Volunteers are vital to the success of many nonprofit and community organizations, bringing needed skills and resources to bear on pressing social concerns. Volunteerism also provides benefits to those serving such as connections with others, career experience and skill-building, and the satisfaction of incorporating service into their lives.

In 2015, 21% of Arkansas residents reported volunteering in the past year, down 3 percentage points from 2004, and 4 points below the national level of 25%. The national level had a similar decrease to the state from 2004 to 2015.

The state volunteering rate was higher for whites (22%) than for blacks (15%) or Hispanics (14%). Additionally, a greater share of women volunteered (25%) than men (17%). Within the state, the Fayetteville and Little Rock metro areas both had rates similar to the state as a whole (22% and 23%), while the Fort Smith metro area had a far higher volunteering rate of 32%.

Data is based on the Volunteer Supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS). No county-level data is available. The frequency of CPS supplemental inquiries (such as the Volunteer Supplement) vary; some are conducted annually, others every other year or on a one-time basis. Data is reported for years available. The CPS sample is selected so that it is reliable at the national and state level, data for smaller geographic areas (such as Metropolitan Statistical Areas) is not as reliable.