Share the Wealth

Facts and Figures

United States Department of Labor

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 09-0078 http://www.bls.gov/cps/
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EST)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, January 23, 2009

VOLUNTEERING IN THE UNITED STATES, 2008
About 61.8 million people, or 26.4 percent of the population, volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2007 and September 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Both the level and rate of volunteering were essentially unchanged from the prior year.

These data on volunteering were collected through a supplement to the September 2008 Current Population Survey (CPS). The supplement was sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that obtains information on employment and unemployment among the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. Volunteers are defined as persons who did unpaid work (except for expenses) through or for an organization.

Volunteering Among Demographic Groups
The volunteer rates of men, 23.2 percent, and women, 29.4 percent, were about the same in the year ending September 2008 as in the prior year. Women volunteered at a higher rate than did men across all age groups, educational levels, and other major demographic characteristics, as in previous years. (See tables A and 1.)

Persons age 35 to 44 continued to be the most likely to volunteer (31.3 percent), while persons in their early twenties were the least likely (18.6 percent). The only age group with a significant change over the year was 16- to 19-year-olds. The volunteer rate of this group rose 1.4 percentage points in the year ending September 2008, essentially offsetting the 1.9 percentage point decrease that occurred in the prior year.

In the year that ended in September 2008, whites continued to volunteer at a higher rate (27.9 percent) than did blacks (19.1 percent) and Asians (18.7 percent). The rate for each of these groups was either unchanged or essentially unchanged from the prior year. Among Hispanics or Latinos, 14.4 percent volunteered in 2008, up from 13.5 percent in the year ending September 2007.

Married persons volunteered at a higher rate (31.6 percent) than those who had never married (20.4 percent) and those with other marital statuses (20.9 percent). Parents with children under age 18 were substantially more likely to volunteer than were persons without children, 33.8 percent compared with 23.5 percent.

Individuals with higher levels of educational attainment volunteered at higher rates than did those with less education. Among persons age 25 and over, 42.2 percent of college graduates volunteered, compared with 18.1 percent of high school graduates and 9.4 percent of those with less than a high school diploma.

Among employed persons, 28.9 percent volunteered during the year ending in September 2008. By comparison, 22.3 percent of unemployed persons and 22.2 percent of those not in the labor force volunteered. Among the employed, part-time workers were more likely than full-time workers to have participated in volunteer activities—34.2 versus 27.8 percent.

Total Annual Hours Spent Volunteering
Volunteers of both sexes spent a median of 52 hours on volunteer activities during the period from September 2007 to September 2008. Median annual hours spent on volunteer activities ranged from a high of 96 hours for volunteers age 65 and over to a low of 40 hours for those 16 to 19 or 25 to 34 years old. The 20- to 24-year-old group showed the largest over-the-year change in median hours volunteered, increasing by 7 hours to a median of 48 hours.

Number and Type of Organizations
Most volunteers were involved with either one or two organizations—69.6 and 19.3 percent,
respectively. Individuals with higher educational attainment were more likely to volunteer for multiple organizations than were those with less education. Parents also were somewhat more likely to volunteer for more than one organization than were persons without children under 18.

In 2008, the main organization—the organization for which the volunteer worked the most hours during the year—was most frequently religious (35.1 percent of all volunteers), followed by educational or youth service related (26.0 percent). Another 13.5 percent of volunteers performed activities mainly for social or community service organizations.

Older volunteers were more likely to volunteer mainly for religious organizations than were their younger counterparts. For example, 46.7 percent of volunteers age 65 and over did their service mainly through or for a religious organization, compared with 30.8 percent of volunteers age 16 to 24.

The types of main organization for which individuals volunteered also varied by educational attainment. Volunteering mainly for religious organizations decreased as educational attainment increased, from 47.0 percent of volunteers with less than a high school diploma to 32.1 percent of those with a bachelor's degree and higher. Volunteering primarily for educational or youth service organizations increased with educational attainment. Of volunteers with less than a high school diploma, 21.9 percent volunteered mainly for this type of organization, compared with 27.8 percent of those with a bachelor's degree and higher.

Among volunteers with children under 18 years old, 45.8 percent of mothers and 40.6 percent of fathers volunteered mainly for an educational or youth service organization, such as a school or scouting group. Volunteers without children under 18 were considerably more likely than parents to volunteer for other types of organizations, such as hospitals or other health organizations and social or community service organizations.

Main Volunteer Activity for Main Organization
The main activity volunteers performed for their main organization was most frequently fundraising (11.4 percent) and tutoring or teaching (10.1 percent). Men and women tended to engage in different main activities. Men who volunteered were most likely to engage in general labor (12.6 percent); coach, referee, or supervise sports teams (10.3 percent); or provide professional or management assistance (10.1 percent). Female volunteers were most likely to fundraise (12.8 percent); tutor or teach (12.0 percent); or collect, prepare, distribute, or serve food (10.7 percent).

Educational attainment influenced the types of activities volunteers performed. College graduates were more likely than those with less education to provide professional or management assistance or to tutor or teach. They were least likely to collect, prepare, distribute, or serve food; engage in general labor; or be an usher, greeter, or minister.

Parents were considerably more likely than those without children to engage in some types of
volunteer activities that are frequently related to children—including coaching, refereeing, or supervising sports teams; tutoring or teaching; and mentoring youth.

How Volunteers Became Involved with Main Organization
About 43.7 percent of volunteers became involved with their main organization after being asked to volunteer, most often by someone in the organization. A slightly smaller proportion, 40.8 percent, became involved on their own initiative; that is, they approached the organization.