Utah #1 Volunteering State in Nation for 5th Year in a Row

SALT LAKE CITY – Lt. Governor Greg Bell, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Provo City Mayor Curtis, Ogden Mayor Godfrey and Salt Lake City Mayor Becker along with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the Utah Commission on Volunteers will release the 2010 Volunteering In America report ranking Utah as the #1 volunteering state in the nation for the 5^th year running during a press conference in the Gold Room of the State Capitol on June 15 at 9 a.m.

 Collected in partnership with the U.S. Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is the most comprehensive set of data on volunteering in the U.S., and tracks volunteering trends in all 50 states and nearly 200 cities.

 This year’s report shows the largest increase in volunteering since 2003, with 63.4 million Americans (age 16 and older) volunteering in 2009, an increase of almost 1.6 million since 2008.

 ”We’ve seen a renewal in the volunteer spirit of our nation,” said Senator Orrin G. Hatch. “It is heartening to see reports that more and more Americans are willingly stepping forward to help in their neighborhoods and communities and, once again, Utah is leading the way.”

 This report ranks Utah as the #1 volunteering state in the nation with 44.2% of adults volunteering (national average is 22.8%). In addition to this ranking, Utah ranked #1 in eight other categories.

 “These rankings solidify what we already knew about the citizens of our great state,” said Lt. Governor Greg Bell. “They see a need and solve it and when asked they serve.”

 Other #1 state rankings Include:

 Volunteer Hours per Resident: 86.9 hours (#2 ranked Iowa averages 40.1 hours per resident)

• Volunteer Retention Rate:  80.1% (national average is 65%)
• Older Adults (age 65 and older): 40.6%
• Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964): 48.9%
• College Students: 42.3%
• Young Adults (ages 16-24): 40.2%
• Teenagers (ages 16-19): 44.5%
• Millennials (born in/after 1982) 39.4%

 Service is the key solution to many of the challenges facing our state. On average, Utah’s 855,600 volunteers dedicated 168.4 million hours of service with an estimated economic impact of $3.5 billion to our state.

  “The number and quality of Utah’s Volunteers provide positive tangible and intangible economic benefits that contribute to every Utahn’s quality of life”, said Spencer Eccles, Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Executive Director.  “If one looks no further than our corporate citizens you will find innumerable examples of companies and their employees that regularly make significant contributions back into our communities.”

 The city of Provo leads our nation ranking 1^st as the mid-size city with the highest volunteer rate in the country at 63.6% with each resident averaging 149.7 hours of service.

 ”Provo residents understand the real value of serving one another as evidenced by the results of this study,” said Provo Mayor John R. Curtis. “But I find it difficult to truly place a dollar value on what volunteering means to the community. These amazing people sacrifice and serve Provo’s residents and by definition aren’t paid, yet they are a priceless part of our City.”

 Iowa City, Iowa ranked 2nd with a 50% volunteer rate averaging just 42.2 hours of service per person. Ogden, Utah ranked 3rd in the nation with 47.7% volunteer rate but averages 90.5 hours of service per person ranking them 2^ndin the nation for hours served per resident. Salt Lake City ranked 3^rd in the nation with a volunteering rate of 35.8% but ranks 1^st within the 51 large cities at 60.8 volunteer hours per resident.

 “We congratulate the citizens of our great state for their passion and dedication for serving others,” said Shar Lewis, Executive Director with the Utah Commission on Volunteers. “But we still need your service now more than ever and encourage you to recruit your friends, family and associates to find on-going service opportunities that will help our citizens and non-profits in these most difficult economic times.”

 The mission of the Utah Commission on Volunteers, an office of the Lieutenant Governor, is to improve communities through service and volunteering. For more information or to find volunteering opportunities around the state, log ontowww.volunteers.utah.gov.

Access to the Volunteering In America report can be found on the Corporation for National and Community Service’s interactive websitewww.VolunteeringInAmerica.gov.

 

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