Nov 27, 2024 - News
Bay State gets back to volunteering
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Massachusetts residents are getting back into the volunteer spirit after a pandemic-era decline.
Why it matters: The rebound shows Bay Staters are contributing time to charity organizations at higher levels than in 2017.
- The trends are shown in an AmeriCorps report that looked at U.S. Census Bureau data.
By the numbers: Just over 33% of Massachusetts residents said they volunteered for a formal organization at least once between September 2022 and September 2023.
- That number was 10 points lower — 23.1% — in 2021 and 30.7% in 2019.
- 2017 measured 32.6%.
Zoom in: Massachusetts saw a number of volunteers help out in Florida and elsewhere in the South after Hurricane Helene hit earlier this fall.
Zoom out: Around 28.3% of Americans volunteered in 2023, up from 23% in 2021, according to the AmeriCorps report.
- Utah has the highest volunteering rate in the country with more than 46% in 2023.
- Next door, Nevada ranked the lowest with 18.6%.