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Volunteer rates dip since high after 9/11

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 16, 2007

WASHINGTON - People in this country have been volunteering at record levels in the years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but that service dipped slightly in 2006, a study found.

More than a fourth of the population, 26.7 percent, did volunteer work in 2006, down from 28.8 percent the previous year, according to a new report.

An increase in volunteerism from 20.4 percent in 1989 to 26.7 percent in 2006 was heavily influenced by a sharp increase - almost doubling - in the volunteer rates of people ages 16 to 19, according to the report by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The report is being released at the start of National Volunteer Week.

"Out of the tragedy of 9/11 and the devastation of hurricanes has come an unmistakable good: a strong interest in volunteering and community involvement," said David Eisner, chief executive officer of the corporation.

The volunteer rate for seniors has increased from 16.9 percent in 1989 to 23.8 percent in 2006. Volunteerism among adults ages 45-64 has also increased since 1989.

The corporation prepared the report in partnership with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau.

About 61.2 million people volunteered in 2006, according to the study.

Fast Facts:

Who volunteers?

Here are the states found at the top and bottom of the ranking in the 2007 study Volunteering in America by the Corporation for National and Community Service. It is based on a three-year average of volunteer rates.

1. Utah, 45.9 percent

2. Nebraska, 42.4 percent

3. Minnesota, 40.4 percent

4. Alaska, 38.8 percent

5. Kansas, 38.3 percent

- - -

47. Mississippi, 24.2 percent

48. Florida, 21.8 percent

49. Louisiana, 21.2 percent

50. New York, 20.1 percent

51. Nevada, 17.5 percent

[Last modified April 16, 2007, 02:16:12]