Monthly Labor Review August 2003 3

Volunteerism in the United States

About 59 million people, or 27.6 percent of

the civilian noninstitutional population,

volunteered through or for an organization

at some point from September 2001 to September

2002. Volunteers are a major source of labor in the

United States, performing a variety of important

tasks and contributing considerable time and effort

to meeting the needs of their communities. The data

in this article come from a special supplement to the

September 2002 Current Population Survey (CPS).1

The supplement collected information on the

incidence of volunteering, the number and type of

organizations through or for which persons volunteered, total hours spent volunteering, how

people became involved in volunteering, and the

kinds of work they performed as volunteers.2

Incidence of volunteering

Some population groups are more likely than others

to volunteer. Parents, for example, are likely to be

involved with school or youth-related groups. Older

people, many of whom are in the early years of

retirement, are more likely to volunteer than young

adults. High school students are increasingly

participating in volunteer activities in order to fulfill

community service requirements. College students

receive information on volunteer opportunities from

service groups on campus and from community

groups that target the campus as a source of

volunteers. In addition, many universities actively

promote volunteering among students.3

During the September 2001–September 2002

reference period, women volunteered at a higher

Stephanie Boraas is

an economist in the

Division of Labor Force

Statistics, Bureau of

Labor Statistics.

rate (31.1 percent) than did men (23.8 percent), a

relationship that held across age groups, education

levels, and other major demographic characteristics.

The gap between the volunteer rates of men and

women tended to be greater among groups with

relatively high rates, such as whites and the more

highly educated. (See table 1.)

Whites had a considerably higher volunteer rate

(29.4 percent) than blacks (19.2 percent). Individuals of Hispanic origin, who may be of any

race, had the lowest rate, at 15.7 percent. This

pattern held true for all age groups.

People aged 35 to 54 years are more likely to

volunteer than those who are younger or older.

About 1 in 3 people between the ages of 35 and 54

volunteered, a rate that may be partly explained by

the fact that a great many individuals of those ages

have teenaged or younger children at home. Parents with their own children under age 18 were more

likely to volunteer than persons with no children

that age, with volunteer rates of 36.5 percent and

23.7 percent, respectively. Parents often volunteer

for organizations in which their children participate.

Partly because married people are more likely to

have children than are unmarried people, volunteer

rates were higher among married persons (32.7

percent) than among the never married (21.2

percent) or persons of other marital status (22.1

percent).

Among persons 65 years or over, the volunteer rate declined with age. For example, 26.3

percent of 65- to 69-year-olds volunteered,

compared with 25.0 percent of 70- to 74-year-olds,

22.9 percent of 75- to 79-year-olds, and 16.1

Volunteerism

in the United States

Between September 2001 and September 2002,

more than 1 in every 4 individuals

performed volunteer activities;

women, students, and college graduates

were most likely to volunteer

Stephanie Boraas
4 Monthly Labor Review August 2003

Volunteerism in the United Staters

Volunteers by selected characteristics, September 2002

 [Numbers in thousands]

 Age

Total, 16 years and over ................................... 214,429 59,163 27.6 103,148 24,514 23.8 111,281 34,649 31.1

16 to 24 years ................................................. 35,470 7,860 22.2 17,851 3,318 18.6 17,619 4,543 25.8

16 to 19 years ............................................ 16,158 4,346 26.9 8,214 1,888 23.0 7,944 2,458 30.9

20 to 24 years ............................................ 19,312 3,515 18.2 9,637 1,430 14.8 9,675 2,085 21.5

25 years and over ........................................... 178,959 51,303 28.7 85,298 21,197 24.9 93,662 30,106 32.1

25 to 34 years ............................................ 36,907 9,279 25.1 17,983 3,536 19.7 18,924 5,743 30.3

35 to 44 years ............................................ 43,888 15,089 34.4 21,661 6,210 28.7 22,226 8,879 39.9

45 to 54 years ............................................ 39,172 12,296 31.4 19,098 5,340 28.0 20,075 6,956 34.7

55 to 64 years ............................................ 25,993 7,146 27.5 12,431 3,098 24.9 13,562 4,048 29.8

65 years and over ....................................... 32,998 7,492 22.7 14,124 3,012 21.3 18,874 4,480 23.7

 Race and Hispanic origin

White .................................................................. 177,628 52,164 29.4 86,321 21,698 25.1 91,307 30,466 33.4

Black .................................................................. 26,039 4,987 19.2 11,696 1,955 16.7 14,344 3,032 21.1

Hispanic origin ................................................... 24,065 3,769 15.7 11,845 1,522 12.9 12,220 2,246 18.4

 Educational attainment1

Less than a high school diploma ...................... 26,999 2,734 10.1 12,970 1,149 8.9 14,029 1,585 11.3

High school graduate, no college2 .................... 57,664 12,293 21.3 26,772 4,612 17.2 30,892 7,681 24.9

Less than a bachelor’s degree3 ........................ 45,314 14,919 32.9 20,650 5,734 27.8 24,664 9,185 37.2

College graduate ............................................... 48,982 21,357 43.6 24,906 9,702 39.0 24,077 11,655 48.4

 Marital status

Single, never married ........................................ 57,316 12,177 21.2 30,621 5,300 17.3 26,694 6,877 25.8

Married, spouse present ................................... 115,706 37,823 32.7 58,456 16,764 28.7 57,250 21,059 36.8

