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Astoria Public Library District

Astoria’s library lends 2.3 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size

Astoria Public Library District serves 1,808 people in and around Astoria. Last year it lent 4,087 print books and media and logged 4,713 visits.

220 West Broadway Street, Astoria 61501 · about 33 hours a week
–Civic lifeNot graded: fewer than 1,000 residents
Borrowed a year
4,087
2.3 per resident
Visits a year
4,713
2.6 per resident · Below typical (3.5)
Programs & events
88
about 2 a week · 1,487 attended
Cardholders
15%
270 cards
Open
33 hrs
a week at this branch

What stands out about Astoria Public Library District

Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Astoria’s civic life grade

Astoria isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.

–
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Astoria’s overall grade.

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 →

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 6 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 2.6 visits · typical 3.5Lower than 64%
Borrowing per resident 2.3 print items · typical 3.9Lower than 72%
Program attendance 0.8 attendees · typical 0.7Higher than 56%
Programs offered 48.7 per 1,000 residents · typical 60Lower than 57%
Cardholders 15% of residents · typical 54%Bottom 10%
Spending $46 per resident · typical $54Lower than 60%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Astoria Public Library District serves 1,808 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Astoria Public Library District system. The library’s own count.

4,713
visits
2.6 per resident
4,087
loans, print + digital
2.3 per resident
88
programs & events
1,487 attended
270
library cards
15% of people served
Every open hour2items borrowed
Every week29people at a program
Every day6Wi-Fi sessions
1 staff (full-time equivalent)6 public computers
What people borrow

Books and media off the shelf

4,087 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 Astoria’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.

Kids & programs

88 programs a year

Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.

Schools in Astoria →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–56
Ages 6–1136
Teens18
Adults18
All ages10
Little ones
0.1

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

1,487
people at programs
88
programs
The building

Find it

Astoria Public Library District, 220 West Broadway Street, Astoria.

33
hours open a week
5,000
square feet
With a card

No late fees. Good at every Astoria Public Library District branch.

New in Astoria? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.09 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Astoria cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
1
Your card saves you about
$240
a year at retail prices · $20 a month

Who pays for it
$46 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $83K.

Local taxes 79%State 3%Federal 1%Gifts & other 17%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $91K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $83K 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 270 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • Digital loans not reported. Illinois libraries often don’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
  • System-wide. Astoria Public Library District serves 1,808 people in and around Astoria, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Astoria.

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 Astoria

Does Astoria have a public library?

Yes. Astoria Public Library District, 220 West Broadway Street, serves 1,808 people in and around Astoria (the survey’s count) and is open about 33 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Astoria Public Library District fine-free?

Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).

How busy is Astoria’s library?

It logged 2.6 visits and lent 2.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.

What is Astoria’s civic life grade?

Astoria 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 Astoria.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.