Residents of Minneapolis-St. Paul volunteer most; Seattle ranks 5th

A report released today by the Corporation for National & Community Service and reported in the Seattle Times ranks Seattle 5th among the nation's 50 largest cities for volunteer participation, with an average of 36.3% of its residents volunteering each year over the past three years. Portland ranked 6th with 35.8%, compared to a national average of 28.1%.

In terms of number of hours volunteered, Seattle actually ranked 4th, with 53.5 hours per volunteer, and Portland 5th, with 51.0 hours. The national average is 36.5 hours per volunteer.

The full report, "Volunteering in America's Largest Cities," can be found on the NationalService.org website, along with a report released last December entitled "Volunteering at the State Level."

The reports say that volunteerism is at a 30-year high, with the rate among older teens (age 16-19) up especially dramatically to 28.4% in 2006, more than double the rate of 13.4% in 1989.

Washington is 4th in the nation for volunteer participation by young adults (age 16-24), at 34.4%, compared to a national average of 23.4%.

Washington state, as a whole, is 3rd in the nation for number of volunteer hours per year, with 54.5 hours per volunteer. Oregon is 6th, with 50.3.

Good job, Seattle, Portland, Washington, and Oregon! Your participation helps make our Northwest public lands great!