The percentage of income Americans give to charity remains roughly 3%. While the amount of money the wealthy gave declined from 2006 to 2012, the percentage of money from low- and middle-class giving increased, according to a study by the Chronicle of Philanthropy that includes ZIP-code level data. “The wealthiest Americans – those who earned $200,000 or more – reduced the share of income they gave to charity by 4.6 percent from 2006 to 2012,” the Chronicle of Philanthropy summarized. “Meanwhile, Americans who earned less than $100,000 chipped in 4.5 percent more of their income during the same time period. Middle- and lower-income Americans increased the share of income they donated to charity, even as they earned less, on average, than they did six years earlier.” The Washington Post reports the rate of giving was higher in the more religious areas of the country, like the Bible Belt, which shows how religion helps foster virtue. More…