Other marital status4 ......................................... 41,408 9,163 22.1 14,071 2,450 17.4 27,337 6,713 24.6

 Presence of own children under 18 years5

Without own children under 18 .......................... 149,204 35,371 23.7 74,167 15,143 20.4 75,037 20,227 27.0

With own children under 18 ............................... 65,225 23,793 36.5 28,981 9,371 32.3 36,244 14,421 39.8

 Employment status

Civilian labor force ............................................ 143,761 42,396 29.5 76,680 19,539 25.5 67,081 22,857 34.1

Employed ......................................................... 135,794 40,379 29.7 72,511 18,684 25.8 63,283 21,695 34.3

Full time6 ...................................................... 111,905 31,910 28.5 64,719 16,683 25.8 47,186 15,227 32.3

Characteristic

Total, both sexes Men Women

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Volunteers

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

 Percent

 of

 population

Number Percent

of

 population

Number

Volunteers

Number

Percent

of

 population

Volunteers

Table 1.

Part time7 ..................................................... 23,889 8,469 35.5 7,792 2,001 25.7 16,097 6,468 40.2

Unemployed ..................................................... 7,968 2,016 25.3 4,170 855 20.5 3,798 1,162 30.6

Not in the labor force ........................................ 70,668 16,767 23.7 26,468 4,976 18.8 44,200 11,792 26.7

1 Data refer to persons 25 years and over.

2 Includes high school diploma or equivalent.

3 Includes the categories of some college, no degree; and associate’s

degree. 4 Includes divorced, separated, and widowed persons.

5 Own children include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted

children. Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related

and unrelated children.

 6 Usually work 35 or more hours a week at all jobs.

 7 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.

NOTE: Data on volunteers relate to persons who performed unpaid

volunteer activities for an organization at any point from September 1,

2001, through the survey week in September 2002. Details for the above

race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the

“other races” group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both

the white and black population groups.
Monthly Labor Review August 2003 5

 percent of persons aged 80 years or over.

School enrollment, rather than age, appears to be the

important factor in the likelihood of volunteering among

young people. The volunteer rate of young persons aged 16

to 24 years who were enrolled in school was almost double

that of those not enrolled in school, as indicated in the

following tabulation:

 Volunteers

 Number Percent of

 School enrollment status (thousands) population

 Total, 16 to 24 years ........... 7,860 22.2

Enrolled in school .......................... 5,382 28.5

Enrolled in high school ........... 2,615 29.9

Enrolled in college ................... 2,767 27.2

Not enrolled in school ................... 2,478 15.0

16 to 19 years ......................... 527 14.4

20 to 24 years ......................... 1,951 15.1

As mentioned previously, many high schools and religious

programs for youths emphasize community service, and

college students are frequently exposed to on-campus and

community groups that make volunteer opportunities easy

to find and participation appealing.

Once schooling is completed, it appears to continue to

affect participation in volunteer activities. Educational

attainment is a strong predictor of volunteer rates. Among

persons 25 years or over, 43.6 percent of college graduates

volunteered during the year, double the volunteer rate of

high school graduates with no college experience and more

than 4 times the rate of high school dropouts. This relationship held approximately true across a variety of

demographic and employment characteristics, including

some of those given in the following tabulation, which shows

the percent volunteering in each group:

 Less than High school Less than

 high school graduate, bachelor’s College

 Characteristic diploma no college degree graduate

White ............... 10.5 22.8 34.5 46.0

Men ............. 9.0 18.2 28.9 40.9

Women ......... 11.8 26.8 39.4 51.4

Black ................ 9.2 14.1 26.1 36.6

Men ............. 8.6 12.7 23.2 33.4

Women ......... 9.6 15.4 28.0 39.1

Hispanic .......... 8.4 16.3 25.2 31.9

Men ............. 5.8 13.4 22.9 27.2

Women ......... 11.0 19.2 27.2 36.4

Single, never

married ........... 6.9 12.4 21.8 30.8

Married, spouse

present ........... 11.8 24.5 37.0 47.2

Other marital

status ............. 8.5 17.6 28.6 40.7

Employed ........ 11.3 22.1 33.3 43.9

Unemployed .... 13.8 19.0 34.2 40.9

Not in labor

force ............... 9.1 20.2 31.7 42.8

Native born ...... 11.1 22.5 34.1 47.0

Foreign born .... 7.5 10.7 19.5 22.0

Employment status also affects the likelihood of volunteering.

Overall, nearly 30 percent of all employed persons had volunteered during the reference period. By comparison, the

volunteer rates of persons who were unemployed (25.3 percent)

or not in the labor force (23.7 percent) were lower. Among the

employed, part-time workers were more likely than full-time

workers to have participated in volunteer activities—35.5 percent

and 28.5 percent, respectively.

Among whites, the volunteer rate was highest for those

who were employed (31.4 percent) and about the same for

those who were unemployed and those who were not in the

labor force (26.5 percent and 25.6 percent, respectively.) For both

blacks and Hispanics, volunteer rates were similar for the

employed and the unemployed (about 22 percent for blacks and

about 17 percent for Hispanics). Volunteer rates for those not in

the labor force were lowest for blacks (14.1 percent) and

Hispanics (12.6 percent). (See table 2.)

Hours spent volunteering

Volunteers spent a median 52 hours performing volunteer

activities during the period from September 2001 to September

2002. While 28.2 percent of volunteers were reported to have

spent 100 to 499 hours doing volunteer work, 21.5 percent

spent only 1 to 14 hours volunteering. (See table 3.)

