The Amazing Generosity of America’s Poor

Perhaps you imagined that the people on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder would be pinching every last penny to make ends meet. If so, you’re surprisingly wrong. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, the poorer you are in the United States, the larger the percentage of your income you’re inclined to give to charity. So inclined, in fact, that you often end up giving more than your pocketbook can really handle. The research, conducted in 2007, found that the poorest 20 percent among us give more than they have in the budget, amounting to an average of 4.3 percent of their income. We’re talking about people who don’t have much to spare: the poorest fifth’s average income was $10,531 that year. (And since the poor don’t earn enough to make itemizing deductions worthwhile, their donations are effectively non-tax-deductible.) The richest 20 percent, on the other hand, donated an average of only 2.1 percent of what they made. Their incomes? Oh, a piddly $158,388, on average. To put it in stark terms: in 2007, the richest one-fifth brought in 15 times the income of the poorest one-fifth, but only donated about 8 times what the poorest people did. As Stephen Colbert would say, let’s give “a tip of the hat” to the lowest-earning among us for their incredible generosity, and “a wag of the finger” to our richest citizens for failing to open their wallets a little wider. By Katherine Gustafson of Tonic. For more latest news on good news, visit Tonic.com.