Pasadena is 75th Most Charitable Among Thousands of US Cities

Pasadena has donated a total of $135.3 million in charitable works, ranking the city 75th of several thousands U.S. towns in philanthropy efforts, study shows.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s “How America Gives” report showed Pasadena is among the top cities of the 11,522 U.S. towns covered for the study based on the amount of its charitable donations.

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

The Chronicle obtained comprehensive tax records from the Internal Revenue for 2008, the most recent year for which such data are available, to examine income levels and the sums claimed in charitable contributions for taxpayers in each ZIP code.

The study, which was released last year, includes only taxpayers who reported incomes of $50,000 or more. The researchers said no precise data exist to determine how much those who do not itemize give because taxpayers are allowed to claim deductions only if they itemize on their tax forms.

Pasadena’s contributions are far above those given  by other areas in San Gabriel Valley, including La Cañada Flintridge which ranked second in the region with $81.5 million in donations, the Pasadena Star-News reported.

Pasadena’s donations amount to 5.6 percent of its $56,656 median discretionary income, higher than the percentage of the nation’s median income donated which is 4.4 percent, the newspaper reported.

The study also showed that the less money the people in San Gabriel Valley make, the higher is the percentage of their income that they donate. Residents with $50,000 to $199,000 income a year allot 10 percent of their earnings, while those with $200,000 or more only give 4.6 percent, the Star-News reported.

Pasadena is home to 1,888 charitable institutions, Jennifer DeVoll, executive director for Pasadena Community Foundation, told the newspaper.