Volunteerism Remains Steady -- Except in Georgia

The number of Americans who volunteer dropped slightly in 2010, according to a federal report released on August 9.

Nearly 63 million Americans, slightly more than a quarter of the population, volunteered for charities last year, providing services valued at nearly $173-billion. That’s down from 2009, when 63.4 million adults, or nearly 27 percent of the population, donated their time.

The volunteer rate has not changed significantly since 2006, hovering around 26 percent. Volunteerism reached nearly 29 percent from 2003 to 2005 and has been as low as 20.4 percent in 1989, says a report by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which is based on annual and monthly surveys of roughly 100,000 Americans age 16 or older, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Georgia was well below the national average at 22.3% for 2010 – down from 24.4% in 2009. Come on Georgia! Get out there and volunteer!