What does this measure?

The percentage of adult residents that served as an officer or on a committee of a local club or organization in the past year.

Why is this important?

Community organizations need leaders to guide them on their mission to provide needed services to the community. The volunteer leadership rate shows how many area residents are willing to provide that leadership.

How is our region performing?

In 2006, the proportion of people in the region serving in a leadership role in an organization was 22%, up from 19% in 2000. Leadership rates in the region were ahead of the national rate of 18% in both years. The regional rate for black or African American residents nearly doubled to 19% in 2006, comparable with the national rate.

Notes about the data

Data from the Rochester Area Community Foundation Social Capital Survey include residents of six counties: Monroe, Wayne, Ontario, Livingston, Genesee and Orleans. Data could not be broken out between Monroe and the surrounding counties. The survey included an oversampling of black or African American residents and Latinos, but the total number of Latinos was small, so analysis of this population should be considered tentative.