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Volunteering data · AmeriCorps, 2017 to 2023

Volunteering rate in Florida

Updated October 2026

Only four states have a lower rate than Florida. The 2023 figure was 20.4%, and the country's was 28.3%. Counted in hours, residents gave 13.3 each over the year, the fourth-lowest of any state.

  • 20.4%of residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization in 2023, plus or minus 1.8 points. National rate: 28.3%.
  • 47th of 51among the 50 states and DC. Seven states are too close to call.
  • 3.8 millionvolunteers in 2023, give or take 332,000.
  • 248 millionhours given in 2023, or 13.3 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

Florida's rate was 24.2% in 2019, fell to 15.9% in 2021 and stood at 20.4% in 2023. The 2023 figure is 3.8 points under 2019 and clearly under the 2017 to 2019 average. Both gaps are too wide to put down to chance, which puts Florida among the 11 states clearly below their pre-pandemic level. The rise from 2021, 4.5 points, is real: it's past the margin of error.

0%20%40%60%’17’19’21’23Florida 2017: 22.8%, plus or minus 1.8 pointsFlorida 2019: 24.2%, plus or minus 1.7 pointsFlorida 2021: 15.9%, plus or minus 1.6 pointsFlorida 2023: 20.4%, plus or minus 1.8 points28.3%20.4%
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
201722.8%±1.8 points
201924.2%±1.7 points
202115.9%±1.6 points
202320.4%±1.8 points

Florida and its neighbors

Florida borders two states. Georgia clearly runs higher; the other is too close to call.

Place2023 rateAgainst Florida
Florida (this page)20.4% 
Georgia25.6%Clearly higher
Alabama19.9%Too close to call

"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 Florida help out than sign up. In 2023, 47.5% of residents helped neighbors or friends outside any organization, about 27.1 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 Florida volunteer gave 25 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, 20.4% of Florida residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization, giving about 248 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 Florida 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 Florida?

In 2023, 20.4% of Florida residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization, plus or minus 1.8 points. The national rate was 28.3%. Source: AmeriCorps and U.S. Census Bureau, Volunteering and Civic Life in America.

How does Florida rank for volunteering?

Florida has the fifth-lowest rate of the 50 states and DC and is clearly below the national rate. Allowing for margins of error, its place falls between 44th and 51st.

Has volunteering in Florida recovered since the pandemic?

No. The 2023 rate of 20.4% is 3.8 points below 2019 and clearly below the 2017 to 2019 average, past the margin of error on both tests.

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