The annual Volunteering and Civic Life in America study, released by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), shows that South Dakotans continue to give back to their communities in large numbers – ranking ninth in the country.

The state of Utah came in at number one, Idaho number two, Wisconsin number 3, Minnesota number 4, Kansas number 5, Vermont number 6, Nebraska number 7, Alaska number 8, South Dakota number 9, and Iowa number 10.

According to the survey, just over 34% of South Dakota residents volunteer, giving 21.5 million hours of service at an estimated value of $496.9 million.

According to Susie Ryks, Volunteer Services Director with the Helpline Center, the stats really aren't that surprising.

"It really isn’t surprising that South Dakota ranks so high in volunteerism. We tend to be a population of very caring, giving people. And volunteerism is just one example of that.”

South Dakota's highest ranking came in the area of collecting or distributing food, followed by fundraising, general labor, tutoring and mentoring youth.

The study also highlighted the following volunteering and civic engagement trends for South Dakota.

  • 228,660 volunteers
  • 33.0 volunteer hours per capita
  • 72.2% of residents engage in "informal volunteering" (for example, doing favors for neighbors)
  • 43% of residents participate in groups and/or organizations.
  • 87.9% frequently talk with neighbors
  • Generation X leads volunteering among generations. Americans 35-44 had the highest volunteering rate following by those ages 45-54.
  • Older Americans, including Baby Boomers and members of the Silent Generation, tend to volunteer more hours.

Nationwide, one in four Americans last year volunteered, and two out of three people regularly help out a neighbor. That’s nearly 63 million Americans giving nearly eight billion hours of service.

(Source: Helpline Center)

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