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Economic News Release
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Volunteering in the United States News Release

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, volun-
teered 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 volun-
teering 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.  For more information about the volunteer supplement,
see the Technical Note.

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 volun-
teer 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 mari-
tal statuses (20.9 percent).  Parents with children under age 18 were 
substantially more likely to volunteer than were persons without chil-
dren, 33.8 percent compared with 23.5 percent.

   Individuals with higher levels of educational attainment volunteer-
ed at higher rates than did those with less education.  Among persons 
age 25 and over, 42.2 percent of college graduates volunteered, compar-
ed 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.  (See table 2.)


                                  - 2 -
                                  
                                  
Table A.  Volunteers by selected characteristics, September 2004 through September 2008

(Numbers in thousands)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              |September 2004|September 2005|September 2006|September 2007|September 2008
    Characteristic            |---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              |      |Percent|      |Percent|      |Percent|      |Percent|      |Percent 
                              |Number|of pop-|Number|of pop-|Number|of pop-|Number|of pop-|Number|of pop- 
                              |      |ulation|      |ulation|      |ulation|      |ulation|      |ulation 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Sex              |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
                              |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
Total, both sexes ............|64,542|  28.8 |65,357|  28.8 |61,199|  26.7 |60,838|  26.2 |61,803|  26.4  
   Men .......................|27,011|  25.0 |27,370|  25.0 |25,546|  23.0 |25,724|  22.9 |26,268|  23.2  
   Women .....................|37,530|  32.4 |37,987|  32.4 |35,653|  30.1 |35,114|  29.3 |35,535|  29.4  
                              |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
             Age              |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
                              |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
Total, 16 years and over .....|64,542|  28.8 |65,357|  28.8 |61,199|  26.7 |60,838|  26.2 |61,803|  26.4  
   16 to 24 years ............| 8,821|  24.2 | 8,955|  24.4 | 8,044|  21.7 | 7,798|  20.8 | 8,239|  21.9  
   25 to 34 years ............|10,046|  25.8 | 9,881|  25.3 | 9,096|  23.1 | 9,019|  22.6 | 9,154|  22.8  
   35 to 44 years ............|14,783|  34.2 |14,809|  34.5 |13,308|  31.2 |12,902|  30.5 |13,016|  31.3  
   45 to 54 years ............|13,584|  32.8 |13,826|  32.7 |13,415|  31.2 |13,136|  30.1 |13,189|  29.9  
   55 to 64 years ............| 8,784|  30.1 | 9,173|  30.2 | 8,819|  27.9 | 9,316|  28.4 | 9,456|  28.1  
   65 years and over .........| 8,524|  24.6 | 8,712|  24.8 | 8,518|  23.8 | 8,667|  23.8 | 8,749|  23.5  
                              |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
Race and Hispanic or Latino   |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
        ethnicity             |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
                              |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
White  .......................|55,892|  30.5 |56,170|  30.4 |52,850|  28.3 |52,586|  27.9 |53,078|  27.9  
Black or African American  ...| 5,435|  20.8 | 5,879|  22.1 | 5,211|  19.2 | 5,010|  18.2 | 5,325|  19.1  
Asian  .......................| 1,832|  19.3 | 2,055|  20.7 | 1,881|  18.5 | 1,887|  17.7 | 2,022|  18.7  
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity .| 4,102|  14.5 | 4,511|  15.4 | 4,212|  13.9 | 4,279|  13.5 | 4,662|  14.4  
                              |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
  Educational attainment (1)  |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
                              |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
Less than a high school       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
 diploma .....................| 2,718|   9.6 | 2,837|  10.0 | 2,615|   9.3 | 2,394|   9.0 | 2,427|   9.4  
High school graduates, no     |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
 college (2). ................|12,709|  21.6 |12,594|  21.2 |11,537|  19.2 |11,379|  18.6 |10,998|  19.1  
Some college or associate     |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
 degree ......................|16,414|  34.2 |16,452|  33.7 |15,196|  30.9 |15,468|  30.7 |15,519|  30.0  
Bachelor's degree and         |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
 higher (3) ..................|23,880|  45.7 |24,517|  45.8 |23,808|  43.3 |23,799|  41.8 |24,620|  42.2  
                              |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
        Employment status     |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
                              |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
Civilian labor force .........|45,896|  30.9 |46,872|  31.1 |43,579|  28.5 |43,405|  28.1 |44,313|  28.5  
   Employed ..................|43,886|  31.2 |44,894|  31.3 |41,861|  28.7 |41,708|  28.3 |42,131|  28.9  
     Full time (4) ...........|34,237|  29.6 |35,225|  29.8 |32,951|  27.3 |32,714|  26.9 |33,344|  27.8  
     Part time (5) ...........| 9,649|  38.5 | 9,669|  38.2 | 8,910|  35.5 | 8,994|  35.4 | 8,788|  34.2  
   Unemployed.................| 2,010|  25.6 | 1,978|  26.4 | 1,718|  23.8 | 1,697|  23.2 | 2,181|  22.3  
Not in the labor force........|18,646|  24.7 |18,485|  24.4 |17,621|  23.1 |17,433|  22.3 |17,491|  22.2  
                              |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |       |      |        
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   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 activities for an
organization at any point in the year ending in September.  See the Technical Note for further information.


                                  - 3 -
                                  
                                  
Number and Type of Organizations

   Most volunteers were involved with either one or two organiza-
tions--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 organi-
zation than were persons without children under 18.  (See table 3.)

   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 volun-
teers performed activities mainly for social or community service
organizations.  (See table 4.)

   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.  Volun-
teering 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 educa-
tional 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 com-
munity service organizations.

                                  - 4 -


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 teach-
ing (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 per-
cent).  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).  (See table 5.)

   Educational attainment influenced the types of activities volun-
teers 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 organi-
zation.  (See table 6.)







                                  - 5 -
                                  
                                  
Technical Note

   The data in this release were collected through a supplement to the
September 2008 Current Population Survey (CPS).  The CPS--a monthly
survey of about 60,000 households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau
for the Bureau of Labor Statistics--focuses on obtaining information on
employment and unemployment among the nation's civilian noninstitutional
population age 16 and over.  The purpose of this supplement to the CPS
was to obtain information on the incidence of volunteering and the
characteristics of volunteers in the United States.

