Volunteering Study: Best And Worst Cities At Giving Back (SLIDESHOW)

When it comes to the top altruistic metro areas, Twin Cities residents uphold their reputation of "Minnesota nice," whereas people in Miami appear to be too busy at the beach.

Volunteering in America released a report this week of volunteer rates in top cities nationwide from 2008 to 2010.

Overall, the number of volunteers dropped last year by half a percentage point, to 26.3 percent, the report said.

Robert Velasco, acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, tells USA Today that it's nothing to worry about.

"It's a very small dip and one year's data is not representative of a trend," he said.

Besides reporting the number of people giving back, the study explored possible explanations for a city's volunteer rate by examining factors such as education, poverty and foreclosure numbers.

See the full ranking at Volunteering in America, and check for your state in the slideshow below.

SLIDESHOW: Best And Worst States At Volunteering