Nonprofits are split almost evenly between Democratic- and Republican-leaning districts, Candid data shows

The country’s charities are spread almost evenly across the political map, according to an analysis Candid published on October 28, 2026. Matching nonprofits to congressional districts scored with the Cook Political Report’s 2026 Partisan Voting Index, Candid counted 687,667 nonprofits in the districts it rates blue or blue-purple, which lean Democratic, and 688,726 in those it rates red or red-purple, which lean Republican. Districts rated purple are in neither total.

The analysis, by Candid lead data analyst David Wolcheck, groups districts on a five-step scale from blue through purple to red. Strongly Democratic districts, scored D+11 or higher, are home to 30% of U.S. nonprofits. Strongly Republican districts, scored R+11 or higher, hold about a quarter.

The district count leaves out the 10,929 nonprofits in Washington, D.C., and some organizations that Candid could not link to a district because their address information was limited. The PVI is based on the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, and scores run from D+40 to R+33.

Where nonprofits are densest

The biggest states have the most nonprofits by number, led by California, Texas, New York and Florida. Per person, the leaders are different: Montana, Vermont, Wyoming and Iowa each have about 100 nonprofits per 10,000 residents, Candid found, using 2024 Census population estimates. Washington, D.C., has 216 per 10,000, which Candid says is likely due to its proximity to government institutions.

A large employer in red and blue states

Nonprofits are also a large source of jobs. In 2022, more than 300,000 nonprofit establishments accounted for 12.8 million jobs, or 9.9% of all private-sector jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Citing the same BLS series, Candid said the nonprofit share of jobs ranges from about 25% in Washington, D.C., to about 3% in Nevada, and that states with high shares include Republican strongholds in the West and South as well as Democratic-leaning states in the Northeast and Midwest.

Why the count is being made now

Candid framed the analysis around the midterm elections and the debate over whom nonprofits serve that followed congressional hearings in June 2025. One of them, held on June 4, 2025, by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee, was titled “Public Funds, Private Agendas: NGOs Gone Wild.” Its witnesses were the heads of the Center for Immigration Studies, Power the Future and the Capital Research Center and, as the minority’s witness, Diane Yentel, president and chief executive of the National Council of Nonprofits.

The count has limits that matter for that debate. It places organizations by their addresses, so it shows where nonprofits are located rather than whom they serve or how they are funded. Candid uses “nonprofits” to mean 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, a group that, in Candid’s own examples, includes the YMCA, local PTAs, the SPCA and houses of worship.

What charities may and may not do in an election

Location does not change the federal rule for charities in a campaign season. All 501(c)(3) organizations are “absolutely prohibited” from directly or indirectly taking part in any political campaign for or against a candidate for elective office, the IRS says. Violations can lead to revocation of tax-exempt status and excise taxes.

The same IRS guidance says some activities may be allowed, depending on the facts and circumstances. Voter education such as public forums and voter guides, and voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, are not prohibited campaign activity when they are carried out in a nonpartisan way. Voter education or registration that shows bias for or against a candidate is prohibited.