The Most Giving States and Cities in America

The holiday season is a time for giving. Whether it’s wrapping presents for loved ones, sharing meals with neighbors or supporting a cause close to your heart, generosity is at the core of what makes the season feel so meaningful.

Giving can take many forms — and some of the most meaningful gestures don’t come in a box. Offering your time, lending a listening ear or simply showing up for someone can make a lasting impact. Small acts of kindness often leave the biggest impression.

To celebrate the spirit of giving and gratitude, online lender NetCredit analyzed GoFundMe fundraiser data to identify the cities and states where volunteer crowdfunding campaigns have received the most generous donations and in which cities the most campaigns have been launched.

What we did

We selected the top three biggest cities in each state and up to the fifth largest if it had a population of over 100,000. Then, we searched all-time volunteer fundraising campaigns on GoFundMe.com for each city and retrieved the total amount raised. Next, we aggregated the data by location, taking the total number of campaigns and the median amount of funds raised by campaign.

Key findings

• The median amount for GoFundMe campaigns in New York is $2,384 — making New York America’s most giving state.
• There have been 115.6 GoFundMe campaigns per 100,000 people in Miami, the highest density of fundraisers in any major U.S. city.
• Seattle is America’s most giving city, with the median amount raised per GoFundMe campaign is $2,540.

New York is America’s most giving state based on GoFundMe contributions

First, we calculated the median amount of funds raised per fundraiser in each state. The state with the highest median is New York ($2,384). GoFundMe notes that a New Yorker donates to a campaign every 30 seconds, and one in three GoFundMe fundraisers started by New Yorkers “were for someone other than themselves.”

We also found that New York has had the second-highest number of GoFundMe volunteer campaigns (1,287), after California (1,445).

Animals have proven an inspiring force for the generosity of New Yorkers. A beagle named Lucie that survived a house explosion that killed her owner received nearly $5,000 to aid her physical and emotional recovery, and a local grooming studio has stepped in to offer free baths and nail trims for life. “She went through such a traumatic event,” said donor and groomer Morgan Bratcher. “Dogs experience trauma just like people do. Helping her feel safe and cared for is so important.”

Meanwhile, the death of a celebrity squirrel named Peanut has inspired over $300,000 in donations to his owner’s animal sanctuary. “It’s truly heartwarming to see such incredible community support,” said Mark Longo. “It really shows the power of coming together for a cause.”

Seattle raises more than any other large city

Next, we compared the median funds raised in cities with a population of over 250,000.

Seattle is the most generous city, with a median campaign total of $2,540 across 227 campaigns. Success stories include the $28,188 raised to support striking security workers at the Seattle Art Museum in 2024. Their independent union depended entirely on community donations, which went towards a hardship fund and legal fees. The union supplemented this fund with initiatives such as a Halloween art show and concert.

San Francisco, New York, Boston and Baltimore are also among the top five cities for median funds raised. Baltimore Ravens fans became the unwitting inspiration for a six-figure fundraising campaign after tight end Mark Andrews missed a vital catch in a playoff game against the Buffalo Bills. When Andrews became the victim of online taunts, Bills fans established a GoFundMe for Andrews’ favorite charity: Juvenile diabetes research and advocacy group Breakthrough T1D.

“I hope this spreads awareness [of] a misunderstood disease,” said organizer Nicholas Howard. “I knew this charity was near and dear to [Mark Andrews’] heart, and after seeing the distasteful comments people were leaving, I wanted to cheer him up and let him know we’ve got his back.”

Miami launches most fundraisers per person

Finally, we looked at how many fundraiser campaigns have been launched on GoFundMe in each city of over 250,000 people. We calculated this figure “per 100,000 people” to ensure a fair comparison between cities.

By this metric, Miami is far and away the most motivated city for fundraisers, with 115.6 launched per 100,000 people. That’s 1.8 times as many as second-placed Boston (63.8).

When Chris Harris was knocked from his motorbike by a car, he sustained injuries requiring multiple surgeries to rectify. To cover his medical bills and time missed from work, Harris’s Miami gym community put together a GoFundMe that raised over $200,000.

Another volunteer campaign has raised nearly $50,000 to cover the medical expenses of a valued UPS carrier diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Ray Autar is always seen “with a smile on his face, a friendly hello, a hand to help, and always going above and beyond for all of his customers,” according to one of those customers, Cindy McCall, who launched the campaign to help him through his tough battle.

How to raise money with a volunteer fundraiser

Despite the generosity reflected in these stories and statistics, raising money through an online fundraiser is by no means a guaranteed success. Studies have shown that the majority of health-related fundraisers fail to reach their target, that the average total raised for pandemic-related campaigns was just $65 and that the campaigns that raise the most are often for those in wealthier communities who need it least, but are surrounded by those with more to give.

To boost your chances of a successful fundraiser, experts suggest the following tips.

• Build a compelling story. You may know the person you’re fundraising for is a hero, but framing their story with a strong title and brief, yet compelling, background details can help strangers connect with the cause.
• Use good photos and videos. Showing the faces of the people or animals who will benefit from the fundraiser can help stir potential donors to action. Presenting your campaign video in person helps build trust that the campaign is genuine.
• Be imaginative with publicity. Fundraisers don’t make money by themselves. It is essential to get the story out there, through social media, traditional press coverage and campaign events. Encourage those who can’t afford to donate money to support your campaign by sharing your campaign link.

As the festive season approaches and the spirit of generosity is in the air, the act of giving can be one of the most concrete ways of sharing the good fortune you’ve enjoyed.

Methodology

To find out which are the most giving states and cities in America, we looked at fundraiser data from GoFundMe.com.

First, we selected the top three biggest cities in each state and up to the fifth-largest if it had a population of more than 100,000. Then, we searched for all-time volunteer fundraising campaigns in each city and retrieved the total money raised. We looked for campaigns where the organizer was tagged on a location up to 10km away from the city center.

Next, we aggregated the data by location, taking the total number of campaigns and the median amount of funds raised by campaign. We also calculated the number of campaigns started per 100,000 population. For the city statistics, we only considered locations with more than 250K population.

Data is correct as of October 2025.

DISCLAIMER: This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, tax or legal advice.