Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School · Photo: Larry Day, Photographer · Public domainDes Moines’ library logs 4 visits per resident, against a typical 2.1 for libraries its size
Des Moines Public Library serves Des Moines’s 221,659 residents from 6 locations. Last year it lent 848K print books and media and logged 888K visits.
Des Moines’s library, in brief
Every town next door borrows more
Des Moines’s library lends 3.8 items per resident. Each of the four neighboring towns with a library of its own lends more, led by Urbandale at 9. Libraries next door ↓
People come to Des Moines Public Library a lot
Des Moines Public Library logs 4 visits per resident, against a typical 2.1 for libraries serving 100,000+ people, more than 91% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 3.8 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
Programs draw a crowd
117,000 people came to the library’s 3,206 programs last year: 0.5 per resident, against a typical 0.2, more than at 92% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Six places to borrow in Des Moines
Des Moines Public Library runs six locations, and one card works at all of them. The buildings ↓
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 Des Moines’ civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Des Moines is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #70 of 138 in Iowa. Among the 385 U.S. cities over 100,000 we grade, it ranks #33. All three inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups 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 →
981 community nonprofits are registered in Des Moines
4.6 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 (221 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 51 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
9.3%
9.3% of Des Moines’ 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 Des Moines’ residents live; 2022.
About 36 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 Des Moines last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Des Moines Public Library serves 221,659 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 49 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
848K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 416K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2 times last year, on average.
6 places to borrow in Des Moines
Des Moines Public Library, 1000 Grand Ave, Des Moines.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Des Moines
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.22 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Des Moines cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $11M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $14M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $11M 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 86,593 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Des Moines ranks 5th of 5 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urbandale | Urbandale Public Library | 9.0 | 70 | B+ |
| West Des Moines | West Des Moines Public Library | 6.1 | 64 | B |
| Pleasant Hill | Pleasant Hill Public Library fine-free | 5.5 | 57 | B− |
| Norwalk | Norwalk Easter Public Library fine-free | 4.9 | 51 | B |
| Des Moines | Des Moines Public Library fine-free | 3.8 | 62 | B+ |
| Windsor Heights | None of its own | — | — | A− |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
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 Des Moines
Does Des Moines have a public library?
Yes. Des Moines Public Library, 1000 Grand Ave, serves Des Moines’ 221,659 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 62 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Des Moines Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Des Moines’ library?
It logged 4.0 visits and lent 3.8 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Des Moines’ civic life grade?
B+ Des Moines is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on civic life, #70 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 Des Moines.
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.