Some of the same groups that have high volunteer rates also

devote a relatively large number of hours to volunteering. College

graduates, for example, with a 43.6-percent volunteer rate, spent

a median 60 hours volunteering in the reference period. Still,

individuals in some groups with low volunteer rates also spent

a large number of hours volunteering. Black men who are not

high school graduates had a volunteer rate of only 8.6 percent,

yet volunteered a median 78 hours during the reference period.

Volunteers aged 65 years and over devoted the most time—a

median 96 hours—to volunteer activities. Those aged 25 to 34

years spent the least time, volunteering a median 34 hours

during the year.

Number and types of organizations

Most volunteers provided their services through or for one

or two organizations—69.1 percent and 19.3 percent,

respectively. About a third of all volunteers (33.9 percent)

worked the most hours during the year for religious

organizations. Educational or youth-service-related

organizations accounted for the second-largest share of

volunteers, 27.2 percent. Another 12.1 percent of volunteers
6 Monthly Labor Review August 2003

Volunteerism in the United Staters

Volunteer rates by sex, race, Hispanic origin, and selected characteristics, September 2002

 Age

Total, 16 years and over ........................................... 29.4 25.1 33.4 19.2 16.7 21.1 15.7 12.9 18.4

16 to 19 years ......................................................... 28.6 24.3 33.0 18.8 16.3 21.1 18.1 15.3 20.9

20 to 24 years ......................................................... 19.3 15.7 22.9 13.1 9.9 15.8 9.4 7.6 11.3

 25 to 34 years ......................................................... 26.8 20.8 32.7 20.2 15.6 24.0 16.9 12.9 21.0

35 to 44 years ......................................................... 37.1 30.8 43.4 22.4 19.1 25.2 20.6 15.7 25.4

45 to 54 years ......................................................... 33.5 29.4 37.6 20.4 19.3 21.2 16.1 15.1 17.1

55 to 64 years ......................................................... 28.8 26.1 31.4 20.6 19.1 21.7 13.2 12.0 14.2

65 years and over ................................................... 23.9 22.2 25.2 13.9 14.9 13.3 6.9 6.2 7.4

 Employment status among

 persons aged 16 years and over

Employed ................................................................... 31.4 27.1 36.6 21.9 18.9 24.6 17.0 14.0 21.1

Unemployed ............................................................... 26.5 21.3 32.6 21.5 18.2 24.6 17.9 12.3 25.5

Not in the labor force ................................................ 25.6 20.1 28.9 14.1 12.1 15.5 12.6 9.0 14.4

 School enrollment status

 among persons aged 16 to 24 years

Enrolled in high school .............................................. 32.3 26.0 39.5 18.2 17.0 19.4 19.6 15.6 23.9

Enrolled in college ..................................................... 28.3 25.2 31.1 23.9 19.7 26.4 19.6 19.4 19.7

Not enrolled in school ............................................... 16.0 13.0 19.1 10.5 8.4 12.7 8.6 7.2 10.3

 Educational attainment among

 persons aged 25 years and over

Less than a high school diploma .............................. 10.5 9.0 11.8 9.2 8.6 9.6 8.4 5.8 11.0

High school graduate, no college1 ............................ 22.8 18.2 26.8 14.1 12.7 15.4 16.3 13.4 19.2

Less than a bachelor’s degree2 ................................ 34.5 28.9 39.4 26.1 23.2 28.0 25.2 22.9 27.2

College graduate ....................................................... 46.0 40.9 51.4 36.6 33.4 39.1 31.9 27.2 36.4

Selected characteristics

1 Includes high school diploma or equivalent.

2 Includes the categories of some college, no degree; and associate’s

degree.

NOTE: Data on volunteers relate to persons who performed unpaid

volunteer activities for an organization at any point from September 1, 2001,

through the survey week in September 2002. Details for the above race and

Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the “other

races” group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white

and black population groups.

White Black Hispanic

Total Men Women Total Men Women Women Total Men

performed activities mainly for social or community service

organizations, and 8.6 percent volunteered the most hours for

hospitals or other health organizations. (See table 4.)

Older volunteers were more likely to volunteer for religious

organizations, such as churches, than their younger counterparts. For example, 45.2 percent of volunteers aged 65 years and

over performed volunteer activities mainly through or for a

religious organization, compared with 28.6 percent of volunteers

aged 25 to 34 years. The most common type of organization for

which 25- to 34-year-olds volunteered (34.3 percent) was in

education or youth services.

Among volunteers with children under age 18, 45.9 percent

of mothers and 37.9 percent of fathers volunteered mainly for

an education or youth-service-related organization, such as a

school or Little League baseball. Parents were more than twice

as likely to volunteer for such organizations as persons with

no children of that age. In contrast, volunteers with no children under 18 were about twice as likely as parents to volunteer for a social or community service organization, such as

a homeless shelter or a senior citizen center.

Volunteer activities for main organization

Volunteers performed many different types of activities. Among

the more commonly reported (volunteers could report more

than one activity) were teaching or coaching (24.4 percent);

canvassing, campaigning, or fundraising (22.9 percent);

collecting, making, serving, or delivering goods (22.2 percent);

and serving on a board, committee, or neighborhood association

(16.3 percent). (See table 5.)

