Nonprofits' Impact
Nonprofits are all around us.
Their impact is more significant than you might realize.
Nationally
Nonprofits in the US employed 12.3 million people with payrolls exceeding those most of other U.S industries including construction, transportation, and finance (National Council for Nonprofits).
US nonprofits employ more than 10% of the total private workforce in the US and most spend less than $1 trillion annually (The National Council of Nonprofits).
The United States has roughly 1.9 million nonprofit organizations, including 501(c)(3) public charities, private foundations, and a variety of membership and professional organizations (Independent Sector).
In 2024, nonprofits contributed $1.5 trillion to the economy and the gross added value of nonprofits returned to the more typical range of 5% of GDP (Independent Sector).
In Pennsylvania
Number of Pennsylvania Nonprofit Organizations (State Profile - PA - Independent Sector):
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All nonprofit organizations: 63,345
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501(c)(3) Public Charities (includes some religious organizations): 37,600
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501(c)(3) Private and Public Foundations: 6,208
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Other 501(c) Nonprofit Organizations: 19,537
Economic Impact of the Pennsylvania Nonprofit Sector (State Profile - PA - Independent Sector):
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Employs 790,368 - over 15% of the state’s workforce
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Generates almost $132 billion in annual revenues
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Holds assets of $306.3 billion
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Pennsylvania foundations annually give over $2.4 billion
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Pennsylvanians give almost $6.5 billion to charity each year, representing 2.68% of household income
Locally
There are more than 500 nonprofits in Erie County and more than 140 nonprofits in Crawford County (Johns Hopkins University).
Nonprofits account for more than 19% of private employment—more than 20,000 jobs—in the Erie, PA metropolitan statistical area (Johns Hopkins University).
Similarly, in Crawford County, nonprofits account for just over 19% of private employment—more than 4,700 jobs (Johns Hopkins University).
In 2016, approximately $828,873,000 in wages was paid to Erie County nonprofit staff; approximately $189,228,000 was paid to nonprofit staff in Crawford County (Johns Hopkins University).