Nonprofit Sector Grows

U.S. nonprofits are a critical part of the U.S. economy, employing almost 13 million people, paying nearly $490 billion in wages, and making up 5 percent of gross national product, a new report says.

Over the past 10 years, the sector has expanded in almost every dimension, says the 2008 Nonprofit Almanac, published by the Urban Institute Press.

The report, with over 200 pages of statistics and analysis, details the size and scope of the nonprofit sector and compares trends among nonprofits to other sectors of the U.S. economy in the areas of wages and employment, giving and volunteering and finances.

Full-text article is available via the Philanthropy Journal, 5.19.08.

Complete report: The Nonprofit Almanac 2008, by Kennard T. Wing, Thomas H. Pollak, and Amy Blackwood, is available from the Urban Institute Press (paper, 9" x 11", 270 pages, ISBN 978-0-87766-736-0, $39.50).