The distribution of activities differed across major demographic groups. For example, parents of children under 18

were much more likely to teach or coach than were persons

with no children of that age, and college graduates were more

than twice as likely as those with less than a high school

diploma to do consulting or administrative work.

How volunteers get involved

The data show that there are two primary ways in which

individuals become involved in volunteering: two in 5 did so on

Table 2.
Monthly Labor Review August 2003 7

Volunteers by annual hours of volunteer activities and selected characteristics, September 2002

[Numbers in thousands]

 Sex

Total, both sexes .......................................... 59,163 100.0 21.5 24.1 14.8 28.2 5.9 5.5 52

Men .............................................................. 24,514 100.0 21.1 23.4 14.5 28.9 6.6 5.4 52

Women ......................................................... 34,649 100.0 21.8 24.6 15.0 27.6 5.4 5.6 50

 Age

Total, 16 years and over ............................... 59,163 100.0 21.5 24.1 14.8 28.2 5.9 5.5 52

16 to 24 years ............................................. 7,860 100.0 25.2 27.9 14.2 22.0 4.1 6.6 40

16 to 19 years .......................................... 4,346 100.0 23.7 29.4 15.2 22.0 2.8 6.9 40

20 to 24 years .......................................... 3,515 100.0 27.1 26.0 12.9 22.0 5.7 6.3 36

 25 years and over....................................... 51,303 100.0 21.0 23.5 14.9 29.1 6.2 5.3 52

25 to 34 years .......................................... 9,279 100.0 29.2 26.5 13.6 23.2 3.5 4.0 34

35 to 44 years .......................................... 15,089 100.0 21.0 24.8 16.3 27.8 5.8 4.3 52

45 to 54 years .......................................... 12,296 100.0 20.5 23.0 15.9 29.7 5.7 5.3 53

55 to 64 years .......................................... 7,146 100.0 18.1 21.9 14.2 32.2 7.4 6.1 60

65 years and over .................................... 7,492 100.0 14.2 19.4 12.8 35.4 10.0 8.2 96

 Race and Hispanic origin

White .............................................................. 52,164 100.0 21.4 24.4 15.1 28.1 5.8 5.2 52

Black .............................................................. 4,987 100.0 21.0 22.2 12.6 29.8 7.0 7.5 52

Hispanic origin ............................................... 3,769 100.0 22.9 26.6 14.9 24.3 5.2 6.0 44

 Educational attainment2

Less than a high school diploma .................. 2,734 100.0 26.0 21.6 13.8 25.3 6.1 7.2 48

High school graduate, no college3 ................ 12,293 100.0 24.1 22.7 14.0 26.8 6.1 6.3 50

Less than a bachelor’s degree4 .................... 14,919 100.0 21.1 23.3 14.5 29.7 6.4 5.1 52

College graduate ........................................... 21,357 100.0 18.4 24.4 15.8 30.6 6.2 4.7 60

 Marital status

Single, never married .................................... 12,177 100.0 24.3 27.3 14.4 23.1 4.7 6.1 40

Married, spouse present ............................... 37,823 100.0 20.8 23.2 15.1 29.8 6.0 5.2 53

Other marital status5 ..................................... 9,163 100.0 20.8 23.6 14.1 28.5 7.1 6.0 52

 Presence of own children

 under 18 years6

Men:

No own children under 18 years .................. 15,143 100.0 20.6 23.6 13.9 28.5 7.2 6.2 52

With own children under 18 years ............... 9,371 100.0 21.9 23.1 15.4 29.7 5.7 4.1 52

Women:

No own children under 18 years .................. 20,227 100.0 20.8 24.6 14.4 28.2 5.5 6.4 52

With own children under 18 years ............... 14,421 100.0 23.2 24.4 15.9 26.9 5.2 4.4 50

 Employment status

Civilian labor force ........................................ 42,396 100.0 23.2 25.0 15.2 26.8 4.9 4.9 48

Employed ..................................................... 40,379 100.0 23.3 25.0 15.2 26.8 4.8 4.9 48

Full time7 ................................................... 31,910 100.0 24.0 25.3 14.8 26.2 4.8 4.9 46

Part time8 .................................................. 8,469 100.0 20.9 23.7 16.5 28.8 5.1 5.0 52

Unemployed ................................................. 2,016 100.0 21.8 25.7 15.3 27.2 5.9 4.1 50

Not in the labor force .................................... 16,767 100.0 17.2 21.7 13.8 31.8 8.5 7.0 72

1 For those reporting annual hours.

2 Data refer to persons 25 years and over.

3 Includes high school diploma or equivalent.

 4 Includes the categories of some college, no degree; and associate’s

degree. 5 Includes divorced, separated, and widowed persons.

6 Own children include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted

children. Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related and unrelated children.

7 Usually work 35 or more hours a week at all jobs.

8 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.

NOTE: Data on volunteers relate to persons who performed unpaid

volunteer activities for an organization at any point from September 1,

2001, through the survey week in September 2002. Details for the above

race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the

“other races” group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both

the white and black population groups.