   Information in this release will be made available to sensory-
impaired individuals upon request.  Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; TDD
message referral phone number:  1-800-877-8339.

Reliability of the estimates

   Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and non-
sampling error.  When a sample, rather than the entire population, is
surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from
the "true" population values they represent.  The exact difference, or
sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, and
this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate.
There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an
estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard
errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error.  BLS
analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.

   The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error.  Nonsampling
error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a
segment of the population, inability to obtain information for all
respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to
provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or
processing of the data.

   For a full discussion of the reliability of CPS data  and for
information on estimating standard errors, see the Household Data
Section of the "Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error" at
http://www.bls.gov/cps/eetech_methods.pdf.

   The Census Bureau introduces adjustments to the population controls
for the CPS as part of its annual update of population estimates.  The
2003 adjustment resulted in an increase to the estimates for all
population categories.  This increase was partly offset by downward 
adjustments in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008.  The 2007 adjustment was in
the upward direction.  Consequently, estimated levels of volunteers for
September 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 are not strictly com-
parable with one another, or with estimated levels for September 
2002.  These adjustments to the levels, however, should have had only
negligible effects on the volunteer rates.  In addition to the population
control adjustments, new questions on race and ethnicity were introduced
into the CPS in January 2003.  For a discussion of the changes introduced
into the CPS in January 2003, see "Revisions to the Current Population
Survey Effective in January 2003," in the February 2003 issue of Employ-
ment and Earnings, at http://www.bls.gov/cps/rvcps03.pdf.  For a discus-
sion of the changes introduced in January 2004, see "Adjustments to House-
hold Survey Population Estimates in January 2004," in the February 2004 
issue of Employment and Earnings, at http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps04adj.pdf.  
For a discussion of the changes introduced in January 2005, see "Adjust-
ments to Household Survey Population Estimates in January 2005," in the 
February 2005 issue of Employment and Earnings, at http://www.bls.gov/
cps/cps05adj.pdf.  For a discussion of the changes introduced in January 
2006, see "Adjustments to Household Survey Population Estimates in Jan-
uary 2006," in the February 2006 issue of Employment and Earnings, at 
http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps06adj.pdf.  For a discussion of the changes 
introduced in January 2007, see "Adjustments to Household Survey Popu-
lation Estimates in January 2007," in the February 2007 issue of Employ-
ment and Earnings, at http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps07adj.pdf.  For a dis-
cussion of the changes introduced in January 2008, see "Adjustments to 
Household Survey Population Estimates in January 2008," in the February
2008 issue of Employment and Earnings Online, available on the BLS Web
site at http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps08adj.pdf.

                                  - 6 -


Volunteer questions and concepts

   In the September 2008 supplement, questions on volunteer activities
were asked of all households.  Efforts were made to have household
members answer the volunteer questions for themselves.  (Generally, one
member of the household answers all the questions in the CPS on behalf
of the entire household.)  Self-response was considered important for
the volunteer supplement because research indicated that self-respond-
ents could more easily answer questions on the characteristics of the 
volunteer activity.  About 68.2 percent of the responses were self-
reports.

   The survey was introduced as follows:  "This month, we are interested
in volunteer activities, that is, activities for which people are not
paid, except perhaps expenses.  We only want you to include volunteer
activities that you did through or for an organization, even if you only
did them once in a while."

   Following this introduction, respondents were asked the first supple-
ment question:  "Since September 1st of last year, have you done any 
volunteer activities through or for an organization?"

   If respondents did not answer "yes" to the first question, they were
asked the following question:  "Sometimes people don't think of activi-
ties they do infrequently or activities they do for children's schools 
or youth organizations as volunteer activities.  Since September 1st of 
last year, have you done any of these types of volunteer activities?"

   Respondents were considered volunteers if they answered "yes" to
either of these questions.  This is the same method of identifying
volunteers as was used in each of the six prior supplements.

   Respondents classified as volunteers were asked further questions
about the number and type of organizations for which they volunteered,
total hours spent volunteering, how they became involved with the main
organization for which they volunteered, the type of activities they
performed for the main organization, and what their main activity was.

   The reference period for the questions on volunteering was about 1
year, from September 1, 2007, through the survey week in September 2008.
The reference period for other characteristics--such as labor force
status, educational attainment, and marital status--refer to the survey
reference week in September 2008.  It is possible that these character-
istics were different at the time volunteer activities were performed.

   One new question was added to the 2008 survey to determine whether or
not respondents had donated money, assets, or property with a combined
value of more than $25 to charitable or religious organizations in the
past 12 months.  Two questions asked in the 2007 supplement were removed
in 2008.  These questions asked how often respondents who had attended
public meetings or who had worked with others in their neighborhood to
fix a problem did so.

                                  - 7 -
                                  
                                  
Definitions
   
   Volunteers are persons who performed unpaid volunteer activities at
any point from September 1, 2007, through the survey period in September
2008.  The count of volunteers only includes persons who volunteered
through or for an organization; the figures do not include persons who
volunteered in a more informal manner.  For example, a woman who taught
acting to children through a local theater would be considered a volun-
teer.  However, a woman who, on her own, organized softball games for 
the children in her neighborhood would not be counted as a volunteer 
for the purpose of this survey.

   Organizations are associations, societies, or groups of people who
share a common interest.  Examples include churches, youth groups, and
civic organizations.  For the purpose of this study, organizations are
grouped into eight major categories, including religious, youth, and
social or community service organizations.  (See table 4.)

   In the 2005 survey, one organization category, immigrant/refugee
assistance, was added to the questionnaire as a possible response.
Responses that were collected in this category may have been distributed
over at least six of the major organization categories in previous
years.  For this reason, the addition of the new response category
created a break in the comparability of organizations between 2005 and
prior years.  Because few people reported volunteering for immigrant/
refugee assistance organizations and because the group was not a de-
finite subset of any of the major organization categories, those
persons who did report that they volunteered for immigrant/refugee
assistance organizations were placed in the "other" group.

   The main organization is the organization for which the volunteer
worked the most hours during the year.  If a respondent volunteered for
only one organization, it was considered the main organization, even if
exact hours were not obtained.

