(Des Moines) Today, Governor Chet Culver announced that Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Waterloo, Council Bluffs/Omaha and Davenport are among the Top 50 mid-sized cities nationwide for volunteer rates, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service. Mid-sized cities include all cities with metropolitan areas with populations ranging from 100,000 to 1 million people, the report also included rankings for large metropolitan areas with populations over 1 million. All six Iowa cities are among the top 75 in the aggregate (large and mid-sized) rankings. Nationally, Iowa was ranked 6th in state adult volunteer rates, the same ranking as last year, but the adult volunteer rate increased from 36.4% to 36.8%, while the national volunteer rate fell from 26.7% to 26.2%.

In the annual Volunteering in America: 2008 State and City Trends and Rankings report, four Iowa communities ranked among the top 15 cities. Utah was the only other state with multiple cities in the top 15 with two.

• Iowa City ranked 2nd among mid-sized cities (between 100,000 & 1,000,000 in a metropolitan area) and 2nd overall (all metropolitan areas over 100,000) with a volunteer rate of 45.1%.
• Cedar Rapids is ranked 8th among mid-sized cities & 9th overall with a volunteer rate of 40.1%.
• Des Moines is ranked 10th among mid-sized cities and 11th overall with a volunteer rate of 38.8%.
• Waterloo is ranked 14th among mid-sized cities and 15th overall with a volunteer rate of 37.4%.
• Omaha/Council Bluffs is ranked 18th among mid-sized cities and 21st overall with a volunteer rate of 35.8%.
• Davenport is ranked 48th among mid-sized cities and 75th overall with a volunteer rate of 27.4%.

“I would like to thank all Iowans who volunteer their time and talents to help their fellow citizens,” said Governor Culver. “I am very proud of the fact that each of Iowa’s cities large enough to qualify for the list made the top 50. These numbers really demonstrate what most Iowans already know, that what makes Iowa truly great are the people that reside here and our sense of community. This ranking is further proof that the spirit of service is alive and well in Iowa’s communities.”

This report combines the state and city reports, previously published separately. It also enhances the depth of information available, now providing information on over 150 major U.S. cities and for the first time showing volunteer rankings for mid-size cities.