Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Decorah’s library lends 6.1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Decorah Public Library serves Decorah’s 15,775 residents. Last year it lent 96K print books and media and logged 70K visits.
The short version on Decorah’s library
Above typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, Decorah Public Library is above the middle on all six per-resident measures we compare, with five in the top 30%. No single number stands out, and none lags far behind. How it compares ↓
Most programs are for young children
71% of the 375 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 3.1 a week for ages 0–5. 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.
What’s behind Decorah’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Decorah is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #33 of 138 in Iowa. Decorah is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Decorah’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 →
113 community nonprofits are registered in Decorah
15.0 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
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 (19 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 3 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
8.1%
8.1% of Decorah’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.6% in the typical Iowa town and 7.5% nationally.
Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Decorah’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Decorah Public Library serves 15,775 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 34 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
96K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 32K books and other items on the shelves went out about 3 times last year, on average.
About 5 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 Decorah last year.
Find it
Decorah Public Library, 202 Winnebago St., Decorah.
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 $2.09 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Decorah cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $766K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.6M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $766K 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 8,446 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.
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 Decorah
Does Decorah have a public library?
Yes. Decorah Public Library, 202 Winnebago St., serves Decorah’s 15,775 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 54 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Decorah Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Decorah’s library?
It logged 4.4 visits and lent 6.1 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Decorah’s civic life grade?
A Decorah is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on civic life, #33 of 138 in Iowa. 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 Decorah.
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.