Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0Vernon’s library is a branch of Washington County Public Library, which lends less per resident than 76% of systems its size
Vernon’s library is the Vernon Public Library, a branch of Washington County Public Library, which serves 24,234 people and lent 47K items last year.
The short version on Vernon’s library
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, the Washington County Public Library system sits below the middle on all five per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on five. How it compares ↓
Florida pays a big share
31% of the budget comes from the state, and 69% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Few programs for a library this size
The Washington County Public Library system offered 228 programs last year, 9.4 per 1,000 residents against a typical 24. Kids & programs ↓
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; Vernon’s library is a branch of Washington County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (24,234 people), not just the Vernon branch.
What’s behind Vernon’s civic life grade
Vernon isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
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 →
Below most similar-size libraries on all 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Washington County Public Library serves 24,234 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 10 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Washington County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
47K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
The survey has no count of children’s loans for Vernon’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
About 3 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Find it
Vernon Public Library, 3731 Roche Avenue, Vernon.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.10 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Vernon cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $785K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $861K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $785K budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 4,967 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Vernon Public Library is one branch of Washington County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 24,234 people it serves.
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 Vernon
Does Vernon have a public library?
Yes: Vernon Public Library, 3731 Roche Avenue, is a branch of Washington County Public Library, which serves 24,234 people. The branch is open about 25 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Washington County Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Vernon’s library?
It logged 1.7 visits and lent 1.9 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Vernon’s civic life grade?
Vernon isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Vernon.
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.