Report: Twin Cities Residents Rank #1 For Volunteering

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Once again Twin Cities residents are getting a nod for their effort in giving back to the community.

A report released Tuesday from the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency, says that people in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area rank number one when it comes to volunteering. The report says that nearly 36 percent of metro residents volunteered in 2013, giving almost 97 million hours in service. That's worth an estimated $2.2 billion.

Even more metro residents (68 percent) participated in informal volunteering, the report said. That includes activities like helping sick people shop for groceries or babysitting.

As a state, Minnesota ranks third when it comes to volunteering, the report said. Some 36 percent of the state's residents volunteered in 2013, and 70 percent participated in informal volunteering.

Nationwide, about one in four American adults (62.6 million people) volunteered last year, the report said. The estimated value of their service is $173 billion.

For more on volunteering in America, go to volunteeringinamerica.gov.