Photo: Iowahwyman · CC BY-SA 3.0Waukee’s library runs 34 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14 for libraries its size
Waukee Public Library serves Waukee’s 25,269 residents. Last year it lent 184K print books and media and logged 104K visits.
Waukee’s library, in brief
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 74% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 92% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 17 items per child in Waukee last year. Kids & programs ↓
Programs are almost all for children
82% of the 866 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 12 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
Waukee Public Library ran 866 programs last year, about 17 a week. That’s 34 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 27,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
The shelves work hard
Each of the 46,000 items on the shelves went out about 4 times last year, on average. 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 Waukee’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Waukee is ahead of 46% of U.S. towns, #115 of 138 in Iowa. Library visits hold the grade up; Waukee’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.
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 →
78 community nonprofits are registered in Waukee
2.7 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 (13 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 2 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
8.0%
8.0% of Waukee’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 Waukee’s residents live; 2022.
About 14 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 Waukee last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Waukee Public Library serves 25,269 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 63 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
184K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 46K books and other items on the shelves went out about 4 times last year, on average.
Find it
Waukee Public Library, 950 S Warrior Ln, Waukee.
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 $1.79 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Waukee cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.5M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $2.7M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.5M 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 18,164 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Waukee ranks 2nd of 4 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clive | Clive Public Library fine-free | 9.0 | 69 | C+ |
| Waukee | Waukee Public Library fine-free | 7.3 | 57 | B− |
| West Des Moines | West Des Moines Public Library | 6.1 | 64 | B |
| Van Meter | Van Meter Public Library fine-free | 4.0 | 42 | B+ |
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 Waukee
Does Waukee have a public library?
Yes. Waukee Public Library, 950 S Warrior Ln, serves Waukee’s 25,269 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 57 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Waukee Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Waukee’s library?
It logged 4.1 visits and lent 7.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Waukee’s civic life grade?
B− Waukee is ahead of 46% of U.S. towns on civic life, #115 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 Waukee.
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.