Seattle leads U.S. when it comes to parent volunteers

Another list ranks Seattle #1.  This time the data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau and the ranking has to do with moms and dads volunteering their time.

The annual report "Volunteering and Civic Life in America" was released by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency. 

Nationwide, parents with school age children are the most likely to volunteer, more likely than retirees or people without kids.  And, Seattle has the highest rate of parent volunteerism at 44.1%. The rate nationally is 33.9%. The lowest rate of parent volunteerism is in Miami at 20.9 %.

As for why Seattle does so well, Wendy Spencer, head of the Corporation for National and Community Service, is willing to speculate from her office in Washington, D.C.

”What I have learned about Seattle through the years is that you really cherish and put a priority on education,” she said.

Seattle also ranked 3rd best in the country in overall volunteer rates. Only Minneapolis-St. Paul and Rochester, New York ranked higher.

Some other interesting tidbits about Seattleites from the survey:

• 62.8% do favors for neighbors.
• 91.6% eat dinner with family a few times a week.
• 50.5% discuss politics a few times a month or more.
• Seattleites are more likely than the nation at large to trust other people.