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Volunteering data · AmeriCorps, 2017 to 2023
Volunteering rate in Iowa
Updated October 2026
Some 35.5% of Iowa residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization in 2023. That's the 11th-highest rate of the 50 states and DC, above the national 28.3%. Survey margins mean its true place could be anywhere from second to 33rd.
- 35.5%of residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization in 2023, plus or minus 4.7 points. National rate: 28.3%.
- 11th of 51among the 50 states and DC. 31 states are too close to call.
- 900,000volunteers in 2023, give or take 119,000.
- 51 millionhours given in 2023, or 20.1 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
Iowa's rate was 33.1% in 2019, fell to 29.9% in 2021 and stood at 35.5% in 2023. Compared with 2019, the rate is up 2.4 points. A gap that size could be sampling noise.
| Year | Rate | Margin of error |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 41.5% | ±4.1 points |
| 2019 | 33.1% | ±4.2 points |
| 2021 | 29.9% | ±4.6 points |
| 2023 | 35.5% | ±4.7 points |
Iowa and its neighbors
Iowa borders six states. Their rates are too close to call against this one.
| Place | 2023 rate | Against Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa (this page) | 35.5% | |
| Nebraska | 40.3% | Too close to call |
| Minnesota | 40.3% | Too close to call |
| South Dakota | 37.8% | Too close to call |
| Wisconsin | 31.1% | Too close to call |
| Illinois | 30.3% | Too close to call |
| Missouri | 29.8% | 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 Iowa help out than sign up. In 2023, 63.3% of residents helped neighbors or friends outside any organization, about 27.8 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 Iowa volunteer gave 24 hours in the year, the same as the national figure. 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, 35.5% of Iowa residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization, giving about 51 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 Iowa 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).