2008 Volunteering in the United States — 2009-01-23

About 61.8 million people, or 26.4 percent of the population, volun- teered through or for an organization at least once between September 2007 and September 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Both the level and rate of volun- teering were essentially unchanged from the prior year. These data on volunteering were collected through a supplement to the September 2008 Current Population Survey (CPS). The supplement was sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that obtains information on employment and unemployment among the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. Volunteers are defined as persons who did unpaid work (except for expenses) through or for an organization. For more information about the volunteer supplement, see the Technical Note.