Leisure Time in Our Community - Characteristics Of Volunteers: Race

The chart above shows the percentage of the adult population that volunteer based on race. The chart also shows the total percentage of volunteers for the years 1991 to 1998 as a curve. All the races tend to follow the overall pattern of volunteerism, but the fluctuations in the percentage of white volunteers are not as great as that for blacks and Hispanics. Also, the percentage of whites who volunteer is consistently higher than average.

A higher percentage of whites volunteer than blacks or Hispanics. In 1991 and 1998, a higher percentage of blacks volunteered than Hispanics. In 1991 the percentage difference was 5.7%; in 1998 the difference was only 0.2%. The opposite was true in 1993 and 1995, when Hispanics volunteered at a higher rate than blacks (the percentage difference was 3.3% and 5.1%, respectively).

The next two panels discuss where we contribute our money and where we volunteer our time.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1994, 1996, 1999, and 2001.

White Black Hispanic Total