   In order to identify the type of main organization, respondents
provided information about the organization and, for those who
volunteered for more than one organization, annual hours worked for
each.  Some respondents did not provide the information necessary to
determine the main organization.  For these respondents, the follow-up
questions on activities and how they became involved with the main
organization asked them to report on the organization for which they
think they spent the most time volunteering.

   Activities are the specific tasks the volunteer did for an organi-
zation.  Examples include tutoring, fundraising, and serving food.
The activity categories were modified in 2005, thus creating a break in
the comparability of activities between 2005 and prior years.

   In 2006, a new question was added that asked respondents on which of
the activities they mentioned they spent the most time.  Previously,
respondents reported all of the activities they did for their main
organization.  The new question identified which of them was the main
activity for the main organization.






     Table 1.  Volunteers by selected characteristics, September 2008
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                        
                                                   Total, both sexes                     Men                           Women            
                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                        
       Characteristics in September 2008     Civilian       Volunteers      Civilian       Volunteers      Civilian       Volunteers    
                                             noninsti-                      noninsti-                      noninsti-                    
                                             tutional                       tutional                       tutional                     
                                            population  Number  Percent of population  Number  Percent of population  Number  Percent of
                                                                population                     population                     population
                                                                                                                                        
                      Age                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                        
     Total, 16 years and over..............  234,360    61,803      26.4    113,414    26,268      23.2    120,946    35,535      29.4  
       16 to 24 years......................   37,547     8,239      21.9     18,938     3,747      19.8     18,609     4,493      24.1  
          16 to 19 years...................   17,101     4,437      25.9      8,673     2,074      23.9      8,428     2,364      28.0  
          20 to 24 years...................   20,446     3,802      18.6     10,265     1,673      16.3     10,181     2,129      20.9  
       25 years and over...................  196,813    53,564      27.2     94,476    22,521      23.8    102,337    31,043      30.3  
          25 to 34 years...................   40,131     9,154      22.8     20,080     3,689      18.4     20,051     5,465      27.3  
          35 to 44 years...................   41,576    13,016      31.3     20,512     5,397      26.3     21,064     7,619      36.2  
          45 to 54 years...................   44,104    13,189      29.9     21,597     5,682      26.3     22,507     7,507      33.4  
          55 to 64 years...................   33,696     9,456      28.1     16,222     4,196      25.9     17,474     5,260      30.1  
          65 years and over................   37,306     8,749      23.5     16,065     3,558      22.1     21,241     5,191      24.4  
                                                                                                                                        
     Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                        
     White.................................  189,916    53,078      27.9     92,930    22,756      24.5     96,986    30,322      31.3  
     Black or African American.............   27,939     5,325      19.1     12,564     2,065      16.4     15,376     3,260      21.2  
     Asian.................................   10,826     2,022      18.7      5,138       881      17.1      5,688     1,141      20.1  
     Hispanic or Latino ethnicity..........   32,369     4,662      14.4     16,645     1,936      11.6     15,724     2,726      17.3  
                                                                                                                                        
           Educational attainment (1)                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                        
     Less than a high school diploma.......   25,879     2,427       9.4     12,787       954       7.5     13,092     1,473      11.3  
     High school graduates, no college (2)    60,719    10,998      18.1     29,272     4,510      15.4     31,448     6,489      20.6  
     Some college or associate degree .....   51,812    15,519      30.0     23,521     5,978      25.4     28,290     9,541      33.7  
     Bachelor's degree and higher (3)......   58,403    24,620      42.2     28,896    11,080      38.3     29,507    13,539      45.9  
                                                                                                                                        
                 Marital status                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                        
     Single, never married.................   66,079    13,475      20.4     35,308     6,080      17.2     30,770     7,394      24.0  
     Married, spouse present...............  122,784    38,827      31.6     61,944    17,474      28.2     60,840    21,352      35.1  
     Other marital status (4)..............   45,497     9,502      20.9     16,162     2,714      16.8     29,336     6,788      23.1  
                                                                                                                                        
            Presence of own children                                                                                                    
               under 18 years (5)                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                        
     Without own children under 18.........  168,293    39,485      23.5     84,432    17,377      20.6     83,861    22,108      26.4  
     With own children under 18............   66,067    22,318      33.8     28,982     8,891      30.7     37,085    13,427      36.2  
                                                                                                                                        
               Employment status                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                        
     Civilian labor force..................  155,512    44,313      28.5     82,922    20,589      24.8     72,589    23,723      32.7  
       Employed............................  145,737    42,131      28.9     77,460    19,661      25.4     68,277    22,470      32.9  
         Full time (6).....................  120,063    33,344      27.8     68,604    17,377      25.3     51,458    15,966      31.0  
         Part time (7).....................   25,674     8,788      34.2      8,856     2,284      25.8     16,818     6,504      38.7  
       Unemployed..........................    9,775     2,181      22.3      5,462       928      17.0      4,313     1,253      29.0  
     Not in the labor force................   78,848    17,491      22.2     30,492     5,679      18.6     48,357    11,812      24.4  

       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, professional, and doctoral degrees.  
       4 Includes divorced, separated, and widowed persons.
       5 Own children include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children.  Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and
     other related and unrelated children.
       6 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
       7 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.
       NOTE:  Data on volunteers relate to persons who performed unpaid volunteer activities for an organization at any point from
     September 1, 2007, through the survey period in September 2008.  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.






     Table 2.  Volunteers by annual hours of volunteer activities and selected characteristics, September 2008
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                                                         Percent distribution of total annual hours spent volunteering          
                                                                              at all organizations                              
                                               Total                                                                     Median 
       Characteristics in September 2008     volunteers                                                                  annual 
                                            (thousands)                                      100 to     500      Not      hours 
                                                          Total   1 to 14 15 to 49 50 to 99    499     hours  reporting    (1)  
                                                                  hour(s)   hours    hours    hours  and over   annual          
                                                                                                                hours           
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                      Sex                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     Total, both sexes.....................    61,803     100.0     19.8     25.5     15.5     28.9      5.4      4.7      52   
        Men................................    26,268     100.0     19.1     25.9     15.2     29.1      5.9      4.8      52   
        Women..............................    35,535     100.0     20.4     25.3     15.8     28.8      5.1      4.7      52   
                                                                                                                                
