We the people of Louisiana believe ourselves to be among the most giving in the entire world. We have a lot of pride in our charitable endeavors but it just might surprise you where a lot of that charity comes from in the state.

I think if you surveyed the population of Louisiana as a whole and asked them "what part of the state" would be the most giving. You'd probably get a lot of answers that zero in on cities like Lafayette, Lake Charles, and other communities that pop up along a drive down Interstate 10.

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Jonathan Wood/Getty Images
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The folks at Smart Asset did more than just ask people about charitable giving in Louisiana. They used facts and figures based on charitable contributions as a percentage of net income. They also looked at the number of taxpayers that made charitable contributions in their given parish.

Their results were more than a bit surprising to me. Not a single parish in what we call "Acadiana" or Southwest Louisiana's "Lake Area" made the top ten list. For the official methodology and the figures used to calculate this index, you'll need to visit the Smart Asset site.

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That site and that study showed that the most charitable parish in Louisiana was East Baton Rouge. That was followed by Lincoln Parish in north Louisiana. Then came West Baton Rouge Parish with Caddo Parish and Orleans Parish rounding out the top 5.

De Soto, Ascension, Ouachita, St. Tammany, and Iberville rounded out the top ten. Again no parishes in Acadiana or SWLA made the list of Smart Assets Most Charitable Places Index. Maybe it's because in Lafayette and Lake Charles we're more likely to give of our time and not just our money. All I know is that anytime anyone in South Louisiana needs a helping hand there are hundreds of arms that reach out to help make a difference.

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