Somerville Lags Somewhat in Charitable Giving
Somervillians gave about 2.9 percent of their discretionary income to charity, according to a study. In Cambridge that number was 4.2 percent; in Boston it was 4.3 percent.
When it comes to charitable giving, Somerville lags behind Cambridge, Boston and the United States as a whole, according to data released by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. The data comes from 2008 tax returns, and The Chronicle of Philanthropy used the data to create a map of charitable giving across the entire country. According to the figures, Somerville residents gave on average 2.9 percent of their discretionary income to charity. The median contribution was $1,267, with the median disposable income listed as $44,003, one of the lowest in the region. By comparison, Cambridge residents donated about 4.2 percent of their discretionary incomes to charity. (Cambridge had a median charitable contribution of $2,463 with a median …