Total

volunteers

Percent distribution of total annual hours spent volunteering at all organizations

Characteristic

Total 1 to 14

hours

15 to 49

hours

Not

reporting

annual

hours

50 to 99

hours

100 to 499

hours

Median

annual

hours1

500 or

more

hours

Table 3.
8 Monthly Labor Review August 2003

Volunteerism in the United Staters

Volunteers by type of main organization for which volunteer activities were performed and by selected

characteristics, September 2002

[Numbers in thousands]

 Sex

Total, both sexes .......... 59,163 100.0 6.1 27.2 1.6 8.6 1.4 33.9 12.1 4.0 3.5 1.5

Men. ............................ 24,514 100.0 7.6 25.5 1.7 6.7 2.3 33.0 12.7 5.0 3.9 1.6

Women ........................ 34,649 100.0 5.1 28.5 1.6 10.0 .8 34.5 11.7 3.2 3.3 1.4

 Age

Total, 16 years and

over ........................... 59,163 100.0 6.1 27.2 1.6 8.6 1.4 33.9 12.1 4.0 3.5 1.5

16 to 24 years ............ 7,860 100.0 4.8 31.0 1.8 9.0 1.7 30.5 12.9 3.1 3.5 1.6

16 to 19 years ....... 4,346 100.0 4.6 34.1 1.6 7.7 1.0 30.7 13.2 3.1 2.8 1.2

20 to 24 years ....... 3,515 100.0 5.0 27.3 2.0 10.7 2.5 30.3 12.6 3.0 4.4 2.2

25 years and over ...... 51,303 100.0 6.3 26.7 1.6 8.6 1.4 34.4 12.0 4.1 3.5 1.5

25 to 34 years ....... 9,279 100.0 5.5 34.3 1.8 8.6 1.9 28.6 11.5 3.2 3.4 1.1

35 to 44 years ....... 15,089 100.0 4.6 39.3 1.4 6.6 1.2 29.3 9.5 3.9 3.1 1.0

45 to 54 years ....... 12,296 100.0 6.4 25.5 1.6 8.7 1.4 34.5 11.0 5.1 3.8 2.0

55 to 64 years ....... 7,146 100.0 9.3 13.0 2.3 10.4 1.1 41.1 13.4 4.0 3.8 1.7

65 years and

over .................... 7,492 100.0 7.9 6.5 1.0 10.5 1.2 45.2 17.6 4.2 4.0 2.0

 Race and Hispanic

 origin

White .............................. 52,164 100.0 6.4 27.2 1.8 8.8 1.5 32.9 12.2 4.1 3.6 1.4

Black .............................. 4,987 100.0 3.5 27.4 .3 6.7 .6 45.3 10.0 1.6 2.9 1.7

Hispanic origin ............... 3,769 100.0 4.2 32.9 .6 6.4 1.1 36.6 10.7 2.8 3.3 1.3

Educational attainment2

Less than a high school

diploma ...................... 2,734 100.0 4.6 22.6 .3 6.4 1.2 45.8 13.4 1.6 2.8 1.3

High school graduate,

no college3 ................. 12,293 100.0 6.0 25.4 1.2 8.2 1.8 36.9 11.7 3.9 3.6 1.3

Less than a bachelor’s

degree4 ...................... 14,919 100.0 5.9 26.8 1.7 8.9 2.0 34.4 11.6 3.9 3.6 1.3

College graduate ........... 21,357 100.0 7.0 27.9 1.9 8.8 .7 31.5 12.2 4.7 3.6 1.7

 Marital status

Single, never married .... 12,177 100.0 6.1 28.4 2.2 9.6 1.7 27.2 14.8 4.0 4.4 1.6

Married, spouse

present ...................... 37,823 100.0 6.0 28.2 1.3 7.7 1.4 36.6 10.4 4.0 3.0 1.5

Other marital status5 ..... 9,163 100.0 6.7 21.9 2.0 11.2 1.2 31.6 15.6 3.7 4.6 1.5

 Presence of own

 children under

 18 years6

Men:

No own children under

18 years ................. 15,143 100.0 9.0 17.8 2.2 8.0 2.4 33.4 15.5 4.9 4.9 1.9

With own children

under 18 years ....... 9,371 100.0 5.3 37.9 .9 4.5 2.1 32.5 8.1 5.2 2.2 1.3

Women:

No own children under

18 years ................. 20,227 100.0 6.5 16.1 2.2 12.8 .8 37.3 14.7 3.8 4.1 1.6

With own children

under 18 years ....... 14,421 100.0 3.1 45.9 .6 6.0 .7 30.5 7.5 2.4 2.2 1.0

 Employment status

Civilian labor force ........ 42,396 100.0 6.4 28.9 1.8 8.6 1.6 32.1 11.5 4.2 3.5 1.4

Employed .................... 40,379 100.0 6.4 28.8 1.7 8.6 1.7 32.2 11.5 4.2 3.5 1.4

Full time7 ................ 31,910 100.0 6.7 28.2 1.7 8.7 1.9 31.6 11.8 4.3 3.7 1.4

Part time8 ............... 8,469 100.0 5.2 31.2 1.8 8.1 .8 34.8 10.3 3.5 2.9 1.4

Unemployed ................ 2,016 100.0 5.4 31.8 2.2 8.1 .9 30.2 12.6 4.4 3.6 .8

Not in the labor force .... 16,767 100.0 5.6 23.0 1.2 8.7 .9 38.3 13.5 3.4 3.6 1.8

Characteristics

Total

volunteers

Percent distribution of volunteers, by type of main organization1

Total

Civic,

political,

professional,

or international

Hospital

or other

health

Other

Public

safety

Educational or

youth

service

Not

reporting

type of

organization

1

Main organization is defined as the organization for which the volunteer

worked the most hours during the year. (See the appendix for more details.) 2 Data refer to persons 25 years and over.

