Donations from individuals are the largest source of philanthropic dollars to nonprofit charity. In 1998: U.S. individuals gave 85% of all charitable donations, an estimated $133 billion. Pennsylvania individuals contributed $4.1 billion to charitable causes. Despite its relatively large individual giving level, Pennsylvania has much room to grow: At 1.7%, Pennsylvania falls below the national contribution average of 2.0% of adjusted gross income. Pennsylvania ranks 20th in the nation in adjusted gross income, but drops to 38th in average household charitable contribution ($ 720 average and $2,763 for itemizers). The Generosity Index is based on individual charitable contributions as a percentage of adjusted gross income. A national state ranking shows: New York 8th most generous state New Jersey 32nd most generous state Delaware 16th most generous state Pennsylvania 38th most generous state Individual Giving, 1998   State Average Household Income Average Charitable Contribution/Income Tax Return Contribution as % of Adjusted Gross Income State Ranking "Generosity Index" Utah $38,997 $1,805 4.6% 1st District of Columbia $49,460 $1,572 3.2% 2nd Alabama $35,364 $879 2.5% 3rd New York $49,149 $1,178 2.4% 8th Delaware $44,621 $944 2.1% 16th New Jersey $54,210 $993 1.8 32nd Pennsylvania $41,376 $720 1.7% 38th Texas $41,063 $711 1.7 39th West Virginia $31,866 $380 1.2% 51st United States $42,917 $857 2.0%   Source: National Center for Charitable Statistics at the Urban Institute, prepared from IRS Statistics of INcome Bulletin, 1999/2000.