My guess is you’ll find these numbers as surprising as I did. They are certainly important to be aware of and understand.
The non-profit sector is big business in the United States, the state of Missouri, and right here in Cape Girardeau County. Some eye-opening information is contained in a study of the economic impact of the non-profit sector conducted by the University of Missouri – Kansas City just prior to the pandemic.
Nationally, there are more than 1.4 million nonprofits with $2.26 trillion dollars in revenue and more than $5 trillion dollars in assets. Thirty six percent of these are in the human service category with education coming in second at 17%. More than 62 million people volunteered in the reporting year which represents 25% of the population. They logged an estimated 8.7 billion total hours.
Missouri is home to more than 32,000 nonprofit agencies that account for more than 10% of total non-governmental sector employment and more than $10 billion dollars in annual wages.
Here at home, Cape Girardeau County has more than 700 nonprofits with $1.5 billion dollars in assets and they generate more than $1.2 billion dollars in income. Annual giving in Cape County is estimated to be more than $68 million dollars and exceeds the national average of 2%.
The nonprofit sector has significant economic impact as displayed by these numbers but also in the purposes and causes they address.
