84 million American volunteers

The dollar value of time volunteered by Americans is now estimated at a record-high $64.5 billion a year.

This figure was computed by Independent Sector, a national forum to encourage volunteering. The dollar amount is based on the number of people in volunteer activity, the hours of volunteering per year, and the dollar value of the hours by education level.

The 1981 Gallup Survey on volunteering commissioned by Independent Sector showed that 52 percent of American adults volunteered in 1981. The $64.5 billion , however, is based solely on the 47 percent of Americans in structured volunteer programs.

Eighty-four million Americans volunteer an estimated total of 8.4 billion hours a year in categories such as advocacy, direct services, and fund raising. Of this total, 76 million adults each contribute about 102 hours.