During the holiday season, we’re all reminded to give thanks for our blessings and hopefully pay them forward. That might involve donating to charities, volunteering for a cause or simply helping an elderly person cross the street. Whatever form it takes, caring is a virtue that should be practiced year-round and by everyone.
Some cities, however, are better at taking care of their neighbours than others. WalletHub’s analysts compared the 100 most populated cities across 26 key metrics to find which among them have the most caring spirit. The data set ranges from the percentage of sheltered homeless persons to the percentage of income donated to charity to the number of rehabilitation centers per capita. You can find the results, additional expert commentary and a detailed methodology below.
10. Scottsdale, Arizona – 58.63 Score
Rank 18 – CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY
Rank 25 – CARING FOR THE VULNERABLE & HOMELESS
From our partners:
Rank 10 – CARING IN THE WORKFORCE
Scottsdale Senior Services provides an integrated system of services, resources and opportunities to help people improve their lives, neighbourhoods and community through recreation, social services and health and wellness services.
9. Omaha, Nebraska – 59.39 Score
Rank 16 – CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY
Rank 18 – CARING FOR THE VULNERABLE & HOMELESS
Rank 14 – CARING IN THE WORKFORCE
The Workforce Development strives to meet Greater Omaha’s short- and long-term workforce needs by utilizing a slate of dynamic initiatives, programs which connect talent, opportunity and education. Embracing a dual customer approach, they support businesses and industries seeking quality workers and individuals desiring quality jobs.
8. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – 59.50 Score
Rank 46 – CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY
Rank 13 – CARING FOR THE VULNERABLE & HOMELESS
Rank 2 – CARING IN THE WORKFORCE
The local representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging implement the various programs for older Pennsylvanians. There are fifty-two such offices, serving all sixty-seven counties, staffed with caseworkers skilled in such areas as geriatrics, social work and community resources. They can assist with questions regarding nursing facilities, community services in nursing facility placement, and a wide range of other community services.
7. Honolulu, Hawaii – 59.95 Score
Rank 3 – CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY
Rank 19 – CARING FOR THE VULNERABLE & HOMELESS
Rank 18 – CARING IN THE WORKFORCE
On Children and Youth Day in Honolulu, nursing students conduct research and play nutritional games with children and families.
6. Virginia Beach, Virginia – 61.35 Score
Rank 8 – CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY
Rank 6 – CARING FOR THE VULNERABLE & HOMELESS
Rank 22 – CARING IN THE WORKFORCE
PIN Ministry provides a hot meal for those in need in Virginia Beach. This is also where they provide Sunday Medical Clinic, Clothing and Hygiene supplies, and Sunday Worship Service.
5. Chesapeake, Virginia – 62.26 Score
Rank 9 – CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY
Rank 5 – CARING FOR THE VULNERABLE & HOMELESS
Rank 20 – CARING IN THE WORKFORCE
Virginia begins a new nationwide initiative today to increase the number of people and organizations serving Veterans in their communities. They will be working closely with congressional partners, Veterans service organizations, mayors and local communities, private sector and non-profit organizations, and local employees to identify new and innovative ways to support VA’s commitment to care for those who “have borne the battle” and their families.
4. Anchorage, Alaska – 62.38 Score
Rank 20 – CARING FOT THE COMMUNITY
Rank 9 – CARING FOR THE VULNERABLE & HOMELESS
Rank 11 – CARING IN THE WORKFORCE
The federal government on Friday announced $5.9 million in grants to tribes aimed at caring for homeless veterans, including 60 Alaskans.
More than $1 million of the grant money, released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs, will go to housing authorities in Anchorage, Juneau and Bethel. Each will provide rental assistance and support for 20 Native veterans who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. Continue reading..
3. Madison, Wisconsin – 63.75 Score
Rank 2 – CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY
Rank 14 – CARING FOR THE VULNERABLE & HOMELESS
Rank 4 – CARING IN THE WORKFORCE
Wisconsin has five Regional Centers that support families of children and youth with special health care needs and the providers who serve them. Each Regional Center is staffed during business hours by specialists who can help get answers, find services and connect you to community resources, and many have county roadmaps or local resource guides that provide listings of services available in the area.
