A Volunteer Hour In U.S. Jumps To $33.49
The value of a volunteer hour in the United States during 2023 was $33.49, up $4.95 from 2020. It’s a 5.3% increase from 2022. The value is estimated from data collected in 2023, the figure illustrates the valuable and significant contributions volunteers make every day to support our communities and nation.
In a state-by-state comparison and including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, Massachusetts had the highest volunteer value at $40.97 per hour, followed closely by Washington state at $40.28. The lowest state value was in Mississippi at $25.42. It was $15.82 per hour for Puerto Rico and $50.88 per hour for the District of Columbia.
The state and national estimates of the value of volunteer time are based on the method used by Independent Sector in prior years. The primary assumption is that the value of volunteer service is based on the average earnings of private sector workers, excluding those who work on farms or in managerial occupations, according to information released by Independent Sector. Benefits are included in the final estimate.
The latest value, calculated by the University of Maryland’s Do Good Institute, is measured based on annual average hourly earnings estimates that are available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Charitable organizations most frequently use the value of volunteer time to recognize the amount of community support an organization receives from its volunteers. Corporations also use the figure to calculate the value of staff volunteer efforts in communities around the country.
The estimates may still understate the full value of volunteer service because they do not consider the many intangible benefits provided by volunteers that cannot be easily quantified.
“When you volunteer, you help hold up the foundation of civil society. Volunteers lend their energy and talents, help their neighbors, and strengthen their communities. Volunteers nationwide are making meaningful contributions to many causes to improve lives and advance the greater good,” said Dr. Akilah Watkins, Independent Sector president and CEO. “Volunteering is a critical form of engagement with nonprofits that strengthens the nonprofit workforce and drives trust in the sector. No dollar estimate can fully reflect the value of volunteers to the well-being of our communities and our nation, but organizations use this number to quantify the importance of volunteering.”
“Once again, the estimated value of an hour of volunteer time has increased, which reflects the invaluable contributions that volunteers make every day to organizations in the social sector and to their communities,” Nathan Dietz, research director, Do Good Institute, said via a statement. “The increase of 5.3 percent is much larger than the annual inflation rate (3.4 percent in 2023), which shows how much organizations appreciate the efforts of those who do this important work.”
The value of volunteer time annual updates are released in April during National Volunteer Week. These estimates reflect the previous calendar year because they are based on wage data collected by the BLS and it takes some time for BLS to process and validate the year-end data.
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