Religious giving varies substantially by household income, but participation rates and dollar amounts tell different stories. Historical U.S. surveys found that higher-income households were somewhat more likely to give, while average gifts rose much more sharply with income. Canadian data likewise show that lower-income donors could give a larger share of household income even when higher-income households were more likely to be primary donors.
Table of contents
- Religious giving rates by household income
- Average religious gifts by household income
- Religious giving as a share of contributions
- How income groups contribute to the giving pool
- Economic concerns and religious giving
- Canadian and tax-data context
Religious giving rates by household income
The historical U.S. estimates below come from Faith and Philanthropy: The Connection Between Charitable Behavior and Giving to Religion in the United States. They describe household giving in 2000, not current giving. The measure is the percentage of households in each income band that gave to religious congregations.
| Household income in 2000 | Households giving to religious congregations |
|---|---|
| Under $25,000 | 67.4% |
| $25,000–$49,999 | 66.3% |
| $50,000–$74,999 | 68.9% |
| $75,000–$99,999 | 72.6% |
| More than $100,000 | 72.2% |
The lowest-income group had a 67.4% giving rate, compared with 66.3% among households earning $25,000–$49,999. The rate was 68.9% for households earning $50,000–$74,999, 72.6% for those earning $75,000–$99,999, and 72.2% for those earning more than $100,000. In this historical survey, giving participation generally increased across the income range, although the highest-income group was slightly below the $75,000–$99,999 group. Faith and Philanthropy: The Connection Between Charitable Behavior and Giving to Religion in the United States
A separate measure from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a later snapshot. In the 2016 Consumer Expenditure Survey, the share of households reporting contributions to church or religious organizations was 18.23% in the lowest pretax-income quintile, 23.2% in the second quintile, 25.19% in the middle quintile, 28.48% in the fourth quintile, and 30.69% in the highest quintile. These figures use pretax-income quintiles, so they are not directly interchangeable with the dollar bands in the 2000 study. The relationship between cash contributions, pretax income, and age
Average religious gifts by household income
The difference between participation and gift size is especially clear in the 2000 U.S. household estimates. Among households that gave to religion, the average contribution was $774 for those earning under $25,000; $1,394 for those earning $25,000–$49,999; $2,266 for those earning $50,000–$74,999; $2,689 for those earning $75,000–$99,999; and $4,185 for those earning more than $100,000. Faith and Philanthropy: The Connection Between Charitable Behavior and Giving to Religion in the United States
The 2016 BLS estimates show the same broad pattern, while separating all households from households that reported a contribution. Across all households, the average church or religious-organization contribution was $254.76 in the lowest pretax-income quintile, $465.02 in the second, $549.51 in the middle, $788.08 in the fourth, and $1,682.35 in the highest quintile.
Among households that reported a religious contribution, the corresponding averages were $1,397, $2,004, $2,181, $2,767, and $5,482. The distinction matters: an average across all households includes households reporting no contribution, while the second series describes only households that reported giving. The relationship between cash contributions, pretax income, and age
Religious giving as a share of contributions
In the 2000 U.S. household study, religious congregations accounted for most of the total giving reported by givers in every income band. The shares were 87.4% for households earning under $25,000, 88.4% for those earning $25,000–$49,999, 87.4% for those earning $50,000–$74,999, 89.9% for those earning $75,000–$99,999, and 86.2% for those earning more than $100,000. Faith and Philanthropy: The Connection Between Charitable Behavior and Giving to Religion in the United States
The BLS measure is defined differently. In 2016, church and religious organizations represented 45.66% of cash contributions for households in the lowest pretax-income quintile. This is a share of cash contributions in that Consumer Expenditure Survey measure, while the earlier percentages describe religious giving as a share of total giving for givers in each income band.
The Congressional Budget Office’s summary of a 2008 household-giving study also found a strong income contrast in where donations went: among households with adjusted gross income below $100,000, 67% of charitable giving went to religious organizations. Among households reporting at least $1 million in income, the share was 17%. These are study results for 2008, not a current forecast. Patterns of Charitable Giving
How income groups contribute to the giving pool
Income distribution affects the overall pool of religious giving because lower-income households are more numerous in the historical survey. In 2000, households earning under $25,000 represented 24.4% of the surveyed U.S. population and 21.2% of all giving households. The $25,000–$49,999 group represented 32% of the surveyed population and 31.8% of giving households.
Households earning $50,000–$74,999 represented 21.4% of the surveyed population and 22.6% of giving households. The $75,000–$99,999 group represented 9.8% of the population and 10.8% of giving households. Households earning more than $100,000 represented 12.4% of the population and 13.7% of giving households. Faith and Philanthropy: The Connection Between Charitable Behavior and Giving to Religion in the United States
The same source reported average annual contributions across all households in each income group, rather than only those that gave. The averages were $440 for households under $25,000, $895 for $25,000–$49,999, $1,636 for $50,000–$74,999, $2,048 for $75,000–$99,999, and $3,853 for households earning more than $100,000. These figures show why the number of households and the average gift both matter when considering the overall giving pool.
Economic concerns and religious giving
The historical study Giving in Tough Times: The Impact of Personal Economic Concerns on Giving and Volunteering examined how economic worry corresponded to religious-congregation giving in 2000. Across all income groups, economic worry corresponded to a $630 decline in religious-congregation giving, or 53.8%.
The reported decline varied by income group. Among households earning up to $24,999, economic worry corresponded to a $120 decline, or 32.4%. For households earning $25,000–$49,999, the decline was $480, or 55.2%. For the $50,000–$74,999 group, it was $480, or 39.3%. Among households earning $75,000 or more, it was $790, or 41.8%.
The study also reported average annual income of $48,600 among households reporting economic concerns, compared with $66,600 among households without those concerns. In a 2001 survey about 2000 giving, 58% of U.S. adults said they worried about not having enough money in the future. Giving in Tough Times: The Impact of Personal Economic Concerns on Giving and Volunteering
These results describe an association reported for the study period. They do not establish that economic worry alone caused each change in religious giving, and they should not be read as a current estimate.
Canadian and tax-data context
Canadian statistics provide a different view of income and religious giving. In 2007, households with annual income below $100,000 supplied 70% of the value of donations to religious organizations, while households earning $100,000 or more supplied 30%. For non-religious organizations, the split was 53% from households below $100,000 and 47% from households at or above $100,000. Chapter 1: Charitable giving
Canada’s 2013 General Social Survey reported a 7% predicted probability of being a primary donor for the lowest household-income quintile and 14% for the highest quintile, after adjustment for age, sex, education, and income. The measure is a modeled probability of being a primary donor, not a religious-giving rate. Charitable giving by individuals
Among Canadian donors in 2013, the lowest household-income quintile gave an average of 2.1% of household income to charitable and nonprofit organizations, compared with 0.4% for the highest quintile. Within the lowest-income quintile, weekly religious participants gave an average of 4% of household income, while those participating less often than weekly gave 1.6%.
Together, these Canadian figures distinguish the likelihood of being a primary donor from the share of income donated. They also cover charitable and nonprofit organizations broadly in the percentage-of-income measures, rather than religious organizations alone. The U.S. and Canadian statistics span 2000, 2007, 2008, 2013, and 2016, so they are best used as historical comparisons with their measurement periods and definitions kept explicit.