Giving by individuals, 1968–2008 ($ in billions)

229. 28

212. 92

182. 74

181. 96

127. 35

137.09

138. 35

106.01 112. 54

91. 27

99. 56

92.00

69. 98

52.06

32. 10

14. 75

20. 53

Current dollars Inflation-adjusted dollars

1968

1973

1978

1983

1988

1993

1998

2003

2008

 

Individual giving in 2008 is estimated at $229.28 billion, which is the lowest value since inflation-adjusted giving increased from its 2003 level of $212.92 billion.

Individual giving includes everything that would qualify under tax law as a charitable contribution. This includes gifts of money and donations of household items to an entity like Goodwill.

In 1988, the inflation-adjusted amount given by individuals ($127.35 billion) divided by the number of American households ( 91. 12 million, using Current Population Survey data from the Census Bureau) results in an estimate of giving of $1,398 (adjusted for inflation) per household.

In a similar calculation, by 1998 the number of households reached 102. 53 million and the per household average gift rose to $1,782. For 2008, with estimated giving by individuals of $229.28 billion and approximately 116. 78 million households, the average donation is $1,963 per household.

The calculations “per household” include all households, even those that do not give. This allows for comparison over time.