A survey of the nation's 50 most populous cities conducted by The Chronicle of Philanthropy found six of the 10 most generous were in the Midwest.
The six were Minneapolis, Columbus, Omaha, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Milwaukee, with Minneapolis ranked as No. 1.The other four top givers are Atlanta, Honolulu, Pittsburgh and Seattle.
The three cities at the very bottom of the list are all in southern or central California: Los Angeles, Long Beach and Fresno, in that order.
"Seven of 12 of the least philanthropic cities are in California," said Stacy Palmer, the Chronicle's managing editor. "The only exception to the trend is San Francisco, which is 12th from the top."
The Chronicle said its rankings are based on per capita giving in the 50 cities to major charities, including the American Red Cross, United Way, the American Cancer Society, Disabled American Veterans and Jewish federations and on grants made by foundations and corporations in the cities.
In some cases a city's poverty level influences charitable contributions, the survey showed. But Palmer said, "the cities with the highest per capita incomes are not necessarily the most generous."
Community ties and tradition are given as factors in cities with strong records of charitable giving.