Pahala’s library is a branch of Hawaii State Public Library System, which lends less per resident than 65% of systems its size
Pahala’s library is the Pahala Public and School Library, a branch of Hawaii State Public Library System, which serves 1,446,146 people and lent 5.2M items last year.
Pahala’s library, in brief
Hawaii pays a big share
93% of the budget comes from the state, and 0% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Few programs for a library this size
The Hawaii State Public Library System offered 3,839 programs last year, 2.7 per 1,000 residents against a typical 9. 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; Pahala’s library is a branch of Hawaii State Public Library System, so they cover the whole system (1,446,146 people), not just the Pahala branch.
What’s behind Pahala’s civic life grade
Pahala isn’t graded on civic life: it’s unincorporated, so its nonprofits can’t be counted reliably (mailing addresses don’t follow its boundary), its library is a branch of Hawaii State Public Library System, so there is no town figure for visits and the volunteering estimate doesn’t cover enough of it.
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 →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Hawaii State Public Library System serves 1,446,146 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 66 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Hawaii State Public Library System system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
5.2M loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
1,716,408 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 43 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
Pahala Public and School Library, 96-3150 Pikake Street, Pahala.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Hawaii State Public Library System branch.
New in Pahala? The Handbook →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 $1.92 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Pahala cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $42M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $8M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $42M 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 1,016,000 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Pahala Public and School Library is one branch of Hawaii State Public Library System, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 1,446,146 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 Pahala
Does Pahala have a public library?
Yes: Pahala Public and School Library, 96-3150 Pikake Street, is a branch of Hawaii State Public Library System, which serves 1,446,146 people. The branch is open about 27 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Hawaii State Public Library System fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Pahala’s library?
It logged 1.4 visits and lent 3.6 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Pahala’s civic life grade?
Pahala isn’t graded on civic life: it’s unincorporated, so its nonprofits can’t be counted reliably (mailing addresses don’t follow its boundary), its library is a branch of Hawaii State Public Library System, so there is no town figure for visits and the volunteering estimate doesn’t cover enough of it. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Pahala.
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.