3 Includes high school diploma or equivalent.

4 Includes the categories of some college, no degree; and associate’s degree.

5 Includes divorced, separated, and widowed persons.

6 Own children include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children.

Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related and unrelated

children.

7 Usually work 35 or more hours a week at all jobs.

8 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.

NOTE: Data on volunteers relate to persons who performed unpaid volunteer

activities for an organization at any point from September 1, 2001, through the

survey week in September 2002. Details for the above race and Hispanicorigin groups will not sum to totals because data for the “other races” group

are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black

population groups.

Religious

Social

or

community

service

Sport,

hobby,

cultural,

or arts

Environmental

 or

 animal

care

Table 4.
Monthly Labor Review August 2003 9

Volunteer activities for main organization for which activities were performed and selected characteristics,

September 2002

[Numbers in thousands]

 Sex

Total, both sexes ........ 59,163 4.6 4.8 8.3 16.3 22.9 22.2 9.7 14.0 43.2 12.3 24.4 16.8 1.4

Men ............................ 24,514 5.3 5.8 9.0 17.9 20.9 17.6 16.0 14.3 40.4 12.0 27.1 16.1 1.4

Women ....................... 34,649 4.1 4.0 7.8 15.1 24.2 25.5 5.2 13.8 45.1 12.6 22.4 17.3 1.5

 Age

Total, 16 years and

 over .......................... 59,163 4.6 4.8 8.3 16.3 22.9 22.2 9.7 14.0 43.2 12.3 24.4 16.8 1.4

16 to 24 years ........... 7,860 6.4 5.4 9.0 6.3 19.4 20.5 13.2 8.4 38.2 10.3 26.7 18.8 2.3

16 to 19 years .......... 4,346 7.3 4.8 8.9 5.5 19.7 21.9 13.5 6.4 38.5 8.9 25.8 19.4 2.2

20 to 24 years .......... 3,515 5.2 6.1 9.1 7.3 19.0 18.8 12.9 11.0 37.8 12.1 27.8 18.0 2.5

25 years and over ..... 51,303 4.4 4.7 8.2 17.8 23.4 22.5 9.1 14.8 43.9 12.7 24.0 16.5 1.3

25 to 34 years .......... 9,279 4.5 4.9 9.1 11.8 22.4 19.4 8.4 11.2 45.6 12.5 28.1 15.2 1.5

 35 to 44 years .......... 15,089 4.8 4.6 8.0 16.7 25.3 21.3 9.5 14.0 47.7 14.6 30.7 14.3 1.2

45 to 54 years .......... 12,296 4.2 5.0 8.9 20.3 25.0 21.7 9.4 16.3 45.3 12.9 24.7 15.3 1.5

55 to 64 years .......... 7,146 5.1 5.4 8.8 21.9 25.5 23.5 10.0 18.8 40.8 10.8 17.7 17.3 1.0

65 years and over .... 7,492 2.7 3.3 5.5 19.6 16.3 29.0 8.0 14.8 34.8 10.3 10.5 23.6 1.4

Race and Hispanic origin

White ............................ 52,164 4.9 4.8 8.3 16.6 23.2 21.9 9.8 14.0 43.3 12.0 24.4 16.8 1.3

Black ............................ 4,987 2.9 4.4 8.2 15.2 21.6 26.1 8.8 13.9 42.9 15.0 25.2 17.1 2.2

Hispanic origin ............. 3,769 2.8 3.3 7.3 9.1 18.9 23.3 8.8 9.4 36.3 10.4 24.3 20.2 1.7

 Educational attainment3

Less than a high

school diploma .......... 2,734 1.9 3.3 5.3 8.0 14.6 30.0 12.1 7.2 32.8 9.6 12.8 21.7 1.0

High school graduate,

no college4 ................. 12,293 3.9 4.2 6.9 14.2 23.2 25.3 9.7 10.0 42.2 12.3 19.2 17.1 1.2

Less than a bachelor’s

degree5 ...................... 14,919 4.7 5.5 8.4 16.3 24.1 23.7 9.1 14.0 45.3 14.5 24.1 16.7 1.1

College graduate. ........ 21,357 4.8 4.5 9.1 22.2 24.1 19.1 8.5 19.2 45.4 12.0 28.2 15.4 1.5

 Marital status

Single, never married ... 12,177 6.2 5.0 9.5 9.1 20.9 20.0 11.7 10.7 39.0 10.3 23.8 18.6 2.1

Married, spouse

present ....................... 37,823 4.3 4.7 7.7 18.9 23.8 22.3 9.8 14.8 45.0 13.2 26.0 15.4 1.3

Other marital status6 .... 9,163 4.1 4.5 8.8 15.2 21.6 24.9 6.5 15.0 40.9 11.7 18.2 20.1 1.0

Presence of own children

 under 18 years7

Men:

No own children

under 18 years ...... 15,143 5.5 5.9 9.4 17.9 20.6 18.4 16.5 15.2 38.3 10.9 20.7 18.1 1.6

With own children

under 18 years ...... 9,371 5.1 5.6 8.4 17.9 21.5 16.4 15.2 12.8 44.0 13.9 37.5 13.0 1.0

Women:

No own children

under 18 years ...... 20,227 4.6 4.1 8.2 14.9 22.3 26.2 5.8 14.2 40.2 10.3 18.5 19.0 1.7

 With own children

under 18 years ...... 14,421 3.4 4.0 7.1 15.5 27.0 24.5 4.4 13.2 51.9 15.7 27.9 14.8 1.3

