For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Tuesday, January 26, 2010 USDL-10-0097
Technical information: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
NOTE: This version of the release was reissued, Wednesday,
January 27, 2010, to include table A which was missing
from the original posting. The PDF version of the release
was not affected. Analysis and other data were not affected.
VOLUNTEERING IN THE UNITED STATES--2009
Both the number of volunteers and the volunteer rate rose over the year ended
in September 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. About
63.4 million people, or 26.8 percent of the population, volunteered through
or for an organization at least once between September 2008 and September
2009. In 2008, the volunteer rate was 26.4 percent.
These data on volunteering were collected through a supplement to the Septem-
ber 2009 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 unemploy-
ment 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 29.4 percent in 2008 to 30.1 per-
cent in 2009, while the volunteer rate for men, at 23.3 percent, was essen-
tially unchanged. As in previous years, women volunteered 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. Their volunteer rates were 31.5 percent and 30.8 percent, respec-
tively, in 2009. Volunteer rates were lowest among persons in their early twen-
ties (18.8 percent) and those age 65 and over (23.9 percent).
Among the major race and ethnicity groups, whites continued to volunteer at a
higher rate (28.3 percent) than did blacks (20.2 percent), Asians (19.0 per-
cent), and Hispanics (14.7 percent). Of these groups, the volunteer rate of
blacks and whites rose in 2009. Among blacks it rose by 1.1 percentage points,
driven by an increase in the volunteer rate of black women.
Volunteer rates were higher among married persons (32.3 percent) than those who
had never married (20.6 percent) and those with other marital statuses (21.5
percent). Parents with children under age 18 were substantially more likely to
volunteer than were persons without children under 18 years of age, 34.4 per-
cent compared with 23.9 percent.
Individuals with higher levels of educational attainment were more likely to
volunteer than were those with less education. Among persons age 25 and over,
42.8 percent of college graduates volunteered, compared with 18.8 percent of
high school graduates and 8.6 percent of those with less than a high school
diploma.
Table A. Volunteers by selected characteristics, September 2005 through September 2009
(Numbers in thousands)
September 2005 September 2006 September 2007 September 2008 September 2009
Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent
Number of popu- Number of popu- Number of popu- Number of popu- Number of popu-
lation lation lation lation lation
Sex
Total, both sexes ..................... 65,357 28.8 61,199 26.7 60,838 26.2 61,803 26.4 63,361 26.8
Men ................................ 27,370 25.0 25,546 23.0 25,724 22.9 26,268 23.2 26,655 23.3
Women .............................. 37,987 32.4 35,653 30.1 35,114 29.3 35,535 29.4 36,706 30.1
Age
Total, 16 years and over .............. 65,357 28.8 61,199 26.7 60,838 26.2 61,803 26.4 63,361 26.8
16 to 24 years ..................... 8,955 24.4 8,044 21.7 7,798 20.8 8,239 21.9 8,290 22.0
25 to 34 years ..................... 9,881 25.3 9,096 23.1 9,019 22.6 9,154 22.8 9,511 23.5
35 to 44 years ..................... 14,809 34.5 13,308 31.2 12,902 30.5 13,016 31.3 12,835 31.5
45 to 54 years ..................... 13,826 32.7 13,415 31.2 13,136 30.1 13,189 29.9 13,703 30.8
55 to 64 years ..................... 9,173 30.2 8,819 27.9 9,316 28.4 9,456 28.1 9,894 28.3
65 years and over .................. 8,712 24.8 8,518 23.8 8,667 23.8 8,749 23.5 9,129 23.9
Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
White ................................ 56,170 30.4 52,850 28.3 52,586 27.9 53,078 27.9 54,078 28.3
Black or African American ............ 5,879 22.1 5,211 19.2 5,010 18.2 5,325 19.1 5,712 20.2
Asian ................................ 2,055 20.7 1,881 18.5 1,887 17.7 2,022 18.7 2,060 19.0
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity .......... 4,511 15.4 4,212 13.9 4,279 13.5 4,662 14.4 4,873 14.7
Educational attainment (1)
Less than a high school diploma ....... 2,837 10.0 2,615 9.3 2,394 9.0 2,427 9.4 2,242 8.6
High school graduates, no college (2) . 12,594 21.2 11,537 19.2 11,379 18.6 10,998 19.1 11,408 18.8
Some college or associate degree ...... 16,452 33.7 15,196 30.9 15,468 30.7 15,519 30.0 15,931 30.5
Bachelor's degree and higher (3) ...... 24,517 45.8 23,808 43.3 23,799 41.8 24,620 42.2 25,490 42.8
Employment status
Civilian labor force .................. 46,872 31.1 43,579 28.5 43,405 28.1 44,313 28.5 44,833 29.0
Employed ........................... 44,894 31.3 41,861 28.7 41,708 28.3 42,131 28.9 41,372 29.7
Full time (4)..................... 35,225 29.8 32,951 27.3 32,714 26.9 33,344 27.8 32,085 28.7
Part time (5)..................... 9,669 38.2 8,910 35.5 8,994 35.4 8,788 34.2 9,287 33.7
Unemployed.......................... 1,978 26.4 1,718 23.8 1,697 23.2 2,181 22.3 3,462 22.9
Not in the labor force................. 18,485 24.4 17,621 23.1 17,433 22.3 17,491 22.2 18,528 22.6