                      Age                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     Total, 16 years and over..............    61,803     100.0     19.8     25.5     15.5     28.9      5.4      4.7      52   
       16 to 24 years......................     8,239     100.0     21.9     28.2     14.7     24.1      4.9      6.1      42   
          16 to 19 years...................     4,437     100.0     22.1     31.5     16.5     21.8      4.0      4.1      40   
          20 to 24 years...................     3,802     100.0     21.8     24.5     12.6     26.8      6.0      8.4      48   
       25 years and over...................    53,564     100.0     19.5     25.1     15.7     29.7      5.5      4.5      52   
          25 to 34 years...................     9,154     100.0     25.5     27.0     13.9     24.0      4.0      5.6      40   
          35 to 44 years...................    13,016     100.0     21.6     26.7     16.5     27.0      4.1      4.1      48   
          45 to 54 years...................    13,189     100.0     18.8     25.8     16.4     29.5      5.3      4.2      52   
          55 to 64 years...................     9,456     100.0     17.8     24.9     15.9     30.8      6.4      4.3      58   
          65 years and over................     8,749     100.0     13.1     19.9     15.0     38.5      8.6      4.9      96   
                                                                                                                                
     Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     White.................................    53,078     100.0     19.9     25.7     15.8     28.7      5.4      4.5      52   
     Black or African American.............     5,325     100.0     18.8     22.1     13.7     31.8      7.2      6.5      60   
     Asian.................................     2,022     100.0     21.8     30.1     11.5     28.0      2.9      5.7      40   
     Hispanic or Latino ethnicity..........     4,662     100.0     23.7     26.3     14.5     23.7      5.3      6.5      40   
                                                                                                                                
           Educational attainment (2)                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Less than a high school diploma.......     2,427     100.0     22.4     25.1     14.9     25.1      6.7      5.8      48   
     High school graduates, no college (3)     10,998     100.0     21.0     24.0     15.5     27.6      6.0      5.8      52   
     Some college or associate degree .....    15,519     100.0     20.7     25.0     15.1     29.6      5.3      4.3      52   
     Bachelor's degree and higher (4)......    24,620     100.0     17.8     25.7     16.2     31.0      5.3      4.0      60   
                                                                                                                                
                 Marital status                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     Single, never married.................    13,475     100.0     22.3     28.4     14.4     23.8      4.9      6.2      40   
     Married, spouse present...............    38,827     100.0     18.9     24.7     16.1     30.6      5.5      4.2      56   
     Other marital status (5)..............     9,502     100.0     20.2     24.7     15.0     29.4      5.9      4.9      52   
                                                                                                                                
            Presence of own children                                                                                            
               under 18 years (6)                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Men:                                                                                                                       
       No own children under 18 years old..    17,377     100.0     18.4     26.1     14.4     29.1      6.4      5.6      52   
       With own children under 18 years old     8,891     100.0     20.6     25.4     16.7     29.1      4.8      3.3      52   
     Women:                                                                                                                     
       No own children under 18 years old..    22,108     100.0     19.2     24.8     15.2     29.8      5.8      5.2      52   
       With own children under 18 years old    13,427     100.0     22.3     26.1     16.8     27.2      3.9      3.8      48   
                                                                                                                                
               Employment status                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Civilian labor force..................    44,313     100.0     21.1     26.7     15.7     27.2      4.7      4.7      48   
       Employed............................    42,131     100.0     21.2     26.5     15.9     27.3      4.5      4.7      48   
         Full time (7).....................    33,344     100.0     21.6     26.7     15.6     26.9      4.3      4.9      48   
         Part time (8).....................     8,788     100.0     19.9     25.7     16.7     28.9      5.3      3.6      52   
       Unemployed..........................     2,181     100.0     19.4     29.2     12.9     25.5      8.2      4.8      48   
     Not in the labor force................    17,491     100.0     16.6     22.7     15.1     33.2      7.4      5.0      70   

       1 For those reporting annual hours.
       2 Data refer to persons 25 years and over.
       3 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
       4 Includes persons with bachelor's, professional, and doctoral degrees.  
       5 Includes divorced, separated, and widowed persons.
       6 Own children include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children.  Not included are nieces, nephews,
     grandchildren, and other related and unrelated children.
       7 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
       8 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.
       NOTE:  Data on volunteers relate to persons who performed unpaid volunteer activities for an organization at any point
     from September 1, 2007, through the survey period in September 2008.  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. 






     Table 3.  Volunteers by number of organizations for which volunteer activities were performed and
     selected characteristics, September 2008
                                                                                                          
                                                                                                          
                                                               Percent distribution of the number of      
                                                         organizations for which volunteer activities were
                                                                             performed                    
                                               Total                                                      
       Characteristics in September 2008     volunteers                                                   
                                            (thousands)                                            Not    
                                                                                      Five or   reporting 
                                                        Total  One   Two  Three  Four   more    number of 
                                                                                                organiza- 
                                                                                                  tions   
                                                                                                          
                                                                                                          
                      Sex                                                                                 
                                                                                                          
     Total, both sexes.....................    61,803   100.0  69.6  19.3   7.0   2.4    1.4        0.3   
        Men................................    26,268   100.0  71.5  18.3   6.4   2.2    1.2         .4   
        Women..............................    35,535   100.0  68.2  20.0   7.5   2.5    1.5         .3   
                                                                                                          
                      Age                                                                                 
                                                                                                          
     Total, 16 years and over..............    61,803   100.0  69.6  19.3   7.0   2.4    1.4         .3   
       16 to 24 years......................     8,239   100.0  74.2  17.1   5.7   1.9     .6         .5   
          16 to 19 years...................     4,437   100.0  72.0  18.4   6.0   2.3    1.0         .2   
          20 to 24 years...................     3,802   100.0  76.9  15.7   5.2   1.3     .1         .8   
       25 years and over...................    53,564   100.0  68.9  19.6   7.3   2.4    1.5         .3   
          25 to 34 years...................     9,154   100.0  75.7  16.8   4.7   1.6     .7         .4   
          35 to 44 years...................    13,016   100.0  68.0  20.0   8.1   2.3    1.3         .2   
          45 to 54 years...................    13,189   100.0  66.3  20.9   7.8   3.0    1.7         .3   
          55 to 64 years...................     9,456   100.0  66.8  20.3   7.9   2.6    2.0         .3   
          65 years and over................     8,749   100.0  69.3  19.2   7.1   2.5    1.6         .3   
                                                                                                          
     Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity                                                                
                                                                                                          
     White.................................    53,078   100.0  68.2  20.0   7.5   2.5    1.4         .3   
     Black or African American.............     5,325   100.0  78.5  14.3   4.5   1.0    1.0         .6   
     Asian.................................     2,022   100.0  79.4  14.0   3.7   1.4     .9         .5   
     Hispanic or Latino ethnicity..........     4,662   100.0  81.5  12.6   3.9   1.1     .4         .4   
                                                                                                          
           Educational attainment (1)                                                                     
                                                                                                          
     Less than a high school diploma.......     2,427   100.0  87.8   8.4   2.5    .6     .2         .6   
     High school graduates, no college (2)     10,998   100.0  78.7  15.2   4.0   1.1     .7         .3   
     Some college or associate degree .....    15,519   100.0  70.5  19.8   6.4   2.0    1.1         .3   
     Bachelor's degree and higher (3)......    24,620   100.0  61.7  22.6   9.7   3.5    2.2         .3   
                                                                                                          
                 Marital status                                                                           
                                                                                                          
     Single, never married.................    13,475   100.0  72.8  18.0   5.9   1.9     .8         .6   
     Married, spouse present...............    38,827   100.0  68.2  20.0   7.4   2.5    1.7         .3   
     Other marital status (4)..............     9,502   100.0  70.9  18.2   7.2   2.5    1.0         .2   
                                                                                                          
       Presence of own children under 18                                                                  
                   years (5)                                                                              
                                                                                                          
     Men:                                                                                                 
       No own children under 18 years old..    17,377   100.0  72.5  17.5   6.2   2.2    1.2         .5   
       With own children under 18 years old     8,891   100.0  69.6  20.0   6.7   2.1    1.4         .3   
     Women:                                                                                               
       No own children under 18 years old..    22,108   100.0  69.3  19.5   7.1   2.3    1.5         .4   
       With own children under 18 years old    13,427   100.0  66.5  20.8   8.3   2.8    1.4         .2   
                                                                                                          
               Employment status                                                                          
                                                                                                          
     Civilian labor force..................    44,313   100.0  69.1  19.7   7.2   2.3    1.3         .4   
       Employed............................    42,131   100.0  68.8  19.8   7.3   2.4    1.3         .4   
         Full time (6).....................    33,344   100.0  69.3  19.6   7.1   2.3    1.3         .4   
         Part time (7).....................     8,788   100.0  66.9  20.6   8.1   2.9    1.4         .2   
       Unemployed..........................     2,181   100.0  74.1  17.5   5.6   1.6    1.2         -    
     Not in the labor force................    17,491   100.0  71.0  18.3   6.5   2.4    1.5         .2   

       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, professional, and doctoral degrees.  
       4 Includes divorced, separated, and widowed persons.
       5 Own children include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children.  Not included are
     nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related and unrelated children.
       6 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
       7 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.
       NOTE:  Data on volunteers relate to persons who performed unpaid volunteer activities for an
     organization at any point from September 1, 2007, through the survey period in September 2008. 
     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.   Dash represents or rounds to zero.






     Table 4.  Volunteers by type of main organization for which volunteer activities were performed and selected characteristics, September 2008
                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                      Percent distribution of volunteers by type of main organization (1)                
                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                         
                                            Total             Civic,                                                                                     
      Characteristics in September 2008   volunteers        political,   Educa-   Environ-  Hospital                  Social or   Sport,           Not   
                                         (thousands) Total   profes-   tional or mental or  or other Public Religious community   hobby,  Other   deter- 
                                                            sional, or   youth     animal    health  safety            service  cultural,         mined  
                                                              inter-    service     care                                         or arts                 
                                                             national                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                         
                     Sex                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                         
     Total, both sexes..................    61,803   100.0      5.5       26.0       2.0       8.2      1.3    35.1      13.5       3.3     3.3     1.9  
        Men.............................    26,268   100.0      6.8       24.8       2.0       6.4      2.1    34.6      13.7       3.8     3.7     1.9  
        Women...........................    35,535   100.0      4.4       27.0       2.0       9.5       .6    35.5      13.4       2.8     3.0     1.8  
                                                                                                                                                         
                     Age                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                         
     Total, 16 years and over...........    61,803   100.0      5.5       26.0       2.0       8.2      1.3    35.1      13.5       3.3     3.3     1.9  
       16 to 24 years...................     8,239   100.0      4.7       27.7       3.0       8.8      1.6    30.8      13.9       3.2     3.6     2.7  
          16 to 19 years................     4,437   100.0      4.1       31.3       3.1       7.0      1.6    30.8      13.6       3.2     3.4     1.9  
          20 to 24 years................     3,802   100.0      5.3       23.5       2.8      10.9      1.7    30.8      14.2       3.2     3.9     3.6  
       25 years and over................    53,564   100.0      5.6       25.8       1.8       8.1      1.2    35.8      13.5       3.3     3.2     1.7  
          25 to 34 years................     9,154   100.0      5.0       32.4       2.1       8.1      1.4    28.9      13.1       3.3     3.1     2.6  
          35 to 44 years................    13,016   100.0      4.3       41.3       1.4       5.7      1.4    28.7      10.5       2.7     2.6     1.4  
          45 to 54 years................    13,189   100.0      5.0       26.8       1.9       7.8      1.0    36.6      13.2       3.1     3.0     1.7  
          55 to 64 years................     9,456   100.0      7.6       13.7       2.3       9.7      1.2    41.2      15.2       3.7     3.6     1.7  
          65 years and over.............     8,749   100.0      6.8        7.4       1.5      10.3      1.0    46.7      16.7       3.9     4.3     1.4  
                                                                                                                                                         
         Race and Hispanic or Latino                                                                                                                     
                 ethnicity                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                         
     White..............................    53,078   100.0      5.6       26.1       2.2       8.5      1.4    33.9      13.8       3.4     3.4     1.7  
     Black or African American..........     5,325   100.0      4.3       22.9        .3       6.3       .2    46.5      12.7       1.5     2.6     2.7  
     Asian..............................     2,022   100.0      4.5       31.6        .6       6.4       .3    37.0       9.1       4.0     3.0     3.6  
     Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.......     4,662   100.0      3.1       34.5       1.1       5.2       .6    38.5       9.6       2.4     2.5     2.5  
                                                                                                                                                         
