(WASHINGTON, April 23, 2025) – Independent Sector, with the Do Good Institute, announced today that the value of a volunteer hour is $34.79 — a 3.9% increase from the previous year. Estimated from data collected in 2024, the figure illustrates the valuable and significant contributions volunteers make every day to support our communities and nation.
Charitable organizations most frequently use the value of volunteer time to recognize the amount of community support an organization receives from its volunteers. Corporations also use the figure to calculate the value of staff volunteer efforts in communities around the country.
“Volunteering is more than an act of kindness; it is a vital service that strengthens our communities and society as a whole. From responding to the diverse and urgent needs in our local areas to addressing the most daunting social challenges, volunteers are the unifying threads that bind us as a nation,” said Independent Sector President and CEO Dr. Akilah Watkins. “Nonprofits are at the heart of their work, providing the infrastructure and opportunities that make service possible — training volunteers, coordinating efforts, and creating accessible pathways for people to contribute their time and skills. To most effectively tackle our most pressing challenges, we must reinvest in volunteerism. And that includes acknowledging and celebrating volunteers not just during National Volunteer Month, but every day of the year.”
“The estimated value of an hour of volunteer time, which reflects the value that volunteer labor adds to the capacity of nonprofit organizations, increased again in 2024,” said Nathan Dietz, research director, Do Good Institute and the researcher responsible for calculating the estimates. “The increase of 3.9% is greater than the overall annual inflation rate (2.9%), which shows that the contributions of volunteers are more valuable today than ever before.”
The state and national estimates of the value of volunteer time are based on the method used by Independent Sector in prior years. The primary assumption is that the value of volunteer service is based on the average earnings of private sector workers, excluding those who work on farms or in managerial occupations.
The latest value, calculated by the University of Maryland’s Do Good Institute, is measured based on annual average hourly earnings estimates that are available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Learn more about the methodology.
The estimates may still understate the full value of volunteer service because they do not consider the many intangible benefits provided by volunteers that cannot be easily quantified.
In addition to the national number, Independent Sector also provides the state-level value of volunteer time for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Values range from $17.32 per hour for Puerto Rico to $52.06 per hour for the District of Columbia.
For more on the Value of Volunteer Time, the methodology, and to explore historical national and state-level data, visit independentsector.org/value-of-volunteer-time.
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The Do-Good Institute at the University of Maryland provides education, programs, research, and resources to develop the next generation of nonprofit leaders, social innovators, and civic-minded students. Learn more at dogood.umd.edu.
Independent Sector is the only national membership organization that brings together a diverse community of changemakers at nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs to ensure all people in the United States thrive. Learn more at independentsector.org.
Media Contact: Andrea Risotto, media@independentsector.org, 202-467-6113
