26.5% of Americans volunteer according to the Corporation for National and Community Services’ annual report, Volunteering in America.
Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, says volunteering yields both health and economic benefits.
Spencer says studies show individuals who volunteer feel less stressed and tend to live longer.
She says people who volunteer while they are looking for work, increase their chances of finding employment by 27%.
"We actually put a dollar value to volunteers across America and that dollar value is $175 billion dollars. Nebraska jumped up one spot and is in the number 5 spot of states with the highest volunteering rate.”
Spencer says Utah ranks first with 43.8% of its population serving as volunteers. Minnesota, Idaho, Kansas, and now Nebraska, round out the top five.
Spencer says the figures come from the census bureau. For more information on volunteering, the website is www.serve.gov.