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Volunteering data · AmeriCorps, 2017 to 2023
Volunteering rate in California
Updated October 2026
California's residents give time to organizations less often than most. In 2023 the rate was 24.1%, the ninth-lowest rate of the 50 states and DC. Treat that placing loosely: 10 states are within the margin of error.
- 24.1%of residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization in 2023, plus or minus 1.5 points. National rate: 28.3%.
- 43rd of 51among the 50 states and DC. 10 states are too close to call.
- 7.5 millionvolunteers in 2023, give or take 453,000.
- 491 millionhours given in 2023, or 15.8 for each resident 16 and older. National figure: 18.7.
Source: AmeriCorps and U.S. Census Bureau, Volunteering and Civic Life in America, 2017 to 2023. Margins of error and hours: Ember analysis of the same survey.
The trend since 2017
California's rate was 24.9% in 2019, fell to 18.3% in 2021 and stood at 24.1% in 2023. The 0.8-point gap with 2019 is inside the margin of error. The rate looks back near where it was. The gain since 2021, 5.8 points, is beyond the margin of error.
| Year | Rate | Margin of error |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 25.4% | ±1.2 points |
| 2019 | 24.9% | ±1.4 points |
| 2021 | 18.3% | ±1.2 points |
| 2023 | 24.1% | ±1.5 points |
California and its neighbors
California borders three states. Oregon and Arizona clearly run higher and Nevada clearly runs lower.
| Place | 2023 rate | Against California |
|---|---|---|
| California (this page) | 24.1% | |
| Oregon | 35.7% | Clearly higher |
| Arizona | 30.0% | Clearly higher |
| Nevada | 18.6% | Clearly lower |
"Clearly" means the gap between two rates is wider than their combined 90% margin of error.
What this means if you run volunteers
More people in California help out than sign up. In 2023, 50.8% of residents helped neighbors or friends outside any organization, about 26.7 points more than volunteered through one. The two groups overlap, but some of those helpers would never call themselves volunteers. A specific ask for a specific shift can change that. Our guide to recruiting volunteers has ways to make that ask.
The typical California volunteer gave 20 hours in the year, against 24 nationally. If your own volunteers give more than that, it's worth saying so in a report.
Use this number in a grant or report
In 2023, 24.1% of California residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization, giving about 491 million hours (AmeriCorps and U.S. Census Bureau, Volunteering and Civic Life in America; hours are an Ember analysis of the same survey).
To put your own program's hours in dollars, use the volunteer hour value calculator. To see every state side by side, go to volunteering rates by state. Ember Impact Reports shows the volunteer hours each program took and counts them in what the work cost, free if your budget is under $50K a year.
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How this was measured
AmeriCorps and the Census Bureau ask this every two years, in September, in the Civic Engagement and Volunteering supplement to the Current Population Survey. A person counts as a volunteer if they gave time through an organization in the past 12 months, and the rate covers residents 16 and older. The state rates here are AmeriCorps' published figures. Margins of error, tests and hours are our own work from the survey's public files, using the Census Bureau's replicate weights, at 90% confidence.
Each state's sample is small, so treat the ranking as a rough order. September 2023 is the newest state reading available. The figures describe California as a whole, not any one organization.
Sources: AmeriCorps and U.S. Census Bureau, Volunteering and Civic Life in America: state rates, 2017 to 2023 (public domain; read October 9, 2026) and Civic Engagement and Volunteering Supplement data. Hours, margins of error, tests and neighbor comparisons are Ember's analysis of the same survey (free CSV, every column on this page).