Iowa volunteering rebounds after COVID-era slump

Organized volunteering and informal helping are both on the rise after pandemic-era dips, according to a new AmeriCorps report that analyzes U.S. Census Bureau data.

Why it matters: Volunteer work is a bedrock of American civic life but is especially important in Iowa, where more people do so than the national average.

State of play: The rebound is documented across several metrics that plummeted during COVID's peak, according to the AmeriCorps report.

By the numbers: Almost 36% of Iowans volunteered through a formal organization at least once from September 2022 to September 2023.

• That's nearly six points higher than the 2021 rate of the same months and higher than the pre-pandemic baseline of about 33% in 2019.

Zoom in: The report also found a rise in Iowans who informally helped their neighbors, with more than 63% saying they lent a hand to someone nearby — a nearly 7-point increase from 2019.

The big picture: Just over 28% of Americans reported volunteering with formal organizations in 2023, up five points from 2021, according to the report.

• Utah had the highest participation rate in the country, at nearly 47%.
• Rhode Island ranked lowest, at just under 19%.
• Iowa ranked No. 11.

Reality check: Demand is increasing faster than available resources, according to responses from more than 100 groups in this year's United Way Central Iowa Nonprofit Sector Survey.

• Of those groups, about equal numbers saw increases, decreases or no change in volunteerism, United Way spokesperson Sarah Anderson tells Axios.

The intrigue: AmeriCorps' report, which also measures civic engagement, shows that the share of Americans who consume news and discuss social issues in person or online has decreased over the last few years.

• Over 91% of Iowans reported consuming local or political news throughout the week in 2019. By 2023, that figure had fallen to about 82%.

How to help: Volunteer United has a list of resources and organizations in central Iowa seeking help.