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Volunteering data · AmeriCorps, 2017 to 2023
Volunteering rate in New Jersey
Updated October 2026
New Jersey's rate is the 13th-lowest of the 50 states and DC. In 2023, 25.7% of residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization, near the national 28.3%. Allowing for margins of error, it lands somewhere from 29th to 45th.
- 25.7%of residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization in 2023, plus or minus 2.7 points. National rate: 28.3%.
- 39th of 51among the 50 states and DC. 16 states are too close to call.
- 1.9 millionvolunteers in 2023, give or take 199,000.
- 105 millionhours given in 2023, or 14.1 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
New Jersey's rate was 26.1% in 2019, fell to 19.9% in 2021 and stood at 25.7% in 2023. Against 2019 that's down 0.4 points, too small for this survey to call a real change. It did climb clearly from the 2021 low, by 5.8 points.
| Year | Rate | Margin of error |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 26.1% | ±2.7 points |
| 2019 | 26.1% | ±2.8 points |
| 2021 | 19.9% | ±2.9 points |
| 2023 | 25.7% | ±2.7 points |
New Jersey and its neighbors
New Jersey borders three states. Delaware and Pennsylvania clearly run higher; the other is too close to call.
| Place | 2023 rate | Against New Jersey |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey (this page) | 25.7% | |
| Delaware | 32.0% | Clearly higher |
| Pennsylvania | 31.0% | Clearly higher |
| New York | 25.5% | 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 New Jersey help out than sign up. In 2023, 54.4% of residents helped neighbors or friends outside any organization, about 28.7 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 New Jersey 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, 25.7% of New Jersey residents 16 and older volunteered through an organization, giving about 105 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 New Jersey 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).