Good news for Giving Tuesday: Oklahoma is the fifth-most charitable state in the U.S.
WalletHub’s analysis scored states on volunteering and charitable giving. While Oklahoma is middle-of-the-road in giving, it’s sixth in volunteering.
"Oklahoma really pulled away when it comes to that volunteering and service," said WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez. "It was in the top 10 for number of volunteering hours per capita. There's also a community service requirement for high school. ... We see that's carried forward into adulthood."
There’s an interesting correlation in the rankings. Poorer states tend to score higher.
"Oklahoma is within there as far as richest and poorest. It ranks 40th," Gonzalez said. "So, it's in the bottom 10 there. Other states that follow suit are Tennessee, Georgia and Arkansas."
Tennessee, Georgia, and Arkansas rank 13th, 17th and 10th.
"If you can't afford to give a money donation this year, then you can certainly donate your time," Gonzalez said. "Giving Tuesday is a good day to do it, maybe the weekend afterward. Sometimes your time is even more valuable to some of these charities."
Oklahoma has the nation’s fifth-highest percentage of donated income and fifth-highest proportion of residents collecting or distributing food.
Oklahoma’s fifth-place ranking puts it below No. 1 Utah, which ranked first in volunteering and giving, Minnesota, North Dakota and Maryland. Texas ranks 48th.
