Spotlighting the CEV Series: 

Formal Volunteering Intensity

About the Series

Spotlighting the CEV Series 

explores important findings 

from the Civic Engagement and 

Volunteering (CEV) Supplement 

of the Current Population 

Survey. Conducted by the U.S. 

Census Bureau in partnership 

with AmeriCorps, the CEV is a 

nationally representative, 

valuable resource for 

understanding various types of 

civic engagement over time. It 

has been administered 

biennially since 2017 with 

related datasets going as far 

back as 2002. CEV data can 

support actionable insights and 

data-driven decision making.

This series will explore six key 

constructs from the 2021 CEV: 

Organizational Engagement, 

Informal Helping and 

Conversation, Local Collective 

Action, Engaging with Issues, 

Economic Engagement, and 

Political Engagement.

Although substantially fewer Americans volunteered through an 

organization in 2021 than 2019, those who continued to formally 

volunteer did so at similar levels of intensity.

People vary in how much time they spend formally volunteering 

through an organization. Whereas some give a few hours of their time 

once a year, for other people volunteering is part of day-to-day life. 

Volunteering intensity can be measured in terms of both frequency and 

number of hours served. Data on these metrics provide important 

benchmarks for understanding the nation’s civic health. Although 

national rates of volunteering declined by seven percentage points

from 2019 to 2021, volunteers who continued to serve during the 

pandemic did so at similar levels of intensity. 

As part of the “Spotlighting the CEV” series, this key findings brief 

explores national trends in volunteering intensity from 2019 to 2021.

Frequency of formal volunteering remained constant.

Trends related to the frequency of formal volunteering were similar in 

2019 and 2021. In both years, approximately 20 percent of American 

volunteers gave their time to help others through an organization a few 

times a week or more. About half of formal volunteers gave their time a 

few times a month or once a month; about thirty percent volunteered 

less than once a month. Organizations that rely on volunteers should 

consider these varied volunteering frequencies to design opportunities 

and recruitment strategies that accommodate this range of availability.

Source for figure: Analysis conducted by the Office of Research and Evaluation, AmeriCorps, 

Civic Engagement and Volunteering (2019–2021) Supplement data, U.S. Census Bureau. 

Produced and published at US taxpayer expense.
Hours served per volunteer was roughly the same before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Similar to volunteering frequency, the overall distribution of hours served per formal volunteer was 

almost identical in 2019 and 2021. In both waves of the CEV survey, about half of formal volunteers gave 

25 hours of their time or less in the previous year (approximately two hours per month or less). About 

forty percent of formal volunteers served between 26 and 200 hours (approximately two to 16 hours per 

month), and about a tenth gave 201 hours or more (approximately 17 hours per month or more).

Explore the Data 

The CEV data is available for public use. Visit the AmeriCorps Open Data portal at

https://data.americorps.gov. For more information about the CEV data and findings, please reach out to 

the AmeriCorps Office of Research and Evaluation at AmeriCorpsCEV@americorps.gov. 

What’s Next?

The AmeriCorps Office of Research and Evaluation and its partners are exploring the CEV data’s 

implications for AmeriCorps programming and civic engagement in America more broadly. Ongoing 

research is exploring whether formal volunteering intensity varies by demographic subgroups and why 

formal volunteering frequency and hours volunteered has changed over the past two decades (for 

example, median hours served was 52 in 2002 compared to 25 in 2021). 

About the Office of Research and Evaluation

The AmeriCorps Office of Research and Evaluation assists AmeriCorps and its partners in collecting, 

analyzing, and disseminating data and insights about AmeriCorps programs and civic life in America.

About AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, provides opportunities for 

Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve 

lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency places more than 

200,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and 

empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at 

AmeriCorps.gov. 

Produced and published at US taxpayer expense.