Pine and Richland Rank in Top 5 Percent of Most Generous ZIP Code Areas

The ZIP Codes that serve most of the Pine-Richland community—15044 (Gibsonia) and 15090 (Wexford)—rank in the top 5 percent of the country's most generous ZIP Code areas, according to a survey released Monday.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy's "How America Gives" study reported that the 15044 ZIP Code, which includes Pine and Richland townships, ranked 1,307th most generous out of 28,725 ZIP Code areas in the nation.

The 15090 ZIP code, which serves much of Pine Township and surrounding areas, ranked 1,414.

Other ZIP Codes that serve small parts of the Pine-Richland community include 15007 (Bakerstown), 16059 (Valencia) and (16046) Mars.

For Bakerstown, no data is available in the study.

Valencia ranked 8,194 out of 28,725 (top 28.5 percent) with total contributions of $3.8 million. Mars ranked 4,039 (top 14 percent) with total contributions of $10 million.

The study is based on exact dollar amounts released by the Internal Revenue Service that show the value of charitable deductions claimed by American taxpayers in 2008. 

The Chronicle’s rankings show the percentage of their income that households donated from the money they had left after paying their taxes and covering housing, food, and other essential expenses.

Gibsonia's 15044 ZIP Code residents had a median discretionary income of $73,651 and gave 3.5 percent of that income, or a median of $2,608, to charitable causes—a total of $22.2 million for the area.

Wexford's 15090 ZIP Code had a median discretionary income of $81,688. Its residents gave 3.8 percent of that income, or a median of $3,065, to charitable causes—a total of $21.3 million for the area.

The percentage of discretionary income given to charity was 4.5 percent nationally, 3.9 percent for Pennsylvanians, 3.6 percent for the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and 4.5 percent for Allegheny County.

Detailed data is searchable by ZIP Code.

Among the study's major findings:

• Rich people who live in wealthy, relatively homogeneous enclaves give a smaller share of their incomes to charity than rich people who live in diverse communities.

• People who live in politically conservative, "red states" are more generous than those in liberal or "blue states" when religious giving is included.

• Lower-income people give a far bigger share of their discretionary income to charities than wealthy people. People who make between $50,000 and $75,000 give an average of 7.6 percent of their discretionary income to charity, compared with an average of 4.2 percent for people who make $100,000 or more.

• People who live in red states are more generous than those who live in blue states. The top eight most-generous states in regions of the country that are deeply religious are more generous than those that are not. Two of the top 10 states—Utah and Idaho—have high numbers of Mormon residents, who tithe more consistently than other churchgoers. The remaining states in the top 10 are all in the Bible Belt.

• Many cities and states in the Northeast, the least-religious region of the country are on the bottom level for giving.

• However, if one were to exclude religious giving from the survey, some states in the Northeast would jump into the top 10, including Pennsylvania.

• State policies, such as tax credits, that promote giving can make a significant difference, and in some cases are influencing the rankings. 

Local groups have felt the effects of the economy, which has made giving more important than ever.

"During times of large-scale disaster, we are fortunate that our local community steps up to help us meet our financial goals and needs," said Lauren Chapman, regional communications officer for the American Red Cross. "In quieter times, however, donations slow a bit since the Red Cross is not in the spotlight. While this never prevents us from fulfilling our mission out in the community on a daily basis, we are very much appreciative of the support we receive."

While the survey doesn't show incomes under $50,000, the generosity doesn't necessarily stop because of lower income. Sue Kerr, who heads the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project, sees that happen with her nonprofit drive to collect tote bags for food bank customers to carry their groceries.

"I've received more than one message from a donor currently using a food pantry for their family, thanking us for the opportunity to help by donating a bag—folks who don't have disposable income or food to donate find creative ways to give back."

Here are the statistics, with the 15044 ZIP Code in bold face and the 15090 ZIP Code in italics.

15044 Ranking: 1,307 of 28,725 (Top 4.6 percent)

15090 Ranking: 1,414 of 28,725 (Top 4.9 percent)

15044 Total contribution: $22.2 million

15090 Total contribution: $21.3 million

15044 Median contribution: $2,608

15090 Median contribution: $3,065

15044 Median discretionary income: $73,651

15090 Median discretionary income: $81,688

15044 Percent of income given: 3.5 percent

15090 Percent of income given: 3.8 percent

Do you know of a group or business that is especially charitable? Tell us about it in the comments.