Mississippi has ranked at the top of the Generosity Index for the ninth year in a row, despite having the lowest average annual income in the nation.
The Catalogue for Philanthropy has released the index annually for the past nine years, and Mississippi has maintained its position as the most generous state since the index began, spokesperson for the Washington D.C. branch of the Catalogue for Philanthropy Martin Cohn said.
“Generosity is a function of how much [one gives] to the ability one has to give,” Cohn said.
Mississippi ranks sixth as far as the amount of money they give, but in relation to the average annual income of the state, Mississippi ranks first, Cohn said.
Sara Freedman, dean of the college of business and industry, said this ranking indicates the charitable nature of the people of Mississippi.
“It’s probably an underlying characteristic of the people of the state to be generous,” Freedman said.
The top 15 states on the list and the bottom 15 on the list have remained almost the same for the last nine years, and most of the change occurs between the states in the middle of the index, Cohn said.
“If everyone was giving to the extent that they could, then everything would be at zero; everyone would be in the middle,” Cohn said.
The purpose of this index is to stimulate discussion around the issue of charitable giving, he said.
“The more you discuss philanthropy, the more likely you are to give,” Cohn said.
Overall, charitable giving has gone up since the Catalogue for Philanthropy began releasing the index, despite a dip between 2000 and 2002, Cohn added.
“Mississippi has historically been a generous state,” associate professor of economics Meghan Millea said.
Due to the impact of the hurricane, the numbers from this ranking may raise drastically due to the average annual income decreasing. With income decreasing, the state’s ability to give will decrease, which will boost Mississippi’s charitable giving relation, Millea said.
Money is redistributed throughout the state, but it does not actually bring any positive income to the state. The ranking has more of a positive social impact more than a positive economic impact, Millea said.