See How Medford's Charity Contributions Compare to Communities Nearby
Medford gives less than the state's average.
Medford residents on average give less to charity than most communities nearby, and less than the state median, but a slightly greater percentage of their income than most in Massachusetts, according to recently released data.
A total of $13.7 million in charitable contributions came from Medford residents in 2011, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, and a median contribution of $1,398 per capita, according to the data.
Statewide, $3.1 billion was given to charity, with a median contribution of $1,652, according to the data. The average Massachusetts resident gave 2.8 percent of their annual salary to charity; the average Medford resident gave 2.9 percent.
Here's a look at the data:
| City/Town |
Total |
Median Contribution |
Median Discretionary Income |
Percent of Income Given |
Ranking |
| Arlington | $11.5 million | $1,721 | $59,651 | 2.9% | 3,337 of 28,725 |
| Lynnfield | $8.2 million | $1,981 | $74,778 | 2.6% | 4,855 of 28,725 |
| Malden | $8.5 million | $1,277 | $40,126 | 3.2% | 4,719 of 28,725 |
| Medford | $13.7 million | $1,398 | $48,929 | 2.9% | 2,792 of 28,725 |
| Melrose | $11.2 million | $1,698 | $63,540 | 2.7% | 3,591 of 28,725 |
| North Reading | $6.8 million | $1,616 | $68,364 | 2.4% | 5,650 of 28,725 |
| Reading | $12.9 million | $1,767 | $70,083 | 2.5% | 3,038 of 28,725 |
| Somerville | $11.4 million | $1,267 | $44,003 | 2.9% | 1,988 of 11,522 |
| Stoneham | $7.4 million | $1,419 | $55,570 | 2.6% | 5,326 of 28,725 |
| Tewksbury | $9.3 million | $1,216 | $56,267 | 2.2% | 4,404 of 28,725 |
| Wakefield | $9.6 million | $1,485 | $60,222 | 2.5% | 4,211 of 28,725 |
| Wilmington | $7.3 million | $1,363 | $61,052 | 2.2% | 5,392 of 28,725 |
| Winchester | $29.9 million | $4,350 | $140,438 | 3.1% | 708 of 28,725 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Quincy Metro Area | $2.5 billion | $1,719 | $60,312 | 2.8% | 10 of 366 |
| Massachusetts | $3.1 billion | $1,652 | $58,099 | 2.8% | 14 of 51 |
| United States | $135.8 billion | $2,564 | $54,783 | 4.7% |
cindy
7:25 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
why on earth is cambridge/boston/quincy combined? Cambridge is in Middlesex county, boston suffolk and quincy is in Norfolk county. They basically used 3 ultra rich communities they might as well thrown in brookline in this group. I would have like to have seen Boston and Cambridge separate. Boston has a areas of wealth and then you can see a drastic change from that. Cambridge has a lot of rich young people running around but they are cheap as all hell. This is the second time I noticed an inacurate poll. the last one was something of kids per household or second language per household and that poll was flawed, they broke down Boston by areas for example they stated Boston, West End, Dorchester. Basically they grouped some wealthy areas with maybe zero to no kids per household with areas of Boston that are more heavily populated with children. I am not sure why they break down these areas, it should not be done, very misleading. For a small city like Medford we did very well.
Nancy Carbone
8:59 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Next time a poll like this is conducted they should ask how much time citizens spend volunteering for non-profits/charitable organizations. Without volunteers many groups could not operate.