Independent Sector (IS) has announced that the estimated value of a volunteer hour in the United States reached $31.80 in 2022, up 6.2 percent from 2021.

The latest value, calculated by the University of Maryland’s Do Good Institute, is measured based on hourly earnings released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics database estimate for private non-farm and non-managerial occupations, plus a 15.7 percent increase for the value of fringe benefits. State- and local-level values range from $14.87 per hour for Puerto Rico to $50 per hour for the District of Columbia.

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 estimates may still understate the full value of volunteer service, however, because they do not consider benefits provided by volunteers that cannot be easily quantified.

“It is impossible to place a true dollar amount on the immeasurable contributions of time and effort that volunteers give freely to communities around our nation, whether during times of national disasters, or in daily acts of service,” said IS president and CEO Akilah Watkins. “We do know that without their empathy, bravery, and willingness to risk their lives to ensure residents continued to receive vital services throughout the COVID pandemic, many in our communities would not have fared as well. Volunteers are the ties that bind us as a nation and deserve our highest praise for keeping our democratic ideals alive.”

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