A new study finds the US is riding a wave of generosity driven by millions of people who freely offer their time, labor, and expertise as volunteers.
The stats from the Corporation for National and Community Service show that overall, 77.4 million Americans volunteered 6.9 billion hours in 2017, the most recent figures available. That’s worth an estimated value of nearly $167 billion.
The survey also found that nearly one-third of adult Americans volunteer at least once a year. That’s a hefty increase of more than 6 percentage points over the previous year.
Advocates say volunteering strengthens the foundation of any neighborhood or community — magnifying the ability to perform good works and contribute to the greater good.
According to the survey, volunteers donated to charity at double the rate of non-volunteers. Twice as often as not, volunteers performed favors for neighbors.
Researchers say the largest age group for volunteers was Generation X, the volunteer rate for women is higher than men, and the most generous state in America is Utah, which boasts the highest percentage of volunteers in all 50 states. Minnesota ranked second with Oregon, Iowa and Alaska rounding out the top five.
The most enthusiastic volunteers tend to keep volunteering because they’ve found a way to bring together two things: the satisfaction of doing good for other people along with gaining something for themselves.