Minnesotans Volunteer More Than the National Average

More Minnesotans are volunteering, and together they are donating more hours with a bigger economic impact than ever before, according to the Minnesota Office of Citizenship and Volunteer Services and the Minneapolis Star Tribune (3/30/00).

In a survey, nearly two-thirds of Minnesota adults reported doing some form of volunteer work in the previous six months. Calculated at a rate of $14.30 an hour, the average wage for non-farm work, those volunteer efforts were worth $6.5 billion to the state’s economy. (The survey was conducted by the University of Minnesota Center for Survey Research.)

“It’s part of the nature of our Midwestern work ethic, helping others,” said Bonnie Esposito, Director of the Minnesota Office of Citizenship and Volunteer Services.

Volunteering in the United States in 2004

About 64.5 million people did volunteer work at least once from September 2003 to September 2004, according the the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The proportion who volunteered during the year held steady at 28.8 percent. (Volunteers are defined as persons who did unpaid work through or for an organization). Women volunteered at a higher rate than men across age groups, education levels, and other major characteristics.

Source: Volunteering in the United States, 2004, US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics