Maya Angelou said that giving liberates the soul. If that's true, then the "haves" are not so free as the relative have-nots.

So suggest two large-scale studies. One was made by author Ken Stern, former CEO of National Public Radio, in his new book, "With Charity for All." The other was a national study released in The Chronicle of Philanthropy in 2012. Using IRS data regarding income and charitable deductions between 2009 and 2011 (the latest year available), these paint a clear picture: Those Americans who can most afford to, give the least to charity.

As Stern's book reports, the richest echelon - the top 20 percent - of Americans give less than half (1.3 percent of income) of what those in the bottom 20 percent give (3.2 percent). These are just averages, of course; individuals defy stereotype and having money doesn't make anyone a Grinch.

Maybe it's just to comfort the rest of us, but what was that bit about a camel and the eye of a needle?

Geography also plays its part. Those with higher incomes ($200,000 or more) who live in more socioeconomically diverse areas - whose neighbors aren't all well-off - give more (up to 12 percent) than do those who live in wealthy neighborhoods. Guess it helps to see need up close and personal.

Those at or near the poverty line were left out of the studies, which only measured those with potential "discretionary" income. Ironically, some of the most extreme areas of poverty showed the most willingness to give. One of the nation's poorest zip codes in the Washington, D.C., area, where a relatively high number of people stand in bread lines, had a surprisingly high median household giving rate: 19 percent.

Charity also varies by state and region, as the 2012 study (with data back to 2009) illustrated. The most giving state? Utah, averaging 10.6 percent of income donated to charities. The least? New Hampshire, at 2.5 percent. Idaho ranks 37th in giving, with an average 6.4 percent.

The other notable discrepancy between income strata was choice of charity. The relative "poor" tend to choose social service organizations such as Salvation Army, homeless and emergency shelters, family assistance programs, and religious organizations. The wealthier tend to focus their giving on arts, colleges, and museums.

How about the regular Joe? Those closer to middle (incomes $50,000-$75,000) average higher charitable giving than either rich or poor, or about 7.6 percent. That's pretty soul-liberating. So who needs the lottery? Like the studies concluding that those happiest are neither rich nor poor, it seems just being "average" is ideal.

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at sholeh@cdapress.com.