2. Lincoln, Nebraska – 65.44 Score
Rank 7 – CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY
Rank 7 – CARING FOR THE VULNERABLE & HOMELESS
Rank 1 – CARING IN THE WORKFORCE
Lincoln, Nebraska has three major hospitals within two health care systems serving the city; CHI Health St. Elizabeth and Bryan Health. Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital is a national leader in specialized rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke and pulmonary conditions for children and adults of all ages.
Lincoln Community Health Services strive to identify and address the health needs of the poor and uninsured by providing the highest quality medical and nursing services through collaboration with their clients and many community partners. It provides a telephone service offering information and referrals on health related topics and concerns. Individuals may call to speak with a nurse regarding health issues/concerns/services including referrals to medical homes. Calls are triaged by a Public Health Nurse and appropriate referrals are made to community resources.
1. Boise, Idaho – 66.49 Score
Rank 1 – CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY
Rank 2 – CARING FOR THE VULNERABLE & HOMELESS
Rank 32 – CARING IN THE WORKFORCE
Idaho Health and Welfare offer programs that deal with complex social, economic and individual issues, often helping people in crisis situations. The programs are designed to strengthen families and promote self-reliance. Last year, they served almost 340,000 people, one out of every four Idahoans. From birth throughout life, they strive to enrich and protect the lives of the state’s citizens.
Detailed Methodology
In order to identify the most caring states and cities in America, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 100 most populated cities across three key dimensions:
1) Caring for the Community
2) Caring for the Vulnerable & Homeless and
3) Caring in the Workforce.
With regard to the sample, please note that “city” refers to city proper and excludes surrounding metro areas.
Next, they compiled 26 key metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was given a value between 0 and 100, wherein 100 is the best value for that metric and 0 is the worst. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available only at the state level and therefore received only half a weight.
Finally, they calculated the overall score for each city and ranked them using the weighted average across all metrics.
Caring for the Community – Total Points: 40
- Violent-Crime Rate: Full Weight (~ 3.08 Points)
- Property-Crime Rate: Full Weight (~ 3.08 Points)
- Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~ 3.08 Points)
- Total Driving Fatalities per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~ 3.08 Points)
- Percentage of Workers Who Carpool (measures level of caring for the environment): Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
- WalletHub “Energy Efficiency” Ranking: Half* Weight (~1.54 Points)
- Social Ties: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
- Civic Engagement (percent of citizens who voted in the 2014 elections): Half* Weight (~1.54 Points)
- Percentage of People Who Do Favors for Their Neighbors (Basically Every Day or Few Times a Week): Triple Weight (~9.23 Points)
- Percentage of Income Donated to Charity: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
- Number of Volunteering Hours per Capita: Double Weight (~6.15 Points)
Caring for the Vulnerable & Homeless – Total Points: 40
- Child-Poverty Rate: Double Weight (~ 10.00 Points)
- Adult-Poverty Rate: Double Weight (~ 10.00 Points)
- Percentage of Sheltered Homeless Persons: Double Weight (~ 10.00 Points)
- Number of Rehabilitation Centers Per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~ 5.00 Points)
- Number of Pet Shelters & Rescue Services per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~ 5.00 Points)
Caring in the Workforce – Total Points: 20
- Number of People Who Work in Community & Social Services per 100,000 Residents: Double Weight (~ 3.64 Points)
- Number of Physicians per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~ 1.82 Points)
- Number of Nurses per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~ 1.82 Points)
- Student-Teacher Ratio (measures level of caring for the well-being of students): Full Weight (~ 1.82 Points)
- Student-Counselor Ratio (measures level of caring for the well-being of students): Full Weight (~ 1.82 Points)
- Number of Full-Time Law-Enforcement Employees per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight (~ 1.82 Points)
- Number of Mental-Health Counselors & Therapists per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~ 1.82 Points)
- Number of Personal-Care Aides per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~ 1.82 Points)
- Number of Firefighters per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~ 1.82 Points)
- Number of Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~ 1.82 Points)
The ranking list of cities originally appeared in Wallethub.
Sources: Data used to create these rankings were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Corporation for National & Community Service, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the National Center for Education Statistics, Sharecare, Yelp and WalletHub research.