The greatest number of public charities is generally found in states with the largest populations. States with small populations tend to have the highest density of public charities. Nationally, there were 6.8 public charities per 10,000 residents in 1994. This measure ranged from a high of 8.3 in the Northeast to a low of 5.9 in the South. Because most religious organizations and small nonprofits are not required to file with the IRS, the density of nonprofits in all of these states would be even higher if such organizations were to be taken into account.
Most nonprofits are small, but large organizations have the bulk of the finances.
A disproportionate share of finances is concentrated in education and health organizations, particularly in universities and hospitals. Human services organizations are the most common type of public charity but account for only about one-tenth of expenditures. This category includes such diverse programs as Boys and Girls Clubs, foster grandparent programs, senior citizen centers, employment and training programs, food banks, homeless shelters, and adolescent pregnancy programs. Table 1 lists the distribution of the various types of public charities by state in 1992. Education accounted for 17 percent of all expenditures, and human services organizations for 11 percent.