 Employment status

Civilian labor force ...... 42,396 5.0 5.2 8.8 16.6 24.5 20.7 10.2 14.4 44.7 12.9 26.3 15.6 1.3

 Employed ................... 40,379 4.9 5.2 8.8 16.9 24.6 20.6 10.1 14.4 44.7 12.8 26.3 15.5 1.3

Full time8 ................... 31,910 4.8 5.3 9.0 17.3 25.0 19.9 10.6 14.1 44.1 12.4 26.2 15.0 1.4

Part time9 .................. 8,469 5.0 4.8 8.1 15.6 23.0 23.4 8.2 15.3 46.6 14.5 26.8 17.3 1.2

Unemployed. .............. 2,016 6.7 5.1 8.8 10.9 22.9 22.7 11.5 15.2 45.1 14.3 26.4 17.5 1.2

Not in the labor force .... 16,767 3.8 3.7 6.9 15.5 18.7 26.0 8.4 12.9 39.3 11.0 19.4 19.9 1.7

1Main organization is defined as the organization for which the volunteer

worked the most hours during the year. (See the appendix for more details.) 2 This category may have been chosen by such a large proportion of

respondents because of the word “help.” Because all volunteers “help” in

some way, the category may have become a “catch-all” response. 3 Data refer to persons 25 years and over.

4 Includes high school diploma or equivalent.

5 Includes the categories of some college, no degree; and associate’s

degree. 6 Includes divorced, separated, and widowed persons.

 7 Own children include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted

children. Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related and unrelated children. 8 Usually work 35 or more hours a week at all jobs.

9 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.

NOTE: Data on volunteers relate to persons who performed unpaid

volunteer activities for an organization at any point from September 1,

2001, through the survey week in September 2002. Details for the above

race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the

“other races” group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both

the white and black population groups. Details will sum to greater than 100

percent because respondents could choose more than one activity.

Total

volunteers

Percent distribution of volunteer activities for main organization1

Activities to

support

emergency

preparedness

 or relief

Activities

to

support

 public

health

or

 safety

Collect,

 make,

serve,

or

deliver

goods

Not

reporting

type

 of

activity

Characteristics

Activities

to

protect

 the

environment

or

animals

Other

Teach

or

coach

Provide

 care

 or

transportation

Canvass,

campaign,

 or

 raise

funds

Organize,

supervise,

 or help

with

events

or

activities2

Consulting or

administrative

work

Construction,

maintenance

Table 5.

Board,

commit-

 tee, or

neighorhood

association

member
10 Monthly Labor Review August 2003

Volunteerism in the United Staters

Volunteers by how they became involved with main organization for which volunteer activities were

performed and by selected characteristics, September 2002

[Numbers in thousands]

 Sex

Total, both sexes ......................... 59,163 100.0 40.1 43.0 1.5 14.1 25.8 1.4 14.9 2.1

Men ............................................ 24,514 100.0 39.3 43.8 1.5 15.2 25.5 1.3 14.8 2.0

Women ....................................... 34,649 100.0 40.6 42.3 1.4 13.4 26.0 1.4 14.9 2.2

 Age

Total, 16 years and over .............. 59,163 100.0 40.1 43.0 1.5 14.1 25.8 1.4 14.9 2.1

16 to 24 years ........................... 7,860 100.0 40.7 40.2 .9 16.1 20.8 2.1 16.2 2.9

16 to 19 years ....................... 4,346 100.0 40.6 39.6 .2 14.9 21.8 2.5 16.7 3.1

20 to 24 years ....................... 3,515 100.0 40.9 40.8 1.9 17.7 19.6 1.6 15.6 2.7

25 years and over ..................... 51,303 100.0 40.0 43.4 1.6 13.8 26.6 1.3 14.7 2.0

25 to 34 years ....................... 9,279 100.0 38.1 44.1 3.0 14.6 25.0 1.4 15.6 2.2

35 to 44 years ....................... 15,089 100.0 39.8 44.0 1.6 13.1 27.9 1.2 14.4 1.8

45 to 54 years ....................... 12,296 100.0 39.7 43.7 1.4 13.7 27.1 1.2 14.7 2.0

55 to 64 years ....................... 7,146 100.0 40.6 43.3 1.2 14.7 26.0 1.1 14.2 1.9

65 years and over .................. 7,492 100.0 42.6 40.8 .3 13.5 25.5 1.5 14.4 2.1

 Race and Hispanic origin

White ............................................. 52,164 100.0 40.0 43.3 1.5 14.2 26.0 1.3 14.7 2.0

Black ............................................. 4,987 100.0 40.5 42.1 1.3 13.6 25.1 2.0 14.7 2.8

Hispanic origin .............................. 3,769 100.0 40.4 40.9 1.8 12.9 24.5 1.5 16.4 2.3

 Educational attainment2

Less than a high school diploma . 2,734 100.0 39.2 45.2 .6 15.1 27.6 1.7 13.7 1.9

High school graduate, no college3 . 2,293 100.0 40.3 43.4 1.2 14.7 26.1 1.2 14.6 1.8

Less than a bachelor’s degree4 ..... 14,919 100.0 39.4 43.1 1.8 13.8 26.1 1.3 15.8 1.6

College graduate .......................... 21,357 100.0 40.3 43.3 1.7 13.1 27.0 1.2 14.0 2.3

