Most Caring Cities in America 

Caring means having a connection with others and being concerned for their wellbeing. It can be expressed in many ways — from helping an elderly person cross the street to fighting a house fire. Some people prefer a more hands-on approach to show they care through their choice of employment or volunteering, while others open their pocketbooks to donate toward causes that help those in need.

Americans donated nearly $560 billion in 2023, which sounds like a lot, but when you factor in the cost of inflation, it equates to a 2.1% decline in donations compared to 2022. Even if you can’t afford to give away your income – which is especially common given the challenging conditions of the current economy – there are plenty of other ways to show compassion to others. You can volunteer your time and expertise as well. 

In order to identify the areas that care the most, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 38 key indicators of a compassionate spirit. Our data set ranges from the share of sheltered homeless people to volunteering hours per capita to the share of income donated to charity. 

“The most caring cities donate a lot of money to charity and have high volunteer rates, but being a caring city overall requires much more than just giving time or money. In the top cities, like Virginia Beach, VA, Scottsdale, AZ and Boston, residents also display their care for others by working in professions that help others, like teaching, social work, firefighting and medicine, at high rates. In addition, the top cities have low crime rates, environmentally-friendly residents and low rates of poverty and homelessness.” Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

In-Depth Look at the Most Caring Cities

Virginia Beach, VA

Virginia Beach is the most caring city in 2024, in large part because its residents rank first in the nation for volunteering hours. The city also has the fourth-highest share of residents who fundraise or sell items to raise money for charity.

Despite its status as a party city, Virginia Beach actually does a great job keeping residents safe. It has the second-lowest violent crime rate in the country and the eighth-lowest property crime rate. This indicates that people care about their neighbors. The city also has the seventh-lowest adult poverty rate and 12th-lowest child poverty rate.

Finally, people in Virginia Beach search Google for terms like “volunteer,” “non profit organizations,” “charitable organizations,” and “charitable donations” more frequently than people in most other cities. This shows that people are actively seeking ways to help others.

Scottsdale, AZ

Scottsdale, AZ is the second-most caring city, in part because its residents demonstrate great care for children in need. Scottsdale has the fourth-highest adoption rate in the country, as well as the fourth-lowest child poverty rate.

In addition, Scottsdale residents are eager to donate their money to good causes. The city has the 7th-highest Google search interest for “charitable donations” and the 10th-highest online giving rate in the country. It has the 15th-most volunteer hours per capita, too.

Scottsdale is also a very safe city. It has the fifth-lowest violent crime rate and the 17th-lowest property crime rate. That further demonstrates the care that people have for those around them.

Boston, MA

Boston is the third-most caring city in America, as it turns out Bostonians have hearts of gold hiding behind their reputation for rudeness. Boston residents donate more money online per capita than anyone else in the U.S.

Boston also cares for the environment, something that dates back to at least 1634 when the city established America’s oldest public park. That environmentally conscious behavior continues into the modern age, as Boston ranks as the third-most energy-efficient city in the country.

In addition, the City of Champions ranks as the second-best city when it comes to both sheltering the homeless and keeping its population insured. This shows that the city cares for the physical wellbeing of its residents.

On top of all that, Boston has a very high share of residents who work in caring professions, such as social work, teaching, firefighting, and medicine.