Volunteer & Service Facts & Figures
There are typically over 60 million volunteers in the US each year, about 25% of the adult population — volunteer their time, talents, and energy to making a difference.
Volunteers put in an average of over 52 hours per year.
Financial Impact of Volunteering
The federal government puts a value on volunteer time at over $28.00 per hour.
The average volunteer in the US donates $1,456 worth of time each year (52 hours x $280)
Volunteerism has a value of over $184 billion dollars
Volunteer Characteristics
People aged 35-44 and 45-54 are most likely to volunteer (28.9% and 28% respectively) while 20-24 year-olds have the lowest rates (18.4%). 72% of volunteers are involved with only 1 organization, while 18.3% are involved with 2.
Women tend to volunteer at higher rates (27.8%) than men (21.8%).
Those who attend church or another religious institution regularly are much more likely to say they have donated and volunteered in the past year.
46% of Americans report having given their time to a religious organization and 49% to another type of charitable group.
Where Volunteers Work
Volunteers work in over 1,800,000 nonprofit organizations in the United States
Religious organizations and churches: 308,466 (16.3%)
Schools and educational institutions: 257,790 (13.6%)
Foundations and grantmaking organizations: 180,147 (9.5%)
Recreation centers, sports teams, and social clubs: 140,746 (7.4%)
Human services organizations: 135,180 (7.2%)
Business associations and community development organizations: 129,769 (6.9%)
Arts, culture, and humanities organizations: 127,632 (6.8%)
Mutual assistance and financial organizations: 68,839 (3.6%)
Public sector, public cooperatives, and veteran organizations: 59,674 (3.2%)
Youth development organizations: 56,771 (3.0%)
Health care organizations: 50,834 (2.7%)
Unions and employment organizations: 48,535 (2.6%)
Animal-focused nonprofit organizations: 45,858 (2.4%)
Housing providers and shelters: 37,000 (2.0%)
Environmental organizations: 27,964 (1.5%)
Mental health organizations: 26,943 (1.4%)
International and foreign affairs organizations: 24,793 (1.3%)
Public safety organizations: 24,060 (1.3%)
Food and agriculture programs: 23,202 (1.2%)
Criminal and legal assistance organizations: 17,782 (0.9%)
Medical disease and disorder focused nonprofits: 16,928 (0.9%)
Civil rights and advocacy organizations: 14,363 (0.8%)
Science and technology research centers: 7,909 (0.4%)
Medical research organizations: 7,762 (0.4%)
Social science research organizations: 2,906 (0.2%)
Relationship of Volunteering to Charity
Volunteers are almost twice as likely to donate to a charity than those that don’t volunteer.
The Corporation for National & Community Service.
Employment Prospects
Those who volunteer regularly have a 27% better chance of gaining employment.
60% of hiring managers see the act of volunteerism as a valuable asset when making recruitment decisions.
Health Impact
People who volunteer over 100 hours a year are some of the healthiest people in the U.S.
Volunteering decreases the likelihood of high blood pressure development by 40%.
Post Graduation Service Programs
There are over 65,000 opportunities in America for college students and recent graduates that offer varying lengths of commitment, issue areas and geographic locations. Many of these offer financial support, educational opportunities, skill development and career benefits.