1 Data refer to persons 25 years and over.
2 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
3 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
4 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
5 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.
NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not
presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls
are introduced annually with the release of January data. Data on volunteers relate to persons who performed unpaid volunteer activi-
ties for an organization at any point in the year ending in September. See the Technical Note for further information
Volunteering By Employment Status
During the year ending in September 2009, 29.7 percent of all employed persons
volunteered. By comparison, the volunteer rates of the unemployed (22.9 per-
cent) and those not in the labor force (22.6 percent) were lower. Among the em-
ployed, part-time workers were more likely than full-time workers to have par-
ticipated in volunteer activities--33.7 versus 28.7 percent. (See table 1.)
From 2008 to 2009, those employed full time showed a large increase in their
volunteer rate--from 27.8 to 28.7 percent. This was led by women employed full
time, with an increase of 1.4 percentage points in their volunteer rate. Among
men, the largest increase in the volunteer rate was among the unemployed; it
rose from 17.0 to 18.2 percent over the year.
Total Annual Hours Spent Volunteering
Male volunteers spent a median of 52 hours on volunteer activities during the
period from September 2008 to September 2009, while female volunteers spent a
median of 50 hours. Median annual hours spent on volunteer activities ranged
from a low of 36 hours for those 25 to 34 years old to a high of 90 hours for
volunteers age 65 and over. The 20- to 24-year-old group showed the largest
over-the-year change in median hours volunteered, decreasing by 8 hours to a
median of 40 hours. This followed an increase of 7 hours for this group in
2008. (See table 2.)
Number and Type of Organizations
Most volunteers were involved with either one or two organizations--68.9 and
19.8 percent, respectively. Individuals with higher educational attainment were
more likely to volunteer for multiple organizations than were those with less
education. Parents with children under age 18 also were somewhat more likely to
volunteer for more than one organization than were persons without children
under 18. (See table 3.)
In 2009, the main organization--the organization for which the volunteer worked
the most hours during the year--was most frequently religious (34.0 percent of
all volunteers), followed by educational or youth service related (26.1 per-
cent). Another 13.9 percent of volunteers performed activities mainly for so-
cial or community service organizations. (See table 4.)
Older volunteers were more likely to volunteer mainly for religious organiza-
tions than were their younger counterparts. For example, 44.8 percent of vol-
unteers age 65 and over did their service mainly through or for a religious
organization, compared with 28.6 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 de-
creased as educational attainment increased, from 47.1 percent of volunteers
with less than a high school diploma to 31.3 percent of those with a bachelor's
degree and higher. Volunteering primarily for sport, hobby, cultural, or arts
organizations increased with educational attainment. Of volunteers with less
than a high school diploma, 0.9 percent volunteered mainly for this type of
organization, compared with 4.2 percent of those with a bachelor's degree and
higher.
Among volunteers with children under 18 years old, 47.4 percent of mothers and
38.9 percent of fathers volunteered mainly for an educational or youth service
organization, such as a school or scouting group. Parents were more than twice
as likely to volunteer for such organizations as persons with no children of
that age. Conversely, 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 (11.3 percent), followed by collecting, preparing,
distributing, or serving food (10.3 percent). Men and women often engaged in
different main activities. Men who volunteered were most likely to engage in
general labor (12.4 percent); coach, referee, or supervise sports teams (9.4
percent); provide professional or management assistance (9.4 percent); or fund-
raise (9.4 percent). Female volunteers were most likely to fundraise (12.6 per-
cent); collect, prepare, distribute, or serve food (11.8 percent); or tutor
or teach (11.0 percent). (See table 5.)
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 much less
likely to collect, prepare, distribute, or serve food or engage in general
labor.
Parents with children under age 18 were considerably more likely than persons
without children to engage in some types of volunteer activities that are fre-
quently related to children--including coaching, refereeing, or supervising
sports teams; tutoring or teaching; and mentoring youth.
How Volunteers Became Involved with Main Organization
About 44.0 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, 40.9 percent, became involved on their own initia-
tive; that is, they approached the organization. (See table 6.)
