Community Corner

According to Study, Tewksbury Residents Are Stingy Givers

When it comes to philanthropy, Tewksbury residents give to charitable causes less than the state and country averages, and less then residents of other Middlesex County communities, according to a study conducted by "The Chronicle of Philanthropy."

When it comes to philanthropy, Tewksbury residents give to charity less than the state and country averages, according to a study released this week.

They also give less than most of the residents in other Middlesex County communities.

"The Chronicle of Philanthropy" published their "How America Gives" study which reported that Tewksbury residents, with a median discretionary income of $55,267, gave a median contribution of $1,216 of their income to charity in 2008—the tax year when the data was gathered. 

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Meanwhile, the state and country's median contribution was 2.8 percent and 4.7 percent, respectively, compared to Tewksbury's 2.2 percent. Tewksburians contributed a total of $9.3 million, according to the study.

Here's a complete breakdown of the data compiled during the study:

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City/Town

Total
Contributions 

Median
Contribution Median Discretionary
Income  Percent of      
Income Given Ranking Arlington $11.5 million $1,721 $59,651 2.9%    3,337 of
28,725 Lynnfield $8.2 million $1,981 $74,778 2.6% 4,855 of
28,725 Malden $8.5 million $1,277 $40,126 3.2% 4,719 of
28,725 Medford $13.7 million $1,398 $48,929 2.9% 2,792 of
28,725 Melrose $11.2 million $1,698 $63,540 2.7% 3,591 of
28,725 North Reading $6.8 million $1,616 $68,364 2.4% 5,650 of
28,725 Reading $12.9 million $1,767 $70,083 2.5% 3,038 of
28,725  Somerville $11.4 million $1,267 $44,003 2.9% 1,988 of
11,522 Stoneham $7.4 million $1,419 $55,570 2.6% 5,326 of
28,725  Tewksbury $9.3 million $1,216 $56,267 2.2% 4,404 of
28,725  Wakefield $9.6 million $1,485 $60,222 2.5% 4,211 of
28,725  Wilmington $7.3 million $1,363 $61,052 2.2% 5,392 of
28,725  Winchester $29.9 million $4,350 $140,438 3.1% 708 of
28,725  Boston-Cambridge-Quincy Metro Area $2.5 billion $1,719 $60,312 2.8% 10 of 366 Massachusetts $3.1 billion $1,652 $58,099 2.8% 14 of 51 United States $135.8 billion $2,564 $54,783 4.7%

Detailed data is searchable by zip code.

What do you make of the study? Do you give to charities on a regular basis? Let us know by posting a comment in the comments section below.


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