Charitable Giving Dropped Dramatically In D.C. Area Between 2006 And 2012

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Charitable giving dropped dramatically in the D.C. area between 2006 and 2012, as wealthier people apparently began cutting back on donations.

An analysis of IRS data conducted by the Chronicle for Philanthropy found that people who earn more than $200,000 a year "reduced the share of income they gave to charity by 4.6 percent from 2006 to 2012."

Meanwhile, Americans who earned less than $100,000 chipped in 4.5 percent more of their income during the same time period. 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.

Of the 50 biggest metropolitan areas in the U.S., the D.C. area ranked 27th in giving, with a 2.8 percent giving ratio in 2012. That's a 9.5 percent decrease in the amount of adjusted gross income given to charity from 2006, one of the most dramatic declines in the country.

The decline was even greater in the District of Columbia. In 2012, D.C. had a 3.15 percent giving ratio, down 24.5 percent from 2006.

While the average contribution from the wealthiest residents of D.C. (those who make more than $200,000 a year) still, naturally, tops the other wage groups, the giving ratio is much lower.

The giving ratio of D.C. residents who make between $25,000 and $50,000 a year is 7.55 percent, while the ratio for those who make $200,000 or more was 2.84 percent.