Photo: T.S. Custadio aka ToddC4176 at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Falmouth’s library lends 11 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries its size
Falmouth Public Library serves Falmouth’s 32,440 residents from 3 locations. Last year it lent 372K print books and media and logged 182K visits.
Falmouth’s library, in brief
Open about 96 hours a week
The main library is open about 96 hours a week, averaged over the year. Every hour the doors are open, about 50 items go out. The buildings ↓
Falmouth uses its library more than almost any town its size
Falmouth Public Library logs 5.6 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, and lends 11 print items per resident against a typical 3.7. On both counts it beats 91% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Three places to borrow in Falmouth
Falmouth Public Library runs three locations, and one card works at all of them. The buildings ↓
Falmouth invests in its library
Falmouth Public Library spends $84 per resident a year, about twice the typical $40 for a library its size. Almost all of it (96%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
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 Falmouth’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Falmouth is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #36 of 283 in Massachusetts. All three inputs are above most U.S. towns; Falmouth’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 →
233 community nonprofits are registered in Falmouth
7.1 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 (19 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.
9.9%
9.9% of Falmouth’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.9% in the typical Massachusetts 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 Falmouth’s residents live; 2022.
Every hour the doors are open, about 50 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
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.
Falmouth Public Library serves 32,440 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Books and media off the shelf
372K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 141K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.6 times last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 11 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 Falmouth last year.
5 places to borrow in Falmouth
Falmouth Public Library, 300 Main St., Falmouth.
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 Falmouth? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Falmouth
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.17 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Falmouth cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $2.7M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $5.9M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $2.7M 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 21,931 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Falmouth ranks 5th of 8 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Falmouth | West Falmouth Library, Inc. fine-free | 77.3 | 29 | — graded as part of its town |
| Woods Hole | Woods Hole Public Library fine-free | 49.0 | 31 | — under 1,000 residents |
| Gosnold | Cuttyhunk Public Library fine-free | 24.3 | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Mashpee | Mashpee Public Library fine-free | 12.8 | 43 | A− |
| Falmouth | Falmouth Public Library fine-free | 11.5 | 96 | A |
| East Falmouth | East Falmouth Branch Library fine-free | 11.5 | 28 | — graded as part of its town |
| North Falmouth | North Falmouth Branch Library fine-free | 11.5 | 19 | — graded as part of its town |
| Bourne | Jonathan Bourne Public Library fine-free | 4.6 | 54 | C |
| Seabrook | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Seconsett Island | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Teaticket | None of its own | — | — | — graded as part of its town |
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 Falmouth
Does Falmouth have a public library?
Yes. Falmouth Public Library, 300 Main St., serves Falmouth’s 32,440 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 96 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Falmouth 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 Falmouth’s library?
It logged 5.6 visits and lent 11.5 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Falmouth’s civic life grade?
A Falmouth is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on civic life, #36 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 Falmouth.
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.