Photo: Fletcher6 · CC BY-SA 3.0Amesbury’s library lends 7.2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Amesbury Public Library serves 17,179 people in and around Amesbury. Last year it lent 123K print books and media and logged 28K visits.
The short version on Amesbury’s library
People borrow more than they stay
Borrowing per resident is higher than at 80% of similar-size libraries, but visits are lower than at 77%. People come in, pick up their books and go. How it compares ↓
The library is a National Register landmark
Amesbury Public Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2025. Today’s library there has 11,000 square feet. The building ↓
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 Amesbury’s civic life grade
On library visits and community nonprofits, Amesbury is ahead of 2% of U.S. towns, #279 of 283 in Massachusetts. Amesbury is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; library visits come closest to the middle.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($78K–$129K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for 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 →
Amesbury has few registered community nonprofits
0.0 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: arts & culture.
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 (0 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 4 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Amesbury Public Library serves 17,179 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 48 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
123K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 53K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.3 times last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 2 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.
A National Register landmark since 2025
Amesbury Public Library, 149 Main St., Amesbury.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Amesbury? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Amesbury Public Library
Amesbury Public Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Dec 9, 2025. It is significant for its architecture, education and town planning at the local level.
More about the building →For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.76 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Amesbury cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1.1M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.9M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.1M 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 11,945 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Amesbury ranks 3rd of 6 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Newbury | G. A. R. Memorial Library fine-free | 15.2 | 42 | A |
| Newburyport | Newburyport Public Library fine-free | 12.5 | 60 | A+ |
| Amesbury | Amesbury Public Library fine-free | 7.2 | 49 | D− |
| Merrimac | Merrimac Public Library fine-free | 6.1 | 37 | C+ |
| South Hampton | South Hampton Free Public Library fine-free | 4.9 | 21 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Salisbury | Salisbury Public Library fine-free | 3.7 | 43 | 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. Massachusetts libraries often don’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 Amesbury
Does Amesbury have a public library?
Yes. Amesbury Public Library, 149 Main St., serves 17,179 people in and around Amesbury (the survey’s count) and is open about 49 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Amesbury Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks and research databases with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Amesbury’s library?
It logged 1.6 visits and lent 7.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Amesbury’s civic life grade?
D− Amesbury is ahead of 2% of U.S. towns on civic life, #279 of 283 in Massachusetts. 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 Amesbury.
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. Building history: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.