October 27, 2003 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Hours of volunteer work

Volunteers spent a median 52 hours performing volunteer work during the period from September 2001 to September 2002.

[Chart data—TXT]

While 28.2 percent of volunteers were reported to have spent 100 to 499 hours doing volunteer work, 21.5 percent spent only 1 to 14 hours volunteering. In addition, 5.9 percent of volunteers spent 500 or more hours performing volunteer activities, 14.8 percent spent 50 to 99 hours, and 24.1 percent spent 15 to 49 hours.

College graduates had the highest median annual hours of volunteering (60) among educational attainment groups. Those with less than a high school diploma had the lowest median (48).

These data are from a supplement to the September 2002 Current Population Survey. Find out more in "Volunteerism in the United States," by Stephanie Boraas, Monthly Labor Review, August 2003.

Related TED articles:

• Organizations for which volunteers work
• Volunteering across the ages
• College grads have highest volunteer rate
• Volunteering in the U.S.