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Volunteering data · AmeriCorps, 2017 to 2023

Volunteering rate in Connecticut

Updated October 2026

Connecticut is in the top 10. In 2023, 37.4% of residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization, the seventh-highest rate of the 50 states and DC. Hours tell the same kind of story: 28.5 volunteer hours per resident, the fourth-highest in the country.

  • 37.4%of residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization in 2023, plus or minus 4.9 points. National rate: 28.3%.
  • 7th of 51among the 50 states and DC. 23 states are too close to call.
  • 1.1 millionvolunteers in 2023, give or take 146,000.
  • 84 millionhours given in 2023, or 28.5 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

Connecticut's rate was 31.4% in 2019, fell to 28.8% in 2021 and stood at 37.4% in 2023. That's 6.0 points above 2019, inside the margin of error, so Connecticut can't be called up or down. The gain since 2021, 8.6 points, is beyond the margin of error.

0%20%40%60%’17’19’21’23Connecticut 2017: 31.8%, plus or minus 4.6 pointsConnecticut 2019: 31.4%, plus or minus 3.7 pointsConnecticut 2021: 28.8%, plus or minus 4.7 pointsConnecticut 2023: 37.4%, plus or minus 4.9 points37.4%28.3%
Share of residents 16 and older who volunteered through an organization. Every state's chart uses the same scale, and 2021 was the pandemic low nationally. 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.
YearRateMargin of error
201731.8%±4.6 points
201931.4%±3.7 points
202128.8%±4.7 points
202337.4%±4.9 points

Connecticut and its neighbors

Connecticut borders three states. New York and Rhode Island clearly run lower; the other is too close to call.

Place2023 rateAgainst Connecticut
Connecticut (this page)37.4% 
Massachusetts33.1%Too close to call
New York25.5%Clearly lower
Rhode Island18.5%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 Connecticut help out than sign up. In 2023, 52.5% of residents helped neighbors or friends outside any organization, about 15.1 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 Connecticut volunteer gave 39 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, 37.4% of Connecticut residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization, giving about 84 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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Every state

Pick a region to narrow the list.

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 Connecticut 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).

Common questions

What percentage of people volunteer in Connecticut?

In 2023, 37.4% of Connecticut residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization, plus or minus 4.9 points. The national rate was 28.3%. Source: AmeriCorps and U.S. Census Bureau, Volunteering and Civic Life in America.

How does Connecticut rank for volunteering?

Connecticut has the seventh-highest rate of the 50 states and DC and is clearly above the national rate. Allowing for margins of error, its place falls between second and 25th.

Has volunteering in Connecticut recovered since the pandemic?

It looks that way. The 2023 rate of 37.4% is at or above the 2019 rate of 31.4%.

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