Hoosiers volunteer more than most Americans
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When it comes to lending a hand, hospitable Hoosiers are more giving than the average American.
The big picture: Organized volunteering and informal helping are both rising after COVID-era dips, a new AmeriCorps report finds.
Why it matters: Volunteer work is a bedrock of American civic life: assisting those in need and providing purpose to those who can help.
Driving the news: About 28.3% of Americans volunteered through a formal organization at least once between September 2022-23, per the biennial report, which is based on survey data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.
- That's up 5 percentage points from 2021 when the pandemic disrupted almost all facets of American life — volunteer work included.
- The report also found a rise in the share of Americans who informally helped their neighbors, with more than 54% saying they lent a hand to someone nearby.
Zoom in: About 33% of Indiana residents volunteered through a formal organization, surpassing the national average.
- That makes Indiana the 20th most giving state in the nation.
- Indianapolis is among the top metros for volunteering, ranking sixth in the U.S. with a rate of 43.3%. The top three metros were the Twin Cities; Rochester, New York; and Salt Lake City.
Zoom out: Midwest states have a notable presence in the top 20 volunteer rankings.
- Indiana trails No. 2 Minnesota (45.1%), No. 4 Iowa (41.5%), No. 6 Nebraska (40.2%), No. 11 North Dakota (37.4%), No. 12 Wisconsin (37.4%), No. 13 Kansas (36.5%) and No. 15 South Dakota (36.3%).
By the numbers: In 2023, more than 1.8 million Indiana residents give their time, per AmeriCorps.
- This level of volunteering contributed $3.9 billion in economic value to the state.
- Another 2.9 million Hoosiers helped their neighbors in an informal capacity.
What they're saying: "We are witnessing a remarkable resurgence in volunteering," AmeriCorps CEO Michael D. Smith said in a statement. "This data reflects the unwavering spirit of Americans coming together to uplift their communities, ensuring that everyone feels the transformative power of service. Together, we are building a stronger, more connected nation."
The intrigue: The AmeriCorps report includes a measure of virtual volunteering for the first time, finding that 13.4 million Americans engaged in virtual or hybrid volunteering between September 2022-23.
- Virtual volunteers had an average age of 49, making them slightly older than volunteers who served completely in person who were 46 on average.
- People living with a disability were overrepresented among virtual and hybrid volunteers. The virtual and hybrid volunteering rate was 20% among those living with a disability compared to 18% among those who were not.
Yes, but: The share of Americans who consume news and talk about social issues either in person or online has been steadily decreasing over the last few years, the AmeriCorps report found.
The bottom line: Despite our increasing reluctance to talk about big issues, the findings paint a broad picture of "renewed engagement in American civic life," as the report puts it.