Are you one of Australia’s most generous people?

You put your hand up to help out at a fundraising event that’s happening this weekend. Do you:

1. Regret that you agreed to do it and come up with a good excuse not to go.
2. Follow through on your commitment. No one else you know is going, so you feel obligated.
3. Happily go along and take your neighbours — they are always super keen to do their bit for the community.

If you chose ‘3)’, there’s a good chance you live in one of Australia’s most generous suburbs. Those areas of the country where it’s most likely you and/or your neighbours do volunteer work.

Microburbs has compiled the percentage of residents each state and territory who, in the last 12 months, did voluntary work for an organisation or group. Broken further down to a suburban level, it is possible to see which areas in each state have the most generous — and also the least generous — residents.

Looking at the national data, the Australian Capital Territory ranks as Australia’s most generous region, with 23% of residents having undertaken volunteer work in the past year. This is followed by South Australia and Tasmania, with 19% each.

According to the stats, residents of New South Wales are least likely to volunteer, with just 18% of them offering their time.

Examining the results more closely, and comparing all Australian suburbs that have more than 2,000 residents, Aranda in the ACT tops the territory’s list of most generous neighbourhoods, with more than a third of residents having volunteered in the past 12 months. Home to Canberra’s first Community Fire Unit, as well as the Friends of Aranda Bushland group, the Aranda Residents Group and an active Neighbourhood Watch, it’s no surprise this community of just under 2,500 takes the crown of Australia’s most generous suburb in Australia’s most generous region.

The highest percentage of volunteerism in this category, however, goes to the western Victorian town of Nhill, where an impressive 40% of residents have chipped in during the past year.

At the other end of the scale, just 6% of residents in Victoria’s Campbellfield and 7% of those in Cabramatta West in NSW are likely volunteer. According to Microburbs’ suburb profiles, these areas are comprised mainly of low income earners, which reflects data that volunteerism is higher in more affluent areas.

Microburbs found correlations between certain characteristics and the likelihood of volunteerism, with volunteers more likely to be an English-speaking female, aged 45-65. Non-English speakers were less likely to volunteer, perhaps because of language barriers, but potentially also because community involvement in other countries may not be reported as official volunteering.

Statistically, there is also a strong correlation between volunteering and higher household income, so these volunteers are also likely to have a high income, or have a high income partner.

This might explain the ACT’s high volunteerism rates, with high-paying public sector job allowing for more time to pursue community projects.

See below for rankings on the highest and lowest rates of volunteerism in suburbs with more than 2,000 residents across Australia. You can also discover how generous your suburb is, as well as find out how it rates on things such as commuting, noise, lifestyle and chances for love, all on Microburbs.