1.6M Volunteer Across DC Region, With Work Valued at $4.2 Billion

WASHINGTON, DC -- More than 1.6 million volunteers in the D.C. metro area donated 38.4 hours per capita last year, contributing the equivalent of $2.6 billion in services. Those figures and more were released this week by the federal Corporation for National and Community Service.

The D.C. metro ranked 4th in the rate of volunteering when compared to other major metropolitan areas. More than 33 percent of residents volunteered in 2015, according to the report out this week, titled Volunteering and Civic Life in America.

Top-ranked hubs for volunteers included Minneapolis, at 37 percent, followed by Salt Lake City and Milwaukee.

Programs with the most volunteer support in the D.C. region included religious and educational groups, as well as social or community service organizations.

Among states, Virginia ranked 17th, with 30.62 percent volunteering in 2015. That's up from 18th last year, when the rate was at 29.1 percent.

More than 60 percent of metro residents report donating $25 or more to charity. Those who reported volunteering were nearly twice as likely to have made donations to charity in 2015.

Across the country, 62.6 million adults volunteered through an organization last year, and 138 million Americans volunteered informally in their communities. Americans volunteered nearly 7.8 billion hours in 2015, worth an estimated $184 billion, according to the corporation.

"When we stand shoulder to shoulder to serve with others, we gain another perspective on the lives we share, while using our time and talents to build a stronger nation," said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Image via NationalService.gov