 Marital status

 Single, never married .................... 12,177 100.0 41.5 39.9 1.6 16.2 20.1 1.9 15.6 3.0

Married, spouse present .............. 37,823 100.0 39.4 44.3 1.4 13.3 28.0 1.3 14.4 1.9

Other marital status5 .................... 9,163 100.0 41.0 41.6 1.4 14.5 24.3 1.2 15.8 1.6

 Presence of own children

 under 18 years6

Men:

No own children under 18 years. 15,143 100.0 40.0 42.9 1.4 15.8 24.0 1.5 14.9 2.2

With own children under

18 years ................................. 9,371 100.0 38.2 45.3 1.7 14.2 28.0 1.1 14.8 1.7

Women:

No own children under

18 years ................................. 20,227 100.0 41.4 40.8 1.4 15.1 22.6 1.5 15.3 2.4

With own children under

18 years ................................. 14,421 100.0 39.5 44.5 1.5 10.9 30.8 1.3 14.2 1.8

 Employment status

Civilian labor force ....................... 42,396 100.0 39.2 43.7 1.9 14.5 25.7 1.4 15.1 2.0

Employed ................................... 40,379 100.0 39.0 43.9 2.0 14.5 25.9 1.3 15.2 2.0

Full time7 ................................. 31,910 100.0 38.3 44.6 2.3 15.1 25.9 1.2 15.2 1.9

Part time8 ................................ 8,469 100.0 41.6 41.0 .8 12.3 26.1 1.6 15.1 2.3

Unemployed ............................... 2,016 100.0 43.3 40.7 1.6 15.0 21.6 2.3 14.3 1.7

Not in the labor force ................... 16,767 100.0 42.4 41.1 .3 13.1 26.1 1.4 14.2 2.4

Total

Total

volunteers

Approached

 the

organization

Percent distribution of how volunteers became involved with main organization1

Was asked by—

Other

Someone

in the

 organization or

school

Someone

else

Total Boss or

employer

Not

reporting

how

involve-

 ment came

about

Relative,

friend, or

 coworker

Characteristic

1

Main organization is defined as the organization for which the volunteer

worked the most hours during the year. (See the appendix for more details.) 2 Data refer to persons 25 years and over.

3 Includes high school diploma or equivalent.

 4 Includes the categories of some college, no degree and associate’s

degree. 5 Includes divorced, separated, and widowed persons.

6 Own children include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children.

Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related and

unrelated children. 7 Usually work 35 or more hours a week at all jobs.

8 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.

 NOTE: Data on volunteers relate to persons who performed unpaid

volunteer activities for an organization at any point from September 1,

2001, through the survey week in September 2002. Details for the above

race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the

“other races” group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both

the white and black population groups.

Table 6.
Monthly Labor Review August 2003 11

Notes

1

 The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of about

60,000 households that focuses on obtaining information on

employment and unemployment among the Nation’s civilian

noninstitutional population aged 16 years and over. For a detailed

discussion of the survey and its concepts, definitions, and methodology,

see “Technical Notes to the Household Survey,”published in

Employment and Earnings and on the Internet at http://stats.bls.gov/

cps/cpseetn.pdf. 2

 For more information on volunteer work in the United States, see

Richard B.Freeman, “Working for Nothing: The Supply of Volunteer

Labor,” Working Paper 5435 (National Bureau of Economic Research,

January 1996). 3

 For example, the Campus Compact, a national coalition of more

than 900 college and university presidents, seeks to encourage

community service among students in higher education. (See the

organization’s mission statement on the Internet at http://

www.compact.org/aboutcc/.) 4For more information on the September 2002 volunteer

supplement, see the technical note to the December 2002 news release,

on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/volun.tn.htm.

APPENDIX: Concepts and Definitions

Volunteers are persons who performed unpaid volunteer

activities at any point from September 1, 2001, through the

survey week in September 2002. The count of volunteers

includes only persons who volunteered through or for an

organization; the figures do not include persons who

volunteered in a more informal manner. For example, a woman

who teaches acting to children through a local theater would

be considered a volunteer; by contrast, a woman who, on her

own, organizes softball games for the children in her

neighborhood would not be counted as a volunteer for the

purpose of the survey.

Organizations are associations, societies, or groups of

people who share a common interest. Examples are churches,

youth groups, and civic organizations. For the purpose of

this article, organizations are classified into eight major

categories, including religious, youth, and social or community

service organizations. (See table 4.)

A volunteer’s main organization is the organization for

which the volunteer worked the most hours during the year. If

a survey respondent volunteered for only one organization,

that was considered the main organization, even if exact hours

were not obtained.

In order to identify the type of main organization,

respondents had to provide information about the

organization and, for those who volunteered for more than

one organization, annual hours worked for each. Some

respondents did not provide the information necessary to

determine the type of main organization. For these

respondents, the followup questions on activities and how

the individuals became involved with the main organization

asked them to report on the organization for which they

thought they spent the most time volunteering.

their own initiative, approaching the organization for which they

did volunteer work, and another 2 in 5 were asked to become a

volunteer, most often by somebody in the organization. (See

table 6.)

THE RESULTS FROM THE 2002 VOLUNTEER SUPPLEMENT show

that about 59 million people, or slightly more than 1 in 4 persons

aged 16 years and over, volunteered in the year prior to September

2002. The propensity to volunteer varied by demographic and

labor force characteristics. Future surveys will track changes in

the number and characteristics of volunteers.4