Wealthiest Donors Gave 9 Percent of Their Income in 2007, Study Finds

The study found that virtually all wealthy households — 98.2 percent — contribute money to charity. That compares with 70 percent of the U.S. population as a whole.

In 2007, affluent donors gave an average of $80,249, roughly 9 percent of their income.

While overall giving by affluent households dropped slightly from 2005 to 2007 when adjusted for inflation — as it did for the general population — that decrease was driven solely by those in the upper echelon of wealth.