Fact Sheet - Who Gives

FACT SHEET

AMERICANS FOR CAMPAIGN REFORM

Money in Politics: Who Gives <1% of Americans Contribute 80% of Funds •

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Less than 0.5 percent of the U.S. population contributed $200 or more to federal candidates in 2008, or 82 percent of total itemized contributions. Less than 0.1 percent of Americans contributed $2,300 or more in 2008, or 60 percent of the total. Approximately 4 percent of Americans made contributions in any amount in 2008. Men contributed 68 percent of all money to federal candidates, compared with 32 percent from women.

Geographic Concentration of Major Donors •

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The top 5 metro areas for contributions to federal candidates in 2008 -- New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston -- contributed $726 million, more than the bottom 36 states combined. Residents of Manhattan’s Upper East Side (top 5 zip codes) contributed $72 million in 2008, more than each of the bottom 39 states and approximately 50 times the national per capita rate of $9.90. A study of racial/ethnic distribution of campaign contributions in the 2000-2004 elections found that 89.4 percent of money came from predominantly non-Hispanic white zip codes and 10.6 percent came from predominantly racial/ethnic minority zip codes.

Fig. 1: Federal Campaign Contribs Breakdown, 2008

Size

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The top contributing industry sectors -- finance and real estate, lawyers and lobbyists, healthcare, communications, and energy and transportation -provided a combined $1.2 billion in campaign money to federal candidates in 2008. Contributions from the top five sectors accounted for nearly 50 percent of the total $2.4 billion in 2008, compared with 10 percent from ideological/single issue groups and 3 percent from labor unions. Industry giving to the two major political parties was roughly even across sectors, with Democrats receiving 56 percent of total contributions.

Sources: Federal Election Commission, Center for Responsive Politics, Public Campaignʼs “The Color of Money” Project

Gender

18% 32% 22%

60%

68%

Max. Donors ($2,300+) Larger Donors ($200-$2,300) Small Donors (<$200)

Men Women

Fig. 2: Contributions Per Capita, 2008 (millions) Top Metropolitan Area Zip Codes v. Nationwide New York 10021

600

Los Angeles 90210

390

Washington 20007

376

Chicago 69611

246 10

USA USA 10

Major Industries Top 2008 Contributors •

$0

$150

$300

$450

$600

Fig. 3: Top Five Contributing Sectors, 2008 (millions) Finance & Real Est

$203

Lawyers & Business

$201

HealthLobbyists

$91

Communications Energy & Transport

$173 $71

$77 DEM REP

$97 $42 $45 $0

$84 $100

$200

$300

$400

JOIN US AT YOU STREET, A GROWING MOVEMENT FOR CAMPAIGN REFORM • WWW.YOUSTREET.ORG 5 BICENTENNIAL SQUARE CONCORD, NH 03301 • TEL 603.227.0626 • [email protected]

8/25/09