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Metro Study-Related
Media Coverage

Have a heart: See where Nashville ranks for charitable giving
Nashville Business Journal
June 21, 2017

San Diego Unseats Houston As Top Philanthropy City
The NonProfit Times
June 14, 2017

Where Tampa-St. Pete stands among the 'most charitable' metros
Tampa Bay Business Journal
June 14, 2017

Here's where Pittsburgh ranks among most philanthropic cities
Pittsburgh Business Times
June 13, 2017

Way to Go! San Diego's Philanthropic Community Leads Nation
Times of San Diego
June 13, 2017

Houston drops out of No. 1 spot on Charity Navigator study but still strong
Houston Business Journal
June 13, 2017

How charitable is Denver? (Not very)
Denver Business Journal, KUSA-TV
June 13, 2017

2017 Metro Market Study

 
 

Charity Navigator recently completed our 13th annual national study to analyze differences in the financial, accountability and transparency practices of charities located in various metropolitan markets across America.  We also determine if any differences exist in individual philanthropic communities from year to year. 

Read Methodology

Interactive Chart

  • Select a variable from the drop down menu to see how markets compare.
  • Find out more about your city by clicking on it.
WORKING CAPITAL RATIO
Rank
Metro Market
Median
1
Cleveland
1.56
2
St. Louis
1.55
3
Pittsburgh
1.52
3
Indianapolis
1.52
5
Cincinnati
1.45
6
Philadelphia
1.39
7
Houston
1.29
8
Nashville
1.29
9
Tampa/St. Petersburg
1.25
10
Baltimore
1.23
11
Detroit
1.20
12
Miami
1.16
13
San Diego
1.14
14
Kansas City
1.13
National
1.12
15
Boston
1.12
15
Los Angeles
1.12
17
Denver
1.09
18
Seattle
1.09
19
Atlanta
1.05
20
Dallas
1.01
20
New York City
1.01
20
San Francisco
1.01
23
Orlando
0.99
24
Milwaukee
0.97
25
Chicago
0.94
26
Minneapolis/ St. Paul
0.90
27
Washington, DC
0.87
28
Portland
0.87
29
Phoenix
0.79
30
Colorado Springs
0.53

 

Methodology
We began by segmenting the charities in our database into 30 major metropolitan markets.

  • The 30 metro markets account for 62% of the more than 8,219 charities evaluated by Charity Navigator as of May 1, 2017.
  • The largest market included 967 charities and the smallest comprised 45.

Using the data we've obtained from the charities' Forms 990 and their websites, we calculated the median value of the following financial variables and the percentage of compliance for the following accountability & transparency metrics to reveal possible differences in financial, accountability and transparency practices of the various philanthropic metropolitan markets.

Rating Dimensions

  • Overall Score
  • Financial Score
  • Accountability & Transparency Score

Financial Metrics

Accountability & Transparency Metrics

Size Metrics

Conclusions
Our analysis, completed in May 2017, demonstrated that the financial, accountability and transparency behaviors of America's largest charities can be influenced by the metropolitan market within which the charity operates. The fact that CEO Compensation tends to be greater in cities like D.C. and New York than cities like Colorado Springs and Orlando is an important realization for the charities and donors in each of those cities. It doesn’t mean that charities in D.C. and New York are wasteful or poorly managed. Rather, it means that the cost of doing business in those cities is greater. Recognizing these differences is essential to the effective management and evaluation of nonprofits.  

For more differences between cities, use the interactive chart on the right, view our slideshow and read our press release.

 

© 2017 Charity Navigator. Note: all data are based on Charity Navigator's May 2017 Metro Market Charitable Analysis Study. These sector reports do not claim to represent median/mean data for all charities. Charity Navigator is the largest evaluator of 501 (c) (3) charities in the U.S.

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