Value of Volunteer Time Increases Again

By Amanda L. Cole

New national data puts a higher price on “free” labor.

As nonprofits navigated rising costs, staff shortages, and uneven volunteer pipelines in 2025, the estimated value of volunteer time climbed to $36.14 an hour — a 3.9% jump year over year, according to the “2026 Value of Volunteer Time Report.”

Independent Sector and the University of Maryland’s Do Good Institute release the figure annually, using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data to produce both a national estimate and state‑level figures. The 2025 update, timed with National Volunteer Week, pegs the national rate at $36.14 per hour.

Meanwhile, state values range from $17.99 in Puerto Rico, to $54.77 in the District of Columbia. Georgia saw the fastest growth, with its volunteer value per hour value rising 7.9% from $32.63 to $35.22.

“Once again, the increase is real and not just due to inflation (2.7% in 2025), and the state-level estimates on the U.S. map also show how much these estimates vary by region and by state,” Nathan Dietz, research director at the Do Good Institute, said in a statement, noting the variations are due to cost of living.

Many nonprofits use the value of volunteer time to recognize contributors in annual impact reports, and to help boards, donors, and corporate partners grasp the scale of contributed labor. For example, a food bank that logged 20,000 volunteer hours last year could estimate that volunteers provided more than $720,000 in contributed labor using the new national rate. Independent Sector notes that the figure is an estimate of replacement cost for an average volunteer hour, not a precise price tag on every role, and encourages organizations to pair it with other measures of volunteer impact and engagement.

“Before our founding fathers touched quill to paper to sign our Declaration of Independence, Americans have been volunteering their time and energy to the causes and communities they believe in — aiding wounded soldiers in the Revolutionary War, advocating for the abolition of slavery, marching for civil rights, and raising funds to support those left behind by the other sectors of our society,” Dr. Akilah Watkins, president and CEO of Independent Sector, said in a statement.

“... While it is impossible to capture the immense contribution of the U.S. volunteer force into a dollar amount, the Value of Volunteer Time serves as an important representation of the economic and social value of the millions of hours Americans dedicate to service every year.”