By Maria Di Mento

The growth in nonprofit jobs slowed in 2010 compared with other recent years, according to a new analysis of U.S. labor statistics.

The number of nonprofit jobs grew by just under 1 percent from 2009 to 2010, according to a study of figures in 45 states by the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Civil Society Studies, in Baltimore. Year-to-year nonprofit job totals increased by 1.2 percent in 2009 and 2.6 percent in 2008.

However, nonprofits fared better in 2010 than for-profit companies, which saw a 0.9 percent decrease in jobs last year.

Among specific fields, education saw the highest rate of growth at a rate of 1.9 percent from 2007 to 2010, followed by professional services and arts, each at 1.8 percent. Health-related jobs grew by 1.6 percent, and social services by 1.5 percent. Civic groups saw a 0.5-percent drop in jobs during that three-year period, according to the report.

Other key findings show that half of all nonprofit jobs are health-related, 13 percent are in education, and 11 percent in social services.

The full report, “Nonprofits Continue to Add Jobs in the Current Downturn but Rate of Job Growth Falters: An Overview,” will be released later this month, but a summary of its main findings can be found on the university’s Center for Civil Society Studies Web site.