Seattle has long had a reputation for looking out for its neighbors—and new data suggests that reputation is well earned. A recent study by NetCredit found that Seattle ranks #1 in the entire country for the median amount raised per GoFundMe campaign. The date shows that when people in Seattle start a fundraiser, it tends to go really well. The median amount of money raised by volunteer-led campaigns here is $2,540, which is more than any other major U.S. city.
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So how did they figure this out? NetCredit looked at GoFundMe campaigns in the largest cities across every state. They focused specifically on volunteer fundraisers, pulled the total amounts raised, and then grouped everything by city. From there, they calculated how many campaigns were launched and what the median fundraising total looked like in each place.
When they narrowed things down to cities with populations over 250,000, Seattle came out on top. The Emerald City had a median campaign total of $2,540 across 227 campaigns. One standout example came in 2024, when community members raised more than $28,000 to support striking security workers at the Seattle Art Museum. Those funds helped cover hardship costs and legal fees, with additional support coming from creative events like a Halloween art show and a concert.
Seattle also ranked 11th nationally for fundraisers launched per capita, meaning residents are actively starting campaigns—just not at the extreme levels seen in places like Miami, which leads the nation in sheer volume of fundraisers. On a statewide level, Washington placed 7th overall, while New York took the top spot.
We’d say this data reinforces something many locals already know: Seattle may not always be as outwardly friendly as other places in the U.S. but when it comes to building community and supporting causes, Seattleites lead the charge. It also probably helps that Seattle’s median annual household income is about $120,000, according to the latest census data—significantly higher than the median national income.