Employment data show strong, growing nonprofit sector in U.S.

Abstract

The most recent analysis of the state of employment in the philanthropic sector shows that—at least prior to COVID‐19—the nation's nonprofits continue to represent a large and growing segment of the overall U.S. private employment picture. In their analysis of their collected data, the researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies found that in 2017, U.S. nonprofits, as a sector of the economy, remained the third largest employer in the U.S., behind only retail trade, and the accommodations and food services industry. In fact, they found that employment by nonprofits overtook employment in manufacturing by nearly 100,000 workers nationwide in 2017, an important milestone as manufacturing is perceived as a sort of bellwether for the health and vitality of the broader economy. Thus, with nonprofit employment eclipsing that of manufacturing, it signifies a robust and healthy employment environment for the sector.