Idaho ranks third in the nation for volunteerism, according to the latest research by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the National Conference on Citizenship, while Washington ranks ninth. Only Utah and Minnesota beat Idaho, where more than one in three residents volunteered their time to improve their communities or help others, the organizations reported.

“While organizations across the country struggle to provide more services with fewer resources, volunteers help fill the gap,” said Wendy Spencer, chief executive of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Idaho’s volunteerism rate, based on a three-year average, was pegged at 36.5 percent in 2012; Washington’s was 34.5 percent. Rates for states varied from 20.4 percent for the low – Louisiana – to a high of 43.8 percent in Utah. There’s more info here.