AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, released the latest Volunteering and Civic Life in America research, a comprehensive look at how people make a difference in their communities and promote the common good.
The national formal volunteering rate increased 5.1 percentage points between 2021 and 2023, representing a growth rate of more than 22 percent in just two years. This is the largest expansion of formal volunteering ever recorded and truly showcases that the spirit of volunteerism is on the rise in America post-pandemic.
Previous Volunteering and Civic Life in America research showed the formal volunteering rate dropped by seven percentage points during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic–-the largest decrease since AmeriCorps and the U.S. Census Bureau began tracking civic engagement trends more than two decades ago. Fewer than 61 million Americans formally volunteered through an organization in 2021.
The latest research shows formal volunteering in America is rebounding. More than 75.7 million people – or 28.3 percent of Americans – formally volunteered through an organization in 2023, giving more than 4.99 billion hours of service with $167.2 billion of economic value.