According to the Volunteering in America report released yesterday, almost 61 million people nation-wide volunteered in their communities in 2007. Here are the statistics for my former home and my new one. I find it interesting that two cities that are both so liberal could have such different methods of seeking common good. Interestingly, just last year Seattle was named one of the five least charitable cities yet this study shows they volunteer their time generously. I imagine NYC is the inverse.

Rankings for Seattle

• Volunteer Rate Ranking: 4th within the 50 large cities
• Average Volunteer Rate: 35.5%
• Volunteer Hours Ranking: 3rd within the 50 large cities
• Average Volunteer Hours per Resident: 46.9 hours

Rankings for New York City

• Volunteer Rate Ranking: 48th within the 50 large cities
• Average Volunteer Rate: 17.1%
• Volunteer Hours Ranking: 49th within the 50 large cities
• Average Volunteer Hours per Resident: 21.3 hours

If this stuff interests you, spend some time on this site. Fascinating stuff.