How Generous Is Barrington?

Just how philanthropic are Barrington residents?

The Chronicle of Philanthropy's "How America Gives" study released Monday morning, Aug. 20, provides a statistical picture of how generous Barrington residents are based on their 2008 tax returns -- the latest available from the IRS.

The total amount of money donated to charitable endeavors in 2008 -- $24.1 million -- puts Barrington in the top 4 percent nationally: 1,100 out of 28,725 communities, according to the study.

The percentage of average "discretionary income" given, however -- $77,050 -- was only 3.4, which ranked Barrington lower than the U.S. percentage of 4.7, lower than the Bristol County percentage of 4.1 but a bit more than the RI percentage of 3.1.

Discretionary income is described by the study as the amount of money left "after paying their taxes and covering housing, food, and other essential expenses."

By income level, the most generous givers in Barrington were in the study's lowest income bracket of $50,000 to $99,999 -- 5 percent with an average contribution of $1,592 based on discretionary income of $32,153.

The next most generous givers were in the $200,000 and up income bracket -- 4.5 percent with an average contribution of $16,648 based on average discretionary income of $367,456.

The least generous Barrington givers were in the $100,000 to $199,999 income bracket -- 3.3 percent with an average contribution of $2,731 based on average discretionary income of $82,611.

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. 

Detailed data is searchable by zip code.

While The Chronicle used averages to compare towns, you may also search by income bracket.