East Greenwich residents give less to charity than most Americans, but slightly more than most Rhode Islanders give, according to a study released today.

However, those making the least amount of money in East Greenwich give a significantly higher percentage of their income to charlty.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy's "How America Gives" study reported that East GReenwich residents, with a median discretionary income of $76,293, had a median contribution of 3.2 percent, or $2,576, of their income to charity in 2008, the tax year for which data was collected.

On the whole, East Greenwich residents gave at a slightly higher clip than the state average of 3.1 percent. But the town, Kent County and the state as a whole fall well short of the national average of 4.7 percent. (See chart below.)

The study is based on exact dollar amounts released by the Internal Revenue Service that show the value of charitable deductions claimed by American taxpayers in 2008. 

The Chronicle’s rankings show the percentage of their income that households donated from the money they had left after paying their taxes and covering housing, food, and other essential expenses.

Detailed data is searchable by zip code.

While The Chronicle used averages to compare towns, readers may also search by income bracket. The study shows that those making the least money in East Greenwich donated the largest percentage of their income. The tax returns reporting median discretionary income of $50,000 to $99,999 in East Greenwich gave an average of 5.6 percent, or $1,633. Those making $100,000 to $200,000 gave 3.3 percent ($2,711), and those making more than $200,000 gave 3.2 percent ($10,185).