June 1, 2004
Estimated Dollar Value of Volunteer Time is $17.19 Per Hour
2003 Volunteer Time Equivalent To $266 billion of Contributed Service
http://www.independentsector.org/programs/research...
INDEPENDENT SECTOR has estimated the value of a volunteer hour was $17.19 in 2003. The 2003 hourly value is a 45-cent increase from the previous year’s estimate. The estimated value of volunteer time provides a uniform way for volunteer managers, nonprofit executives, government agencies and others to account for the value of time contributed by volunteers.
Nationally, INDEPENDENT SECTOR estimates that in 2003 volunteer time was the equivalent of approximately $266 billion of contributed service, assuming the total number of volunteer hours held constant from previous years.
“While in many ways the service volunteers provide is immeasurably valuable, this national estimate provides a useful baseline for understanding the enormous economic contribution volunteers give to their communities,” said Diana Aviv, president and CEO, INDEPENDENT SECTOR.
The hourly value, updated yearly, is based on the average hourly earnings of all nonagricultural workers as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. INDEPENDENT SECTOR takes this figure and increases it by 12 percent to estimate for fringe benefits.
|
Dollar Value of a Volunteer Hour in Other Years: 1980 - 2003 |
|
1980: |
$7.46 |
|
1981: |
$8.12 |
|
1982: |
$8.60 |
| 1983: |
$8.98 |
| 1984: |
$9.32 |
| 1985: |
$9.60 |
| 1986: |
$9.81 |
| 1987: |
$10.06 |
| 1988: |
$10.39 |
| 1989: |
$10.82 | |
| 1990: |
$11.41 |
| 1991: |
$11.76 |
| 1992: |
$12.05 |
| 1993: |
$12.35 |
| 1994: |
$12.68 |
| 1995: |
$13.05 |
| 1996: |
$13.47 |
| 1997: |
$13.99 |
| 1998: |
$14.56 |
| 1999: |
$15.09 | |
| 2000: |
$15.68 |
| 2001: |
$16.27 |
| 2002: |
$16.74 |
| 2003: |
$17.19 | |
Please note: Values for 1990-2002 were adjusted to reflect a new data series released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. |
| Volunteers—Number, Hours, and Dollar Value: 1989 - 2000 |
| Volunteer Indicator |
2000* |
1998 |
1995 |
1993 |
1991 |
1989 |
| Civilian noninstitutional population 18 years old or older (March 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1999, in millions) |
N/A |
197.1 |
190.5 |
187.1 |
184.4 |
180.9 |
| Volunteers (percentage of population) |
44% |
55.5% |
48.8% |
47.7% |
51.1% |
54.4% |
| Volunteers (in millions) |
83.9 |
109.4 |
93.0 |
89.2 |
94.2 |
98.4 |
| Average weekly hours per volunteer |
3.6 |
3.5 |
4.2 |
4.2 |
4.2 |
4.0 |
| Average annual hours per volunteer |
N/A |
182.0 |
218.4 |
218.4 |
217.6 |
208.0 |
| Annual hours volunteered (in billions) |
N/A |
19.9 |
20.3 |
19.5 |
20.5 |
20.5 |
Annual hours volunteered, excluding
informal volunteering (in billions) |
15.5 |
15.8 |
15.7 |
15.0 |
15.2 |
15.7 |
| Full-time equivalent employment, excluding informal volunteering, at 1,700 hours per year per employee (in millions) |
9.1 |
9.3 |
9.2 |
8.8 |
9.0 |
9.2 |
| Dollar value of a volunteer hour |
$15.40 |
$14.30 |
$12.84 |
$12.13 |
$11.58 |
$10.82 |
| Total assigned dollar value of volunteer time, excluding informal volunteering (in billions) |
$239.2 |
$225.9 |
$201.5 |
$182.3 |
$176.4 |
$169.6 |
Please note: All volunteering numbers for 2000 are for individual adults aged 21 or older. All other years, 1989 to 1998, include individual adults aged 18 or older. Other significant changes were also introduced in the 2001 Giving and Volunteering survey, including survey methodology, which makes comparison to prior years difficult. |
Dollar Value of a Volunteer Hour, by State: 2002
Please note that 2002 is the latest year for which state-by-state numbers are available. |
| Alabama: $13.98 |
| Alaska: $16.46 |
| Arizona: $15.41 |
| Arkansas: $12.69 |
| California: $18.67 |
| Colorado: $17.41 |
| Connecticut: $21.70 |
| Delaware: $18.08 |
| Dist. of Columbia: $24.75 |
| Florida: $14.58 |
| Georgia: $16.48 |
| Hawaii: $14.17 |
| Idaho: $12.72 |
| Illinois: $18.20 | |
| Indiana: $14.91 |
| Iowa: $13.36 |
| Kansas: $14.22 |
| Kentucky: $14.08 |
| Louisiana: $13.74 |
| Maine: $13.39 |
| Maryland: $17.34 |
| Massachusetts: $20.75 |
| Michigan: $17.48 |
| Minnesota: $17.20 |
| Mississippi: $12.05 |
| Missouri: $15.24 |
| Montana: $11.36 | |
| Nebraska: $13.31 |
| Nevada: $15.12 |
| New Hampshire: $16.77 |
| New Jersey: $20.55 |
| New Mexico: $12.91 |
| New York: $21.53 |
| North Carolina: $14.89 |
| North Dakota: $11.96 |
| Ohio: $15.43 |
| Oklahoma: $12.91 |
| Oregon: $15.15 |
| Pennsylvania: $16.15 |
| Rhode Island: $15.22 | |
| South Carolina: $13.50 |
| South Dakota: $11.86 |
| Tennessee: $14.86 |
| Texas: $16.84 |
| Utah: $13.74 |
| Vermont: $14.03 |
| Virginia: $16.84 |
| Washington: $17.41 |
| West Virginia: $12.74 |
| Wisconsin: $14.72 |
| Wyoming: $12.96 |
| Puerto Rico: $9.10 |
| Virgin Islands: $12.67 | |
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