Minnesota ranks third nationwide for volunteerism as the share of residents who donate their time to nonprofits has rebounded to the highest level seen in several years, a new report shows.
Volunteers have returned to Minnesota nonprofits after a sharp decline during the pandemic, now helping out at a rate surpassing that in 2019, according to AmeriCorps and the U.S. Census Bureau. The survey released earlier in November gave Minnesota the bronze, tied with Nebraska, for its percentage of volunteers in 2023, the most recent year for which figures are available.
Only Utah and Vermont ranked higher than Minnesota, where 40.3% of residents, or more than 1.8 million people, volunteered in 2023, according to the report. That’s higher than the nationwide rate showing more than 28% of Americans volunteered with a nonprofit.
“I think there’s something very special about our state,” said Julia Quanrud, CEO of the nonprofit ServeMinnesota, which administers AmeriCorps programs across the state. “We find this unifying thread of Minnesotans caring about their neighbors, and being willing to show up and help.”
Minnesota’s volunteer rate recovered last year after dipping to 35.5% in 2021, as the pandemic caused nonprofits to shut down and move online. The state also ranked third that year.
The survey, conducted every two years, shows Minnesota is one of 14 states with a volunteer rate in 2023 that met or exceeded 2019. Minnesota’s rate last year inched above that in 2019, when 40.1% of residents volunteered.
But it is still down from a recent high in 2017, when more than 45% of Minnesotans volunteered their time.
Those residents who volunteered in 2023 contributed $4 billion in economic value, the report says.