Statistics: Volunteering in the United States, 2009

Fri, 02/12/2010 - 15:26 | Sarah Palmer

Update: To view 2010 statistics, click here.

The U.S. Department of Labor released its report on volunteering in the United States for FY2009. Highlights include:

63.4 million people, or 26.8% of the total population, volunteered between 09/2008 and 09/2009
Of the entire population, 30.1% of women and 21.1% of men volunteered
Volunteer rates were highest among 35- to 44-year-olds and 45- to 54-year-olds; rates were lowest between 18- and 24-year-olds
Volunteering among minority groups rose overall to 20.2% blacks, 19% Asians, and 14.7% Hispanics
Among those aged 25 and over, 42.8% of college graduates volunteered, compared to 18.8% of high school graduates and 8.6% of those with less than a high school degree
Median volunteering hours for men and women were 52 and 50, respectively
The most popular organizations to work with for 2009 were religious at 34%, education/youth at 26.1%, and social/community service at 13.9%

If you have time, the report is a very interesting read. It's pretty short and straightforward -- check it out.