Fewer people volunteered in 2006.

More than a quarter of America's population volunteered during 2006, but the rate was still down by about 2 percent, according to a new survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

"Volunteering in the United States 2006" indicated that 61.2 million people volunteered time for a charitable organization at least once between September 2005 and September 2006, or 26.7 percent of the entire United States population. The 2.1-percent drop in the volunteer rate is the first in three years and slightly below the 2002 rate, the first year which comparable data are available.

The median amount of time spent volunteering between September 2005 and September 2006 was 52 hours. Volunteers were most likely to volunteer for one organization (68.5 percent), though almost one in five who did volunteer supported two organizations (19.8 percent).

Volunteers usually gave their time to organizations that are religious in nature (35 percent), followed by educational/youth services (26.4 percent), and social/community services organizations (12.7 percent). Volunteers aged 65 and older were more likely to give their time to religious organizations, while young volunteers and their parents focused more on education- and youth-related groups. The volunteer rate for Americans ages 65 and older has increased 64 percent since 1974 while Baby Boomers are volunteering at higher rates than the previous generation at that point in their lives.

About a third of women and a quarter of men volunteer, but both genders also saw their volunteer rate decline from the previous survey. More than 30 percent of women volunteered, down from 32.4 percent, while 23 percent of men volunteered, down from 25 percent. Women volunteered at a higher rate than men across all age groups, educational levels and most other characteristics. Men who volunteered were most likely to engage in general labor and supervise sports teams, while women tended to fundraise, tutor or teach.

Though all age groups saw their volunteer rate decrease, the biggest drop occurred among teenagers. People ages 35 to 54 were most likely to volunteer (31.2 percent) while those in their early 20s were the least likely (17.8 percent), according to the survey, which also found that teens ages 16 to 19 have more than doubled their time spent volunteering since 1989.

There was a significant gap in volunteer rates between married people (32.2 percent) than those who had never married (20.3 percent) or had another marital status (21.3 percent).