The latest annual edition of Volunteering in America, released today, shows a slight decrease in the number of people volunteering and the total number of volunteer hours, but a big increase in the percentage of Generation X citizens (born between 1965 and 1981) who are engaged in volunteer work.
The annual survey, sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, showed that 29.2 percent of Generation X members volunteered in 2010, compared with 12.3 percent in 1989, marking their move into the prime earning and volunteering age groups.
Teenagers, with a volunteer rate of 26 percent, outpaced young adults, both those ages 20 to 24 (18.6 percent) and 25 to 34 (22.9 percent). People of retirement age or older racked up the highest average number of hours each contributed, with those 65 to 74 volunteering 90 hours over the year and volunteers 75 and older racking up an average of 100 plus hours each.
But some things stayed almost the same, including in what areas the volunteers gave their time:
*Coaching or otherwise volunteering for sports team, 8.2 percent, the same in both 2009 and 2010.
*Teaching or tutoring, 18.5 percent in 2010 versus 18.7 percent in 2009.
*Mentoring youth, 17 percent in 2010 compared with 16.9 percent in 2009.
*Religious activities, 11.7 percent in 2010 versus 11.8 in 2009.
*Collecting and distributing food, 23.5 percent in 2010 compared with 23.3 in 2009.
*Collecting and distributing clothing, 13.5 percent both years.
*Fundraising, 26.5 percent for 2010 against 26.4 percent for 2009.
*Emergency response and counseling, 6.3 percent in 2010 compared with 6.4 percent in 2009.
The other major fields of volunteering include music instruction, office work, management work and general labor.
The top five cities for volunteering were Minneapolis-St. Paul, with a 37.1 percent volunteer rate (it was also first last year), Portland, Ore. (36.2 percent), Salt Lake City, Utah (34.1 percent), Seattle (33.9 percent), and Rochester, N.Y. (33.8 percent).
For a state profiles and other data, click here.
