Donating to Thrift Stores: Where to Drop Off and How the IRS Deduction Works

5,625 thrift stores nationwide confirm donation drop-off on their websites

Across the country, ThriftAtlas tracks 20,629 thrift stores. Among all cataloged locations, 5,625 stores—or 27.3%—publicly confirm that they accept drop-off donations on their websites. In addition, 1,854 locations provide confirmed furniture pickup services for donors who cannot haul goods themselves.

Independent operators run 15,573 stores, while charitable organizations operate 3,896 stores. Goodwill accounts for 2,539 stores, and The Salvation Army operates 783 locations. Donors seeking drop-off points can verify participating thrift stores accepting donations before packing items.

State	Stores confirming	Share of state's stores
California	570	32.1%
Florida	408	29.0%
Pennsylvania	286	32.8%
North Carolina	264	28.0%
New York	237	30.7%
Texas	234	15.4%
Michigan	184	27.1%
Ohio	182	24.6%
Virginia	178	28.3%
Illinois	177	23.8%

Source: ThriftAtlas directory, data as of 2026-09-26.

Alaska leads confirmed drop-off rates at 52.2% while Texas records 15.4%

Website confirmation rates for donation drop-off vary across individual states. Alaska posts the highest proportion in the country at 52.2% of its stores, followed by Colorado at 37.9%. By store volume, California thrift stores provide the largest count, with 570 confirmed drop-off sites, followed by Florida with 408 confirmed drop-off sites.

Other states show lower shares of donation verification on store websites. In Texas, 15.4% of stores confirm drop-offs on their sites, while West Virginia records 15.7%. In addition, 3,551 stores nationwide confirm dedicated furniture spaces, useful for donors checking stores with furniture sections. Donors facing transport hurdles can also locate stores with furniture pickup, including 213 confirmed pickup locations in California.

IRS rules require good used condition and appraisals for items over $500

Donating used goods diverts material from waste streams, as the U.S. EPA reported that landfills received 11.3 million tons of municipal solid waste textiles in 2018¹. Claiming a tax deduction for those donations requires following federal rules. IRS Publication 561 states that taxpayers cannot take an income tax charitable contribution deduction for an item of clothing unless it is in good used condition or better². The fair market value corresponds to the price buyers actually pay in used clothing stores, such as consignment or thrift shops².

If a donor claims a deduction of more than $500 for a single clothing or household item that is not in good used condition, IRS rules mandate a qualified appraisal prepared by a qualified appraiser². For non-cash deductions exceeding $5,000 for an item or group of similar items, donors must complete Section B of Form 8283, and the receiving organization must complete and sign Part V³.

Directory limits and local store policies

The drop-off totals in this dataset reflect only stores whose official websites explicitly confirm donation acceptance. Phone coverage is widespread, with 94.9% of cataloged stores listing a telephone number. The catalog data does not indicate whether stores without website confirmation accept donations over the counter. Donors can call local stores directly to verify daily drop-off hours and item restrictions.

This summary presents official IRS publication rules and does not provide formal tax advice. Individual donation eligibility depends on tax filing status, documentation, and the recipient organization's qualified status.

How we measured

Donation drop-off counts come from store websites: a store counts only when its own site says it accepts donations. Tax rules are quoted from IRS Publication 526 (Charitable Contributions) and Publication 561 (Determining the Value of Donated Property). We quote the rules rather than interpret them; this article is not tax advice, and a tax professional can tell you how they apply to you.

Data: ThriftAtlas listings as published on 2026-09-26 · U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 population estimates (https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2024/cities/totals/sub-est2024.csv).

Sources

1. U.S. EPA — Textiles: Material-Specific Data — Landfills received 11.3 million tons of MSW textiles in 2018.
2. IRS Publication 561 — Determining the Value of Donated Property — You cannot take an income tax charitable contribution deduction for an item of clothing unless it is in good used condition or better.
3. IRS Publication 526 — Charitable Contributions — The organization that received the property must complete and sign Part V of Section B, Form 8283.

By the ThriftAtlas editorial team · data as of 2026-09-26 · published 2026-09-26. Spotted an error or a missing store? Tell us and we will correct it.