Mosque giving statistics: US Muslim charity and zakat by the numbers
A sourced roundup of US mosque and Muslim giving data: average household zakat, total annual giving, Ramadan concentration, and mosque budgets, drawn from the Lilly Family School and ISPU.
Last updated July 2026 by Fatih
Quick answer
Muslim Americans gave an average of $3,200 to charity, compared with $1,905 for non-Muslim Americans, according to the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy's Muslim American Giving 2021 study. US Muslims gave at least $4.3 billion across all causes in 2021, about $1.8 billion of it zakat, and the average Muslim household gave $2,070 in zakat. About 27.5% of their faith-based giving goes to houses of worship.
Key takeaways
- 69% of US Muslims say they always give to charity during Ramadan.
- Of zakat, international nonprofits received 25.3% and informal person-to-person giving 14.7% (Muslim American Zakat Report 2022).
- Mosques averaged $317,140 in combined operating budget and zakah in 2020, while the median budget was $80,000 (ISPU).
Who this is for: Mosque boards and Islamic nonprofit fundraisers benchmarking zakat and Ramadan giving; Journalists and researchers covering faith-based philanthropy in the US; Foundation and grant teams sizing the Muslim American giving landscape; Faith leaders planning Ramadan and Jumu'ah collection campaigns
Muslim Americans gave an average of $3,200 to charity, compared with $1,905 for non-Muslim Americans, according to the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy's Muslim American Giving 2021 study.
Zakat, the obligatory alms central to mosque giving, totaled roughly $1.8 billion in 2021 and made up about 40% of all US Muslim charitable giving, per the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative.
This page collects publicly reported mosque and Muslim giving figures from the Lilly Family School, the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, and the ISPU American Mosque survey so nonprofits, journalists, and faith leaders can cite them directly.
How much US Muslims give
Muslim Americans reported giving an average of $3,200 to charity, well above the $1,905 average reported by non-Muslim Americans in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy's Muslim American Giving 2021 study.
Across all causes, US Muslims donated at least $4.3 billion in 2021, of which roughly $1.8 billion was zakat, according to the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at IU Indianapolis.
Zakat at the household level
The average Muslim American household donated $2,070 in zakat funds in 2021, per the Muslim American Zakat Report 2022 from the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative.
Zakat accounts for roughly 40% of total US Muslim charitable giving, making the obligatory alms a defining feature of mosque-centered philanthropy (Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, 2022).
Where mosque and zakat dollars go
Muslim Americans direct an average of 27.5% of their faith-based charity to houses of worship, and about 85% of their overall giving supports domestic US causes (Lilly Family School, 2021).
Of zakat specifically, international nonprofits received 25.3%, governments 21.7%, domestic nonprofits 18.3%, and informal person-to-person giving 14.7%, per the Muslim American Zakat Report 2022.
Ramadan concentration and mosque finances
69% of US Muslims say they always give to charity during Ramadan, with women, married people, those in their 30s, and the very religious most likely to concentrate zakat in that month (Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, 2023).
The ISPU American Mosque survey counted 2,769 mosques in 2020, a 31% rise from 2010, with combined operating budget and zakah averaging $317,140 per mosque (median budget $80,000).
For a masjid, the numbers argue for two things: a way to take gifts in person at Jumu'ah and in Ramadan, and a recurring option that carries giving through the rest of the year.
Sources
Lilly Family School of Philanthropy / Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, IU Indianapolis: Muslim American Giving 2021 (2021) and Muslim American Zakat Report 2022 (2022). The Conversation / Muslim Philanthropy Initiative with Islamic Relief USA: Ramadan and zakat findings (2023, 2024).
Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) with the Hartford Institute for Religion Research: The American Mosque 2020: Growing and Evolving (2021).
Practical use cases
- Cite average household zakat ($2,070) when setting fundraising goals or grant narratives
- Reference the 69% Ramadan giving rate to time mosque appeals around the holy month
- Use the ISPU mosque count and budget figures to contextualize a single masjid's finances
- Use these benchmarks to plan for Jumu'ah and Ramadan peaks in a mosque budget
Key features
- Muslim Americans averaged $3,200 in charitable giving vs $1,905 for non-Muslims (Lilly Family School, 2021)
- US Muslim zakat reached about $1.8 billion in 2021 (Muslim Philanthropy Initiative)
- Average Muslim American household gave $2,070 in zakat (Muslim American Zakat Report 2022)
- 69% of US Muslims always give to charity during Ramadan (Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, 2023)
- 27.5% of Muslim Americans' faith-based giving goes to houses of worship (Lilly Family School, 2021)
- The US had 2,769 mosques in 2020, up 31% from 2010 (ISPU American Mosque survey)
Common questions
What is the average zakat given by a US Muslim household?
How much do Muslim Americans give to charity overall?
How concentrated is mosque and zakat giving during Ramadan?
How many mosques are in the US and what are their budgets?
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