Photo: Terrydarc · CC BY-SA 3.0Sedona’s library logs 14 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size
Community Library Sedona serves Sedona’s 9,771 residents from 2 locations. Last year it lent 203K books, movies and e-books and logged 136K visits.
The short version on Sedona’s library
Sedona borrows more library books per person than any town in Arizona
Out of 40 Arizona towns with a library of their own, Sedona comes first for items borrowed per resident. It’s also #3 for library use and #4 for kids’ borrowing. How it compares ↓
Sedona uses its library more than almost any town its size
Sedona’s library system logs 14 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, and lends 17 print items per resident against a typical 3.8. On both counts it beats 98% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
Sedona’s library system ran 1,264 programs last year, about 24 a week. That’s 129 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. People show up: 20,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Nearly everyone in Sedona has a card
9,643 cards for 9,771 people, or 99%. At the typical library serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, it’s 42%. How it compares ↓
Big on e-books and audiobooks
Digital borrowing runs 4.3 e-items per resident, against a typical 1, higher than at 95% of similar-size libraries. It’s 20% of all loans. What people borrow ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Numbers are the library’s own report to the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
What’s behind Sedona’s civic life grade
On library visits and community nonprofits, Sedona is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #1 of 68 in Arizona. Sedona is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs put Sedona near the top nationally; Sedona’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
Civic life counts registered nonprofits, library visits and online volunteering groups, so it can miss civic life that runs through congregations, mutual aid or neighbors looking out for each other.
Library visits: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024. Nonprofits: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, October 2026. Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. How TownRatings grades civic life →
131 community nonprofits are registered in Sedona
13.4 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (42 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 8 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
Every hour the doors are open, about 51 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Community Library Sedona serves 9,771 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
203K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 62K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.6 times last year, on average.
41,545 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card.
About 10 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Sedona last year.
2 places to borrow in Sedona
Community Library Sedona, 3250 White Bear Rd, Sedona.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting.
New in Sedona? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Sedona
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.98 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Sedona cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1.8M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.6M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.8M budget.
Fine-free. No late fees on books returned late.
Retail prices are typical, rounded down: a new book $17, a kids’ book $12, an e-book or e-audiobook $15, a movie rental $4, a class or program $10, a computer or Wi-Fi session $3. The average cardholder’s month = the library’s yearly loans, attendance and Wi-Fi sessions ÷ its 9,643 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average; libraries are compared with others serving about as many people. How TownRatings uses library figures →
Questions about the library and civic life in Sedona
Does Sedona have a public library?
Yes. Community Library Sedona, 3250 White Bear Rd, serves Sedona’s 9,771 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 48 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Community Library Sedona fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Sedona’s library?
It logged 13.9 visits and lent 20.8 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Sedona’s civic life grade?
A+ Sedona is among the top 1% of U.S. towns on civic life, #1 of 68 in Arizona. The grade combines library visits per resident, community nonprofits per 1,000 residents and the share of adults 25–44 in volunteering groups. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Sedona.
Libraries: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Each library reports its own numbers. Distances are straight-line from the town center. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.