Community Corner
How Does El Cerrito Compare in Charitable Giving?
A new study shows El Cerrito residents devoted a slightly higher percent of their discretionary income to charitable giving than residents of several other East Bay cities but trailed behind Californians and Americans as a whole.
A new study of American generosity finds El Cerritans more charitable than quite a few surrounding cities but less than the state or national average.
East Bay cities
Compared to other parts of the East Bay, El Cerrito residents are a bit more generous when it comes to charitable giving, according to a study released this past week by The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
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The median chartiable contribution in 2008 from El Cerrito was 3.9 percent of median discretionary income of $59,224. In a comparison of 13 East Bay cities, El Cerrito was tied for 4th place with two others, Concord and Moraga, behind Orinda (with 5.0 percent of discretionary income in giving), Berkeley (4.7 percent) and Walnut Creek (4.2 percent).
The attached chart and the third table below show the data for the 13 cities.
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The study was based on Internal Revenue Service records of Americans who itemized deductions.
Inside El Cerrito
The differences are more striking among income groups within a given city. In Cerrito, those making between $50k and $99,999 gave a median 7.1 percent of discretionary income, while those making $100,000-199,999 gave 3.5 percent.
El Cerrito Income Levels
On a larger scale
When compared to the state and national medians, El Cerrito giving trails behind.
Percent of
Income Given
Contribution Median
Income El Cerrito 3.9 percent $2,208 $56,586 Contra Costa
County 3.8 percent $2,263 $59,780 California 4.4 percent $2,396 $54,030 United States 4.7 percent $2,564 $54,783
The study found:
- States that voted Republican in the last presidential election are far more likely to be generous to charities than those that voted Democratic. The top eight states in giving preferred John McCain over Barack Obama.
- Utah was the No. 1 state in giving at 10.6 percent, with Salt Lake City as the most giving city. By contrast, residents in Massachusetts and three other New England states give less than 3 percent. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey and Rhode Island are the least-generous states.
- Lower-income people give a far bigger share of their income to charities than the wealthy.
- Rich people who live in areas with mostly wealthy people give a smaller share of their incomes to charity than rich people in economically diverse areas.
- Regions that are deeply religious give more than those that are not. Two of the top 10 states—Utah and Idaho—have high numbers of Mormons, who tithe more consistently than other churches. The other states in the top 10 are all in the so-called Bible Belt.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy website also features an interactive map looking at how America gives.
Details for 13 East Bay cities
Percent of income given Median Contribution Median Discretionary Income Total returns Albany 3.5 percent $1,947 $56,123 3,181 Alameda 3.6 percent $2,006 $55,824 12,386 Benicia 3.3 percent $2,126 $64,985 6,012 Berkeley 4.7 percent $2,762 $59,224 17,672 Concord 3.9 percent $1,944 $50,348 18,367 El Cerrito 3.9 percent $2,207 $56,585 4,592 Hercules 4.1 percent $2,052 $50,634 5,310 Lafayette 3.8 percent $5,660 $149,773 7,079 Martinez 3.6 percent $1,892 $53,282 9,205 Moraga 3.9 percent $4,596 $116,498 4,045 Orinda 5.0 percent $9,226 $184,227 5,271 Pleasant Hill 3.4 percent $1,968 $58,547 6,922 Walnut Creek 4.2 percent $2,658 $63,456 19,611------------------------------
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