(A beekeeper stands next to a traditional beehive in western Tanzania’s Muganza district where his honey production has drastically improved through his involvement in Church World Service’s beekeeping project funded by the Giving Machines. The photograph was taken on July 26, 2023.  © 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.)

It’s no secret that life can be hard. Unexpected expenses can come out of nowhere, and setbacks happen all the time. For centuries, charitable organizations have depended on those who are more stable financially to contribute to help those who aren’t as fortunate, and a recent study has shown that Utah outpaces many in the United States in charitable giving.

A study by SmartAsset took an in-depth look, county by county across the United States, at charitable giving. While Utah didn’t take the number one slot, that title belongs to Benton County, Arkansas, the third-most charitable county in the entire country is Morgan, Utah. Of the top 10 most charitable counties in the nation, four were from Utah, and expanding it out to 20, even more counties in Utah made the list, including Davis, Salt Lake, Weber, and others.

According to the SmartAsset website, “We compared two factors in each county: the amount of money people donate as a percentage of their net income, and the proportion of people who made charitable donations.” What is it then, that makes Utah such a charitable place? Especially considering that Utah certainly isn’t the wealthiest state in the union. The answer is complicated, but there are several that contribute year by year to Utah’s charitable giving.

As one might expect, a large factor that contributes to Utah’s charitable giving is religion. For the members of the predominant denomination, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, giving 10 percent of their income to tithing is a regular way to contribute to charity. Tithing funds are used to support the operations of the church, but also go toward things like disaster relief, emergency preparedness, and storehouses of food for the needy. 

They aren’t alone either: Utah has long been a haven for various denominations, and Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and many other religious charities have found great success in the Beehive State. A main tenant of many world religions is giving to those less fortunate, and Utah has shown that such a belief is a strong way to help those in need. Whether that’s through a regular donation, or something more sporadic, Utahns give.

Another contributing factor is the quality of life and overall happiness in Utah. Year after year, studies have shown that Utah consistently ranks as the happiest state in the union. Those polled across all 50 states come after Utah, and it only makes sense: if people are happier, their needs are being met, they’re more likely to help meet the needs of others. 

It doesn’t hurt either that Utah has the third strongest economy in the US according to U.S.News. Many people come to Utah to start a small business because of the welcoming environment here, and many of those businesses thrive. Take Mo’ Bettahs, for example, which started in Bountiful, and now has dozens of stores across the country. If the job market is strong, if businesses can thrive here, more people are willing to open their wallets and help those who can’t help themselves.

As it turns out, the mountain soil of Utah provides the perfect environment for cultivating charitable giving. While there are many factors that make this possible and more likely for people to give, it may well be that charitable giving in turn contributes to the happiness and sense of well-being here, making the benefits more cyclical than one-sided.