         Educational attainment (2)                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                         
     Less than a high school diploma....     2,427   100.0      3.4       21.9        .6       6.0      1.5    47.0      12.5       1.2     4.5     1.5  
     High school graduates, no college                                                                                                                   
     (3)................................    10,998   100.0      4.6       23.2       1.1       8.7      1.8    40.6      12.6       3.0     2.9     1.4  
     Some college or associate degree ..    15,519   100.0      5.5       25.1       2.1       8.0      1.3    36.4      13.7       3.2     2.8     1.7  
     Bachelor's degree and higher (4)...    24,620   100.0      6.3       27.8       2.1       8.0       .8    32.1      13.8       3.6     3.5     1.9  
                                                                                                                                                         
               Marital status                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                         
     Single, never married..............    13,475   100.0      5.6       25.9       2.8      10.3      1.3    28.0      15.5       3.6     4.0     3.0  
     Married, spouse present............    38,827   100.0      5.3       27.7       1.6       6.8      1.3    38.0      11.9       3.1     2.9     1.5  
     Other marital status (5)...........     9,502   100.0      6.1       19.7       2.3      10.8      1.1    33.8      17.4       3.5     3.7     1.7  
                                                                                                                                                         
          Presence of own children                                                                                                                       
              under 18 years (6)                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                         
     Men:                                                                                                                                                
       No own children under 18 years                                                                                                                    
     old................................    17,377   100.0      7.7       16.7       2.5       7.7      2.3    35.9      16.6       3.9     4.5     2.2  
       With own children under 18 years                                                                                                                  
     old................................     8,891   100.0      5.2       40.6        .9       3.8      1.8    32.2       8.1       3.8     2.2     1.4  
     Women:                                                                                                                                              
       No own children under 18 years                                                                                                                    
     old................................    22,108   100.0      5.4       15.5       2.7      12.3       .7    38.2      16.2       3.4     3.6     2.1  
       With own children under 18 years                                                                                                                  
     old................................    13,427   100.0      2.9       45.8        .7       4.9       .5    31.1       8.8       2.0     1.9     1.3  
                                                                                                                                                         
              Employment status                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                         
     Civilian labor force...............    44,313   100.0      5.6       27.9       2.0       7.9      1.4    33.9      13.0       3.1     3.1     2.0  
       Employed.........................    42,131   100.0      5.6       27.6       2.0       8.0      1.4    34.0      13.1       3.1     3.1     2.0  
         Full time (7)..................    33,344   100.0      5.7       27.5       2.1       8.2      1.6    32.9      13.5       3.2     3.2     2.2  
         Part time (8)..................     8,788   100.0      5.0       28.1       1.9       7.2       .8    37.9      11.7       2.9     3.0     1.5  
       Unemployed.......................     2,181   100.0      5.6       32.2       2.2       5.9      1.0    32.1      11.7       3.5     3.7     2.1  
     Not in the labor force.............    17,491   100.0      5.2       21.4       1.7       8.9       .9    38.4      14.8       3.6     3.6     1.4  

       1 Main organization is defined as the organization for which the volunteer worked the most hours during the year.  See the Technical Note for more
     details.
       2 Data refer to persons 25 years and over.
       3 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
       4 Includes persons with bachelor's, professional, and doctoral degrees.  
       5 Includes divorced, separated, and widowed persons.
       6 Own children include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children.  Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related
     and unrelated children.
       7 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
       8 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.
       NOTE:  Data on volunteers relate to persons who performed unpaid volunteer activities for an organization at any point from September 1, 2007,
     through the survey period in September 2008.  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. 






     Table 5.  Main volunteer activity for main organization for which activities were performed and selected characteristics, 
     September 2008
                                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                     Percent distribution of main volunteer activity for main organization (1)                    
                                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                            Provide                               
                                                                                                                            profes-                               
                                                                                        Collect,          Provide           sional                                
                                                                                        make, or  Fund-  counsel-             or     Engage   Engage              
                                        Total    Coach,                        Collect, distri-   raise    ing,             manage-    in       in                
      Characteristics in September   volunteers referee,               Be an     pre-     bute      or    medical Provide    ment    music,   general        Equal
                  2008                (thou-       or    Tutor Mentor  usher,    pare,   cloth-   sell     care,  general   assis-  perfor-   labor;         time 
                                       sands)    super-    or   youth greeter,  distri-   ing,    items    fire/   office   tance,  mance, or supply  Other  among
                                                  vise   teach           or    bute, or  crafts,   to     EMS, or services  includ-  other    trans-          all 
                                                 sports               minister   serve  or goods  raise  protec-              ing   artistic  porta-              
                                                  teams                          food     other   money   tive              serving  activi- tion to              
                                                                                          than           services            on a     ties    people              
                                                                                          food                             board or                               
                                                                                                                            commit-                               
                                                                                                                              tee                                 
                                                                                                                                                                  
                   Sex                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                  
     Total, both sexes..............   61,803       5.9   10.1    5.9     4.2      9.1      3.4    11.4      3.0      4.6      7.9      4.3      9.0   13.3    8.0
        Men.........................   26,268      10.3    7.6    5.7     5.5      6.8      2.0     9.5      3.4      2.7     10.1      4.1     12.6   12.7    7.1
        Women.......................   35,535       2.7   12.0    6.1     3.3     10.7      4.4    12.8      2.7      5.9      6.3      4.4      6.3   13.7    8.6
                                                                                                                                                                  
