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Report: Iowa among states with residents most likely to volunteer

When it comes to volunteering, research shows Iowans are among the most generous people in the U.S.
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When it comes to volunteering, research shows Iowans are among the most generous people in the U.S.

That information comes from a federal report that ranks Iowa 7th, and Illinois 26th, for the percentage of residents who volunteer.

The report is from the Corporation for National and Community Service.

In the Midwestern states – Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Indiana – the report said 30% of residents volunteer.

Click here to see the full ranking list.

Parents were the group most likely to volunteer, the report said, with 44% of Iowa parents and 35.1% of Illinois parents reporting they also serve as volunteers.

Iowa exceeded that average with 34.7% of residents who also volunteer.  That ranks Iowa as 7th among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., the report said.  Iowans contribute about 35 volunteer hours per capita, and more than 71% of Iowans do some sort of informal volunteering such as doing a favor for a neighbor or co-worker.

That’s a drop for Iowans, whose volunteer time ranked the state second on the annual report in 2010 and 2011, and 5th for volunteering in 2012.

The report said 65% of Illinois residents engage in similar informal volunteering.  Illinois ranked 26th among all states with 26.7% of residents saying they also volunteer, and those volunteer contributions translated to 32 volunteer hours per capita.

Illinois teens exceeded the state average, though, with 27.1% of Illinois teens also serving in some volunteer capacity.  The report said 27.6% of Illinois veterans also volunteer.

Minnesota was the most generous Midwestern state, with 36.3% of their residents also doing some sort of volunteering.

Nationally, 62.5% do favors for their neighbors and other informal volunteering.

Utah ranked as the most generous state when it comes to volunteering, with 44.6% of its residents saying they also volunteer.  The report ranked Louisiana as the state where residents were least likely to volunteer, with 17.8% saying they also volunteer.

Related:  Local volunteers rewarded through “Pay It Forward”

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