BEDFORD - Angela Hughes is like most Mormons. When her husband receives his paycheck, they calculate 10 percent of his gross earnings and write a check to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to be handed over each Sunday.

Given the extent of her family's giving, and that of many of the families she knows, Hughes said she was shocked to learn that New Hampshire ranks lowest in the nation for charitable giving.

“I find that most of the families that I know are really giving,” said Hughes, who directs communications for the Mormon church in New England. “I would say Bedford families are some of the most giving families I've seen.”

According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, a Washington-based journal that released the findings of a nationwide study on charitable giving this month, the Granite State ranks at rock-bottom, joined by its five New England neighbors.

Richard Ober, president of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, has watched the study closely. He issued a statement following its release.

“(We) don't look at the giving report as a measure of generosity,” the statement said. “We see it as a measure of culture and behavior. The generosity and public spirit of New Hampshire people are evident in our high rate of volunteering and engagement in civic affairs.”

But NHCF hopes to see increased financial giving as well, “by connecting the interests of donors with the good work of non-profits across the state.”

By using IRS forms from people who itemized deductions in 2008, the most recent available statistics, the Chronicle study breaks down not only by state level, but all the way down to counties and zip codes.

It doesn't count for all the charitable giving New Hampshire people may do without saving receipts and itemizing their donations on the long form.

For the purposes of the study, giving is quantified as a percentage of discretionary income, or money left over after basic needs are met. Only those with discretionary income of $50,000 or more were counted.

In first place, Utah's residents gave 10.6 percent, compared with New Hampshire, where the typical household reported charitable contributions at 2.5 percent of discretionary income, or a median of $1,497.

Total contributions equaled $408.5 million in the Granite State, with median discretionary income at $59,269.

Rolf Goodwin, chairman of the United Way of Greater Nashua, said the study found that the amount given was directly tied with people's religious affiliations. The highest-giving states are the most religious, and the lowest-giving states are the least religious.

“If you take away that base, you necessarily have a lower number,” Goodwin said.

Subtracting faith-based contributions, New Hampshire climbs to the 38th spot, still in the bottom quarter. New York, however, would jump from 18th to 2nd place, while Pennsylvania would go from 40th to 4th.

“One contributing cause might be that we have a pretty high proportion of people like me, who are from somewhere else, and don't necessarily have as strong a tie-in or understanding as to what the specific needs of their communities are,” he added.

Goodwin said the Granite State has about 7,000 non-profit organizations, a tremendous number of groups vying for limited (and dwindling) resources.

That's good news and bad news, he believes.

“That's a lot of confusion frankly, for potential donors, and it also means that there's a huge number of organizations out there that, just because of their size, struggle with administration. And that's not what they're about, they're passionate about their programs.”

The study also breaks down the states politically, by “red” and “blue,” reflective of the country's partisan divide. Red states gave the most, while blue states gave the least.

Blue states, on the other hand, tend to pay a higher amount in federal taxes than they receive in federal spending. The opposite is true for red states.

In January, the Bedford Town Council engaged in a heated debate over whether to fund Meals on Wheels, which provides hot meals to people unable to serve themselves.

Chairman Bill Dermody said the study did nothing to change his belief that the residents, not the town, should be the ones who direct their charitable giving.

“I think those organizations that are not getting state, federal, town or county money, they're going to have to make a campaigned effort on their own behalf to seek donations,” he said.

“I'll sit down and I'll write a check to the organization that I want to target with my money.”

In the end, the council struck down Meals on Wheels funding.

Peter Panepento, assistant manager at the Chronicle of Philanthropy, said it's unclear whether the prevalence of the lower-taxes-equals-greater-giving belief will play out in reality.

The reduction in government funding to service organizations could be very difficult for some, Panepento said. “And that is one of the things that people really need to think about.”

Only some non-profts are equipped to make the transition from soliciting government funds to fielding a commensurate amount from private donors, he said.

The study also found that those earning over $200,000 give a smaller percentage of their income: 4.2 percent. And among those high-earners, those living in less economically diverse neighborhoods give even less: 2.8 percent.

“The more isolated you are from community needs, the less aware you are of the needs that are out there and you're not as inspired to give,” Panepento said.

srios@newstote.com