YONKERS, N.Y. Even in tight economic times, Yonkers' residents are opening up their wallets and filling the collection plates.
New Yorks fourth-largest city gave $108.4 million to charity in 2008, good enough to land it in the 96th percentile of giving in towns and cities around the country, according to a recently released study.
The study, How America Gives, was conducted by the Chronicle of Philanthropy and examined tax records from the IRS for 2008 - the most recent year for which such data was available - to outline charitable giving in the United States.
The group found New York to be the second most generous state in terms of dollars donated with $11.3 billion, trailing only California. Westchester County also ranked near the top of the charts, coming in as the 12th most charitable county in the nation after giving more than $1.2 billion.
In a county of givers, Yonkers was among Westchesters most generous, handing out more than its neighbors in White Plains, Mamaroneck and New Rochelle. The only Westchester towns Yonkers couldn't keep up with in 2008 donations were Scarsdale ($165 million) and Rye ($110 million).
Researchers say New Yorks charity may have more to do with population and overall wealth than the giving spirit. As a state, New York ranked 17th in terms of percentage of income donated to charity.
Despite the large number of wealthy households in the state, the typical rate of giving is average, at 4.7 of discretionary income, researchers said, noting states like Utah gave more than 10 percent of their income to charity.
In Yonkers, residents were slightly more generous than New York as a whole, giving an average of 6.4 percent of their annual income, or $2,500, to charity.
New Hampshire was ranked as the stingiest state in America, with residents donating 2.5 percent of their income.
Overall, Manhattan's Upper East Side contributed more money than any other ZIP code in the country: $478 million.
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