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Even though it’s the season of giving, not everyone is feeling charitable.
On Monday, WalletHub published their list of the “most caring cities in America,” which looks at which locations care the most about the welfare of others.
“It can be expressed in many ways — from fighting a house fire to helping an elderly person cross the street,” the report states. “While others open their wallets to donate to causes that aid those in need, others prefer a more hands-on approach to demonstrate their concern through their choice of employment or volunteer work.”
WalletHub analysts examined the 100 biggest cities based on the following criteria to determine which regions “care the most:”
“Taking Care of the Community” (50%)
Includes the rate of violent crime, property crime, alcohol-impaired driving deaths, driving fatalities, pedestrian fatalities, and environmental care; WalletHub’s “Energy Efficiency” ranking; neighborly favors; the existence of “built for zero” communities; the distribution of food and clothing to the poor; the proportion of citizens who raise money through fundraising or the sale of goods; the percentage of income given to charitable organizations; the percentage of online donations per capita; the percentage of volunteer hours per capita; the percentage of volunteer fire departments that are registered; and interest in “Charitable Donations” on Google
“Taking Care of the Vulnerable” (40%)
Includes the rates of child and adult poverty, adoption, paid family leave, the percentage of sheltered homeless individuals, the number of rehabilitation facilities and pet shelters and rescue services per capita, the ranking of animal protection laws, the disability-friendliness of employers, and the uninsured rate.
“Workplace Compassion” (10%)
Includes the number of residents who work in community/social services, physicians, nurses, special education teachers, school-age individuals with disabilities, teachers, counselors, childcare providers, substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, personal care assistants, firefighters, and paramedics per capita.
Virginia Beach, which ranked first overall and specifically for the “Caring for the Community” ranking, was deemed America’s most caring community by WalletHub researchers after accounting for all of those factors.
“Virginia Beach is the most caring city in 2024, in large part because its residents rank first in the nation for volunteering hours. The city also has the fourth-highest share of residents who fundraise or sell items to raise money for charity.
Despite its status as a party city, Virginia Beach actually does a great job keeping residents safe. It has the second-lowest violent crime rate in the country and the eighth-lowest property crime rate. This indicates that people care about their neighbors. The city also has the seventh-lowest adult poverty rate and 12th-lowest child poverty rate.
Finally, people in Virginia Beach search Google for terms like ‘volunteer,’ ‘nonprofit organizations,’ ‘charitable organizations,’ and ‘charitable donations’ more frequently than people in most other cities. This shows that people are actively seeking ways to help others.”
Boston came next at number three, followed by Scottsdale, Arizona, at number two.
However, the Sunshine State didn’t do very well; Tampa, the first Florida city on the list, came in at number 51.
Miami (No. 86), Orlando (No. 85), Hialeah (No. 74), Jacksonville (No. 57), and St. Petersburg (No. 55) were below that.
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Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
