February 22, 2012 - The volunteer rate rose by 0.5 percentage point to 26.8 percent for the year ending in September 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. About 64.3 million people volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2010 and September 2011. The increase in the volunteer rate in 2011 followed a decline of equal size in 2010.
These data on volunteering were collected through a supplement to the September 2011 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. For more information about the volunteer supplement, see the Technical Note.
Volunteering Among Demographic Groups
The volunteer rate of women increased from 29.3 percent to 29.9 percent in the year ending in September 2011, while the volunteer rate for men, at 23.5 percent, changed little. Women continued to volunteer at a higher rate than did men across all age groups, educational levels, and other major demographic characteristics. (See tables A and 1.)
By age, 35- to 44-year-olds and 45- to 54-year-olds were the most likely to volunteer (31.8 and 30.6 percent, respectively). Persons in their early twenties were the least likely to volunteer (19.4 percent). Among the major race and ethnicity groups, whites continued to volunteer at a higher rate (28.2 percent) than did blacks (20.3 percent), Asians (20.0 percent), and Hispanics (14.9 percent). The volunteer rate for blacks increased in 2011. For all other major race and ethnicity groups, the volunteer rates were little different from the rates in 2010.
As in earlier years, married persons volunteered at a higher rate (32.3 percent) in 2011 than did those who had never married (20.9 percent) and those with other marital statuses (21.5 percent). The volunteer rate of parents with children under age 18 (33.7 percent) remained higher than the rate for persons without children (24.1 percent).
Individuals with higher levels of educational attainment engaged in volunteer activities at higher rates than did those with less education. Among persons age 25 and over, 42.4 percent of college graduates volunteered, compared with 18.2 percent of high school graduates and 9.8 percent of those with less than a high school diploma.
Volunteers by Employment Status
Among employed persons, 29.6 percent volunteered during the year ending in September 2011. By comparison, 23.8 percent of unemployed persons and 22.5 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--33.3 percent compared with 28.7 percent. (See table 1.)
Total Annual Hours Spent Volunteering
Volunteers of both sexes spent a median of 51 hours on volunteer activities during the period from September 2010 to September 2011. Median annual hours spent on volunteer activities ranged from a high of 96 hours for volunteers age 65 and over to a low of 32 hours for those 25 to 34 years old. (See table 2.)
Number and Type of Organizations
Most volunteers were involved with either one or two organizations--69.6 and 19.4 percent, respectively. Individuals with higher educational attainment were more likely to volunteer for multiple organizations than were those with less education. (See table 3.)
In 2011, the main organization--the organization for which the volunteer worked the most hours during the year--was most frequently religious (33.2 percent of all volunteers), followed by educational or youth service related (25.7 percent). Another 14.3 percent of volunteers performed activities mainly for social or community service organizations. (See table 4.)
Older volunteers were more likely to volunteer for religious organizations than were their younger counterparts. For example, 44.9 percent of volunteers age 65 and over did their service mainly through or for a religious organization, compared with 26.5 percent of volunteers age 16 to 24.
The type of main organization for which individuals volunteered also varied by educational attainment. Volunteering mainly for religious organizations decreased as educational attainment increased. Among volunteers with less than a high school diploma, 47.8 percent volunteered mainly for religious organizations, compared with 31.3 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, 22.7 percent volunteered mainly for this type of organization, compared with 26.7 percent of those with a bachelor's degree and higher.
Among volunteers with children under 18 years old, 45.9 percent of mothers and 37.3 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 more likely than parents to volunteer for other types of organizations, such as social or community service organizations and hospitals or other health organizations.
Main Volunteer Activity for Main Organization
Fundraising (11.0 percent) and collecting, preparing, distributing, or serving food (10.6 percent) were the activities volunteers performed most frequently for their main organization. Men and women tended to engage in different main activities. Men who volunteered were most likely to engage in general labor (13.3 percent); coach, referee, or supervise sports teams (10.1 percent); or fundraise (8.9 percent). Female volunteers were most likely to fundraise (12.6 percent); collect, prepare, distribute, or serve food (12.5 percent); or tutor or teach (10.7 percent). (See table 5.)
Educational attainment influenced the types of activities volunteers performed. College graduates were more likely than those with less education to tutor or teach or to provide professional or management assistance. They were least likely to collect, make, or distribute clothing, crafts, or goods other than food. Volunteers with less than a high school diploma were more likely to collect, prepare, and distribute food than those with higher levels of education.
Parents were considerably more likely than those without children to engage in volunteer activities that are related to children--including coaching, refereeing, or supervising sports teams; and mentoring youth.
How Volunteers Became Involved with Main Organization
Among volunteers, 41.9 percent became involved with their main organization after being asked to volunteer, most often by someone in the organization. About the same proportion (41.6 percent) became involved on their own initiative--that is, they approached the organization. (See table 6.)
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