Every two years, AmeriCorps partners with the U.S. Census Bureau to conduct the Current Population Survey Civic Engagement and Volunteering Supplement, the most robust survey about civic engagement across the country and over time. The most recent survey shows the civic participation of Americans aged 16 and up between September 2022 and 2023.
The data informs AmeriCorps’ 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 latest research examines trends in formal volunteering (including virtual volunteering for the first time), informal helping, and other civic behaviors at the national level, within each state, and in the largest twelve metro areas. The research supports evidence-based decision making and efforts to understand how people make a difference in communities nationwide.
Formal Volunteering and Informal Helping
According to the latest data, the share of Americans who volunteer through an organization is rebounding. The national formal volunteering rate increased by five percentage points between 2021 and 2023.
Formal Volunteering
Formal volunteering involves helping others through organizations and includes activities like supporting public health efforts, supporting food banks, and tutoring students to help them stay on track in school.
More than 28 percent of Americans—nearly 78 million people—formally volunteered for an organization between September 2022 and 2023. In total, these volunteers served an estimated 4.99 billion hours with an economic value of $167.2 billion.
Informal Helping
Informal helping involves helping neighbors with tasks like house sitting, watching each other’s children, or lending tools.
The share of Americans who informally help their neighbors is climbing in the latest data. More than 54 percent of Americans—or 137.5 million people—informally helped their neighbors between September 2022 and 2023. This represents an increase of 3 percentage points over previous years.
https://www.americorps.gov/about/our-impact/volunteering-civic-life