(Reuters) - Wealthy Americans contributed less of their incomes to charity while low and middle-income residents gave more in the years surrounding the Great Recession, according to a newly released report by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. The Chronicle study found that Americans give, on average, about 3 percent of their income to charity, a figure that has not budged significantly for decades. The wealthiest Americans—those who earned $200,000 or more—reduced the share of income they gave to charity by 4.6 percent from 2006 to 2012. U.S. residents earning an annual $200,000 or more reduced the amount of income they gave to charity by 4.6 percent between 2006 and 2012, while those who earned less than $100,000 a year increased charitable spending by 4.5 percent of their pay over the same time period, said the report, issued on Sunday. Middle- and lower-income Americans increased the share of income they donated to charity, even as they earned less, on average, than they did six years earlier. The Chronicle reviewed information from taxpayers who itemized their deductions to include charitable gifts, capturing about $180 billion of gifts to charity in 2012, 80 percent of the total amount given that year. Utah residents gave the biggest chunk of their paycheck to charity, with $65.60 of every $1,000 earned in 2012, the report said. Many residents of Utah, which has a high Mormon population, practice tithing, the donation of 10 percent of income to the church. Of the most generous cities, Las Vegas held the top spot, increasing its giving by 14.9 percent between 2006 and 2012, the report notes, adding that Las Vegas's growth helped propel Nevada to be the state whose rate of giving grew the most. A survey of the four cities with the highest total incomes - Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington - showed declines in the amounts residents gave to charity, the report said. While wealthy Americans gave a smaller portion of their income, their combined charitable contributions hit $77.5 billion in 2012, an increase of $4.6 billion compared with six years prior, the report said.
– Around the Great Recession years, wealthy Americans are giving less of their income to charity while middle- and low-earners give more—and those who supported Mitt Romney for president give the most of all, the Christian Science Monitor reports. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Americans who make over $200,000 gave 4.6% less of their income to charity between 2006 and 2012, and those banking under $100,000 gave charitable causes 4.5% more of their income. Yet the 4.6% less given by the wealthy still amounts to $4.6 billion more annually when adjusted for inflation (perhaps evidence that the rich are getting richer?). Using IRS data, the report found that all 17 states giving the highest income percentage to charity voted for Romney in the last presidential election. Utah tops the list, with a rate of 6.6%, ahead of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia. Chronicle editor Stacy Palmer says church attendance plays a role in people's inclination to donate: Mormons, for example, make up about 62% of Utah's population and are told to give at least 10% to charity. "Religion has always played an important role in giving," Palmer says, adding that secular people are also giving more in Bible Belt states. What hasn't changed: Americans are donating an average of 3% of their income to charity, as they have for decades, Reuters reports.