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Volunteering data · AmeriCorps, 2017 to 2023

Volunteering rate in Idaho

Updated October 2026

For every 100 Idaho residents 16 and older, about 34 volunteered through an organization in 2023. Nationally it was 28.3%. Counted in hours, residents gave 31.5 each over the year, the second-highest of any state.

  • 34.4%of residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization in 2023, plus or minus 4.1 points. National rate: 28.3%.
  • 14th of 51among the 50 states and DC. 30 states are too close to call.
  • 534,000volunteers in 2023, give or take 63,000.
  • 49 millionhours given in 2023, or 31.5 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

From 34.5% in 2019, Idaho dropped to 28.2% in 2021 and reached 34.4% in 2023. Against 2019 that's down 0.1 points, too small for this survey to call a real change. The rise from 2021, 6.2 points, is real: it's past the margin of error.

0%20%40%60%’17’19’21’23Idaho 2017: 37.9%, plus or minus 2.8 pointsIdaho 2019: 34.5%, plus or minus 4.0 pointsIdaho 2021: 28.2%, plus or minus 3.6 pointsIdaho 2023: 34.4%, plus or minus 4.1 points34.4%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
201737.9%±2.8 points
201934.5%±4.0 points
202128.2%±3.6 points
202334.4%±4.1 points

Idaho and its neighbors

Idaho borders six states. Utah clearly runs higher and Nevada clearly runs lower; the others are too close to call.

Place2023 rateAgainst Idaho
Idaho (this page)34.4% 
Utah46.6%Clearly higher
Montana37.2%Too close to call
Oregon35.7%Too close to call
Wyoming33.5%Too close to call
Washington32.8%Too close to call
Nevada18.6%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 Idaho help out than sign up. In 2023, 60.8% of residents helped neighbors or friends outside any organization, about 26.4 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 Idaho volunteer gave 40 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, 34.4% of Idaho residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization, giving about 49 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 Idaho 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 Idaho?

In 2023, 34.4% of Idaho residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization, plus or minus 4.1 points. The national rate was 28.3%. Source: AmeriCorps and U.S. Census Bureau, Volunteering and Civic Life in America.

How does Idaho rank for volunteering?

Idaho has the 14th-highest rate of the 50 states and DC and is clearly above the national rate. Allowing for margins of error, its place falls between fourth and 34th.

Has volunteering in Idaho recovered since the pandemic?

It looks close. The 2023 rate of 34.4% is below the 2019 rate of 34.5%, but the gap is inside the margin of error.

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