MONTPELIER — Peace Corps officials say Vermont is continuing with its ranking as the top state for the per capita production of Peace Corps volunteers.

Officials announced the rankings Wednesday.

Only the District of Columbia has a higher ranking in the production of volunteers.

The same rankings found that New Hampshire ranked fourth and Maine eighth.

The Peace Corps’ Northeast Regional office manager Brian Melman says the region has a culture of involvement and community engagement.

Since the Peace Corp was created more than 50 years ago, 1,453 Vermonters have served as volunteers across the country.

The Peace Corps currently operates in 139 countries across the world with volunteers working in development programs as varied as HIV-AIDS education to information technology.