Southwest Nebraskans among state's most generous

News from the Chronicle of Philanthropy is not really news at all.

Nebraskans, and Southwest Nebraskans in particular, are generous people.

And that's not just today, Giving Tuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back.

From the Walsh, Brady and Graff families, the McCook Community Foundation, to the Case family's gift of the Elks Club building to the college and the Evening For Hospice celebration, the Hormel and Harris families, Tom Kiplinger's gift of buildings for the fairgrounds and many other examples -- we're sure to have left many out -- Southwest Nebraskans are generous people.

And it's not just McCook. The Chronicle of Philanthropy collected data from counties all across the country, took cost of living, and incomes into account, and ranked counties according to the amount of money the average county residents gives to charity in a given year.

Guess what?

Our neighbors in Perkins County are the most generous in the state using those criteria. With a median adjusted gross income of $55,750 and a median charitable $3,688 charitable contribution, that translates to a giving radio of 5.42 percent.

Hayes County ranks 10th in the state with a medium contribution of $5,560 and 3.99 percent, and Hitchcock County is 12th with $4,817 in contributions for a ratio of 3.95 percent.

The Chronicle's data isn't the final word, as it was collected from tax returns on which residents itemized deductions, which mean that the majority of us, who don't itemize, aren't properly represented.

Whatever the real numbers, there's no doubt Southwest Nebraskans are among the most generous in the state.