PALM BAY, Fla., Oct. 25, 2026 —

Kindness is hard to measure, but every two years the federal government tries. AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service, partners with the U.S. Census Bureau on what it calls the most robust survey about volunteerism and civic engagement across the United States. The latest state results come from September 2023, and Florida's numbers tell a comeback story.

The numbers

AmeriCorps reports Florida's formal volunteering rate, meaning the share of residents who volunteered through an organization, as follows (state trends data):

Year Florida formal volunteering rate
2017 22.8%
2019 24.2%
2021 15.9%
2023 20.4%

That's a drop during the pandemic years and a climb of 4.5 percentage points from 2021 to 2023. Florida still trails many states. In the same table, Utah led at 46.6% in 2023.

Formal volunteering is only one way people help. The survey also tracks informal helping, the share of residents who informally helped their neighbors, plus charitable giving of $25 or more, talking with neighbors, and belonging to organizations. Picking up groceries for a neighbor or checking on someone after a storm counts as kindness too, even if it never shows up on a sign-in sheet.

Why it matters right now

The weeks between Halloween and New Year's are when many food pantries, toy drives and shelters ask for the most help. You don't need a big time commitment to make a difference. Some low-key ways to start:

  • Ask before you give. Call a local food bank, shelter or school and ask what they actually need. It might be volunteers, diapers or canned goods rather than clothing.
  • Bring the kids. Many groups welcome family volunteers for jobs like sorting donations or writing cards.
  • Help a neighbor. Informal helping is part of the federal survey for a reason. Offering a ride, raking up storm debris or sharing a meal all count.
  • Give $25. That's the threshold the survey uses for charitable giving.

Want to dig into the data?

AmeriCorps publishes its Volunteering and Civic Life in America research online, and the Census Bureau posts the raw 2023 survey files for anyone who wants to run the numbers. The next round of data should show whether Florida's rebound kept going.

Know a Floridian whose generosity deserves a story? Email editor@launchpaddigitalfl.com.

Sources

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