                   Age                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                  
     Total, 16 years and over.......   61,803       5.9   10.1    5.9     4.2      9.1      3.4    11.4      3.0      4.6      7.9      4.3      9.0   13.3    8.0
       16 to 24 years...............    8,239       4.9   10.0    9.0     2.6      8.2      2.7    10.4      3.3      3.5      2.2      7.1     13.3   14.3    8.6
          16 to 19 years............    4,437       5.8    8.8    8.6     3.1      9.7      2.8    10.9      2.0      3.2      1.0      7.2     14.7   13.9    8.3
          20 to 24 years............    3,802       3.7   11.3    9.4     1.9      6.4      2.6     9.9      4.9      3.9      3.6      7.1     11.7   14.7    8.9
       25 years and over............   53,564       6.1   10.1    5.5     4.5      9.2      3.5    11.6      3.0      4.7      8.8      3.8      8.3   13.1    7.9
          25 to 34 years............    9,154       8.2   11.7    8.4     2.8      7.4      2.7    12.2      3.1      3.7      5.4      3.5      8.4   14.9    7.5
          35 to 44 years............   13,016      10.6   12.1    7.2     3.1      7.6      2.9    12.2      2.9      3.9      6.7      2.7      7.8   12.5    7.9
          45 to 54 years............   13,189       6.6   10.7    5.9     4.1      8.9      2.9    11.8      3.1      4.3      9.8      4.0      8.8   11.4    7.6
          55 to 64 years............    9,456       2.1    8.3    3.1     5.5     10.2      3.7    11.9      3.5      5.1     12.8      4.2      8.3   13.1    8.1
          65 years and over.........    8,749        .7    6.7    1.8     7.5     13.0      5.5     9.2      2.2      7.2      9.4      5.2      8.3   14.9    8.4
                                                                                                                                                                  
       Race and Hispanic or Latino                                                                                                                                
               ethnicity                                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                  
     White..........................   53,078       6.1   10.0    5.7     4.0      8.9      3.4    11.8      3.1      4.6      8.3      4.1      9.1   13.1    7.8
     Black or African American......    5,325       5.6   10.7    8.4     7.0      9.9      2.8     7.7      2.6      4.3      4.8      5.2      7.8   14.1    9.1
     Asian..........................    2,022       3.4   13.3    4.0     4.3     11.1      3.2    12.8      3.3      3.5      5.8      4.7      8.7   14.5    7.6
     Hispanic or Latino ethnicity...    4,662       7.7   10.7    4.8     4.3     10.2      4.7    10.2      2.4      4.6      3.5      3.3      9.2   17.5    6.7
                                                                                                                                                                  
       Educational attainment (2)                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                                  
     Less than a high school diploma    2,427       4.2    7.0    2.6     7.1     14.4      4.9     9.5      2.4      4.7      1.9      2.4     11.9   20.4    6.5
     High school graduates, no                                                                                                                                    
     college (3)....................   10,998       5.9    7.4    4.8     5.1     13.1      4.5    12.0      2.6      4.7      4.2      3.1     10.5   14.0    8.2
     Some college or associate                                                                                                                                    
     degree ........................   15,519       6.1    9.4    5.4     4.5     10.3      3.6    12.0      2.9      5.2      6.5      4.0      9.0   12.9    8.2
     Bachelor's degree and higher                                                                                                                                 
     (4)............................   24,620       6.4   12.2    6.1     3.9      6.3      2.8    11.3      3.2      4.4     12.9      4.2      6.6   12.2    7.6
                                                                                                                                                                  
             Marital status                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                                  
     Single, never married..........   13,475       5.1    9.2    7.8     2.8      8.4      2.8    11.5      3.6      4.5      4.3      5.5     11.8   15.3    7.2
     Married, spouse present........   38,827       6.8   11.0    5.6     4.6      8.6      3.1    11.2      2.8      4.2      9.4      3.8      8.3   12.2    8.3
     Other marital status (5).......    9,502       3.5    7.7    4.4     4.5     12.0      5.4    12.0      3.2      6.0      6.7      4.3      7.9   14.8    7.5
                                                                                                                                                                  
        Presence of own children                                                                                                                                  
            under 18 years (6)                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                                  
     Men:                                                                                                                                                         
       No own children under 18                                                                                                                                   
     years old......................   17,377       4.6    6.9    5.0     5.8      7.7      2.2    10.2      3.7      3.0     10.6      4.7     13.9   14.3    7.4
       With own children under 18                                                                                                                                 
     years old......................    8,891      21.3    8.9    7.0     4.9      5.1      1.6     8.2      2.9      2.0      9.0      3.0     10.1    9.7    6.4
     Women:                                                                                                                                                       
       No own children under 18                                                                                                                                   
     years old......................   22,108       1.7    9.8    4.9     3.9     11.6      5.0    12.3      3.2      6.4      6.6      5.4      6.7   14.3    8.2
       With own children under 18                                                                                                                                 
     years old......................   13,427       4.3   15.7    8.1     2.3      9.3      3.4    13.7      2.0      5.2      5.7      2.9      5.6   12.7    9.3
                                                                                                                                                                  
            Employment status                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                                  
     Civilian labor force...........   44,313       7.2   10.4    6.4     3.9      8.1      2.7    11.9      3.3      3.8      8.5      4.2      9.1   12.8    7.8
       Employed.....................   42,131       7.3   10.4    6.5     3.9      8.0      2.7    12.0      3.3      3.7      8.7      4.1      9.0   12.7    7.7
         Full time (7)..............   33,344       8.1    9.9    6.4     4.0      7.6      2.7    12.3      3.5      3.4      9.3      3.7      9.0   12.5    7.5
         Part time (8)..............    8,788       4.1   12.5    6.8     3.3      9.5      2.6    11.0      2.8      4.8      6.3      5.7      8.6   13.5    8.6
       Unemployed...................    2,181       5.8    9.3    5.6     3.8     10.2      3.8     8.5      2.7      5.4      4.9      4.9     11.1   13.8   10.1
     Not in the labor force.........   17,491       2.6    9.5    4.7     5.1     11.4      4.9    10.3      2.3      6.5      6.4      4.6      8.8   14.6    8.3

       1 Main organization is defined as the organization for which the volunteer worked the most hours during the year.  See the Technical Note for more details.
       2 Data refer to persons 25 years and over.
       3 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
       4 Includes persons with bachelor's, professional, and doctoral degrees.  
       5 Includes divorced, separated, and widowed persons.
       6 Own children include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children.  Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related and
     unrelated children.
       7 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
       8 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.
       NOTE:  Data on volunteers relate to persons who performed unpaid volunteer activities for an organization at any point from September 1, 2007, through
     the survey period in September 2008.  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.  






