Philanthropy for the first time this year measured only the philanthropic generosity of those with incomes more than $200,000.

People in Oklahoma with an income of more than $200,000 – an average of $584,706 – who itemized charitable contributions on their tax returns donated an average of $50,770, according to the report. The average itemized charitable contribution for Oklahomans was up from $19,512 in 1995.

“Clearly Oklahomans in that income group are making more money and they are giving a lot more money,” said Martin Cohn, spokesman for the Catalogue of Philanthropy.

Oklahoma and Wyoming are setting a good example for the rest of the country, he said.

“Kudos to the folks in Oklahoma,” said Cohn. “Keep doing what you are doing and do not rest on you laurels. You are setting the model for the rest of the country.”

Oklahoma’s second place national charitable giving ranking for 2005 was an improvement from fourth the previous year and fifth for 2003.

The nonprofit Catalogue of Philanthropy has in the past faced criticism for not taking into account state-by-state tax burdens and cost of living. The latest study addresses those concerns.

“The true picture of philanthropy is at these upper income levels because then you’ve removed many of the economic factors and you’re just left with cultural factors,” said Cohn.

People in Wyoming with an income of more than $200,000 – an average of almost $880,000 – who itemized charitable contributions on their tax returns gave an average of nearly $95,000 to philanthropic organizations in 2005.

In addition to Oklahoma and Wyoming, the rest of the top 10 charitable states starting with No. 3 were South Dakota, Arkansas, Utah, Nevada, Tennessee, Nebraska, New York and Idaho.

The numbers can be skewed by one or two people making large charitable contributions, Cohn said.

The wealthiest Rhode Islanders gave about $12,500 to charity in 2005. The Ocean State finished behind, starting at 49th, New Jersey, Alaska, Hawaii and West Virginia.

The Catalogue for Philanthropy, a Watertown, Mass.-based nonprofit that promotes charity, ranked the states on average income and average amount giving to charity and identified 22 states for its “Opportunity Index,” where the giving rank was below the income rank.

Nevada was No. 1 on the opportunity index with New York second and Florida third.

The purpose is to get residents of those states to rethink their charitable giving.

Some states, including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Arizona and California are improving when it comes to donating to charity, according to the study.

The study is not meant to say the people of any one state are cheaper or more generous than those of another, Cohn said.

Nevertheless, some people are bound to think that way, Melissa S. Brown, associate director of research at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University in Indianapolis, told Associated Press.

“We want to get people to give to charity because they are motivated by making some sort of change,” she said. “‘Shame on you,’ usually doesn’t work.”

Originally published by David Page.

(c) 2007 Journal Record – Oklahoma City. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.