Vermont ranks No. 2 among states with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers per capita, according to a recent announcement. There are 43 volunteers from Vermont currently serving worldwide and 1,622 Vermonters have served in the Peace Corps since the agency’s founding in 1961.
Notably, Vermont has ranked as a top volunteer-producing state per capita for the last five years and held the No. 1 spot from 2014-2016.
Vermont volunteers are among the more than 235,000 Americans who have served around the world in areas such as agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health and youth development volunteers since 1961.
“Encouraging all Americans, from every corner of our country, to become involved in international service is something that continues to be at the forefront of my mind,” said Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen. “At the Peace Corps, we recognize the leaders who cultivate a culture of service in their states. Communities across America are embracing the domestic dividend of returned Peace Corps volunteers and, today, we celebrate these global citizens who contribute so much to our country.”
Worcester, Vermont, resident Jocelyn Hill serves as an English language facilitator in Tonga. “Values of loyalty and humility run deep throughout the Tongan culture and in every interaction,” said Hill. “The Tongan hospitality is so strong and welcoming, it is a kindness and generosity I have never experienced before. I am supposed to be the one coming to serve my country of service, yet my host country nationals have helped me more than I could ever reciprocate.”
The Peace Corps is unique among service organizations because volunteers live and work at the community level. Service in the Peace Corps is a life-defining, hands-on leadership experience that offers volunteers the opportunity to travel to the farthest corners of the world and make a lasting difference in the lives of others.
This Peace Corps data is current as of Sept. 30, 2018. The area data used is derived from the most current U.S. Census Bureau “Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area” data.
Below arethe nation’s top volunteer-producing states for 2018.
2018 Top States – Per Capita (# of volunteers per 100,000 residents)
1. District of Columbia – 14.8
2. Vermont – 6.9
3. Montana – 4.6
4. Oregon – 4.4
5. Virginia – 4.3
6. Maryland – 4.2
7. New Hampshire – 4.1
8. Maine – 4.0
8. Colorado – 4.0
8. Rhode Island – 4.0
11. Washington – 3.8
11. Minnesota – 3.8
2018 Top States – Total Volunteers
1. California – 836
2. New York – 475
3. Virginia – 364
4. Texas – 351
5. Illinois – 312
6. Florida – 311
7. Pennsylvania – 291
8. Washington – 285
9. Maryland – 257
10. Massachusetts – 242