     Table 6.  Volunteers by how they became involved with main organization for which volunteer activities were performed and
     selected characteristics, September 2008
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
                                             Percent distribution of how volunteers became involved with main organization (1)    
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
                               Total                                            Was asked by:                                     
       Characteristics in    volunteers                                                                                     Not   
         September 2008     (thousands)          Approached                                                              reporting
                                         Total       the                       Relative,   Someone in             Other     how   
                                                organization  Total   Boss or   friend,       the       Someone            became 
                                                               (2)    employer     or    organization/    else            involved
                                                                               co-worker     school                               
                                                                                                                                  
              Sex                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                  
     Total, both sexes.....    61,803    100.0       40.8      43.7      1.4      14.2        26.8         1.2     12.6      2.9  
        Men................    26,268    100.0       40.5      44.5      1.4      15.2        26.4         1.4     12.0      3.0  
        Women..............    35,535    100.0       41.1      43.1      1.3      13.5        27.0         1.1     13.0      2.8  
                                                                                                                                  
              Age                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                  
     Total, 16 years and                                                                                                          
     over..................    61,803    100.0       40.8      43.7      1.4      14.2        26.8         1.2     12.6      2.9  
       16 to 24 years......     8,239    100.0       40.0      41.4       .7      16.1        22.9         1.5     15.0      3.6  
          16 to 19 years...     4,437    100.0       39.7      41.5       .3      16.2        23.4         1.6     16.0      2.8  
          20 to 24 years...     3,802    100.0       40.4      41.3      1.3      16.1        22.3         1.4     13.8      4.5  
       25 years and over...    53,564    100.0       41.0      44.1      1.4      13.9        27.4         1.2     12.2      2.8  
          25 to 34 years...     9,154    100.0       41.6      42.5      2.4      15.1        23.1         1.5     12.5      3.3  
          35 to 44 years...    13,016    100.0       39.9      45.9      1.9      13.4        29.5         1.0     11.5      2.8  
          45 to 54 years...    13,189    100.0       39.7      45.0      1.4      13.9        28.6         1.0     12.8      2.5  
          55 to 64 years...     9,456    100.0       41.1      43.5      1.1      14.0        26.9         1.3     12.6      2.9  
          65 years and over     8,749    100.0       43.6      42.1       .1      13.3        27.3         1.4     11.7      2.7  
                                                                                                                                  
      Race and Hispanic or                                                                                                        
       Latino ethnicity                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                  
     White.................    53,078    100.0       40.9      44.2      1.3      14.2        27.3         1.3     12.3      2.7  
     Black or African                                                                                                             
     American..............     5,325    100.0       40.9      41.2      1.7      14.8        23.2         1.4     13.7      4.2  
     Asian.................     2,022    100.0       41.4      38.4      1.8      11.5        24.8          .2     14.4      5.8  
     Hispanic or Latino                                                                                                           
     ethnicity.............     4,662    100.0       44.0      41.0      1.7      12.8        24.6         1.5     11.9      3.1  
                                                                                                                                  
     Educational attainment                                                                                                       
              (3)                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                  
     Less than a high                                                                                                             
     school diploma........     2,427    100.0       45.4      42.1       .3      12.5        27.9         1.2     10.2      2.3  
     High school graduates,                                                                                                       
     no college (4)........    10,998    100.0       41.1      43.9      1.1      15.2        26.4         1.0     12.5      2.5  
     Some college or                                                                                                              
     associate degree .....    15,519    100.0       39.8      44.7      1.5      13.4        28.3         1.3     13.0      2.6  
     Bachelor's degree and                                                                                                        
     higher (5)............    24,620    100.0       41.2      44.0      1.7      13.8        27.2         1.2     11.8      3.1  
                                                                                                                                  
         Marital status                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                  
     Single, never married     13,475    100.0       39.8      40.9      1.8      16.8        20.6         1.6     15.2      4.0  
     Married, spouse                                                                                                              
     present...............    38,827    100.0       40.7      45.2      1.2      13.2        29.6         1.2     11.5      2.5  
     Other marital status                                                                                                         
     (6)...................     9,502    100.0       42.8      41.4      1.4      14.7        24.1         1.0     13.1      2.7  
                                                                                                                                  
        Presence of own                                                                                                           
       children under 18                                                                                                          
           years (7)                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                  
     Men:                                                                                                                         
       No own children                                                                                                            
     under 18 years old....    17,377    100.0       40.5      43.2      1.4      16.0        24.1         1.5     12.9      3.4  
       With own children                                                                                                          
     under 18 years old....     8,891    100.0       40.4      47.1      1.5      13.4        30.9         1.1     10.3      2.2  
     Women:                                                                                                                       
       No own children                                                                                                            
     under 18 years old....    22,108    100.0       40.9      41.9      1.3      15.4        23.7         1.3     13.9      3.3  
       With own children                                                                                                          
     under 18 years old....    13,427    100.0       41.4      45.0      1.3      10.3        32.5          .8     11.5      2.1  
                                                                                                                                  
       Employment status                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                  
     Civilian labor force..    44,313    100.0       40.0      44.4      1.8      14.5        26.8         1.2     12.6      3.0  
       Employed............    42,131    100.0       39.9      44.7      1.9      14.6        26.9         1.2     12.4      3.0  
         Full time (8).....    33,344    100.0       39.1      45.2      2.1      15.0        26.8         1.1     12.5      3.2  
         Part time (9).....     8,788    100.0       42.8      42.5       .8      12.8        27.5         1.3     12.4      2.4  
       Unemployed..........     2,181    100.0       41.5      40.0       .8      13.1        24.1         1.8     15.3      3.1  
     Not in the labor force    17,491    100.0       43.0      41.8       .2      13.4        26.8         1.4     12.6      2.6  

       1 Main organization is defined as the organization for which the volunteer worked the most hours during the year.  See the
     Technical Note for more details.
       2 Includes persons who did not specify who asked them to volunteer, not shown separately.
       3 Data refer to persons 25 years and over.
       4 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
       5 Includes persons with bachelor's, professional, and doctoral degrees.  
       6 Includes divorced, separated, and widowed persons.
       7 Own children include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children.  Not included are nieces, nephews,
     grandchildren, and other related and unrelated children.
       8 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
       9 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.
       NOTE:  Data on volunteers relate to persons who performed unpaid volunteer activities for an organization at any point
     from September 1, 2007, through the survey period in September 2008.  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.






Last Modified Date: January 23, 2009