Northbrook Lags Behind Some Neighbors on List of Charitable Towns
Northbrook ranks 210 for total amount given of the 11,522 towns measured by the Chronicle of Philanthropy based on an IRS report. It ranks 4,694 in terms of percent of income donated.
According to a recent report from the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the average Northbrook taxpayer donated about $4,419 or 4.4 percent of their annual income. Northbrook donated about $72.2 million based on comprehensive tax records from the Internal Revenue Service for 2008, the most recent year such records are available.
The report also provides details on median discretionary income per household income level and compares it the amounts donated.
| Annual Income Level | Average Contribution | Percent of Income Given |
| $50,000 - $99,999 | $2,397 | 8.9 |
| $100,000 - $199,999 | $3,848 | 4.7 |
| $200,000 and Up | $15,357 | 3.6 |
| All Income Levels | $4,419 | 4.4 |
Compared to the percent of income donated of nearby communities, the study ranks Northbrook just below the most charitable.
| Town | Median Contribution | Percent of Income Given |
| Winnetka | $24,953 | 5.4 |
| Lake Forest | $20,910 | 5.2 |
| Kenilworth | $25,968 | 5 |
| Evanston | $3,213 | 5 |
| Northbrook | $4,419 | 4.4 |
| Glenview | $3,387 | 4.2 |
| Deerfield | $5,569 | 3.9 |
| Lake Bluff | $4,262 | 3.9 |
| Glencoe | $17,026 | 3.8 |
| Highland Park | $7,124 | 3.7 |
| Wilmette | $7,103 | 3.6 |
The report does not include data for people with incomes below $50,000 because of discrepancies in the source IRS data. The IRS also withholds information about the specific charities taxpayers donate to.
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Ziggy Marley
7:21 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
This headline is extremely misleading as Northbrook is in the upper half of donaters percentage wise. Horrible journalism.
Stan Golovchuk
8:26 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Thanks for the comment. I did not give enough consideration to percent of income given. I have changed the headline to reflect this statistic.
Mark Wright
8:27 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Northbrook is in the top 2% of the 11,522 towns (in Illinois?) in donations also, as well as, one of the largest % donators of our income.
Maybe the next headline should read, "Northbrook has the Highest Percentage of Bad Reporters!".
Anna Tarkov
8:49 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
I agree that percentage of income donated is much more important than the absolute amount. The ranking on that table should go by that.
Stan Golovchuk
9:01 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
You're absolutely right, I've adjusted the table to reflect your suggestion.
Ed60062
11:36 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Still very biased. I would say ranking 210 out of 11,522 is pretty high on the list. And, Northbrook doesn't "lag behind neighbors"--it is in the middle of those selected. And, if we're comparing neighboring communities, what about Highwood, Wheeling, Prospect Heights, etc. It seems the point of the article is to show Northbrook in a bad light.
Stan Golovchuk
4:57 pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Thank you for your feedback and I apologize if this story appeared biased against Northbrook. It's never my intention to display Northbrook in a negative light, or in any light for that matter. My job is to report unbiased news and facts that occur or relate to the community, and I welcome any feedback that can help me do my job better. So a provision has been added to the article subhead that puts Northbrook's IRS data in some more context.
"Northbrook ranks 210 for total amount given of the 11,522 towns measured by the Chronicle of Philanthropy based on an IRS report. It ranks 4,694 in terms of percent of income donated."
Billy Bob
12:14 pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
The only relevant comparison is to compare Northbrook residents at each of the identified income brackets versus residents of other communities at each income bracket. Do Northbrook residents at each income bracket give a larger, smaller or the same percentage of thier income? The answer at each income bracket will tell us if we are a "generous" community compared to peers, whether our lower, middle and upper income bracket residents give at at similar rates of similarly "incomed" residents of other towns.