North Falmouth’s library lends 11 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries its size
Falmouth Public Library serves 32,440 people in and around North Falmouth. Last year it lent 372K print books and media and logged 182K visits.
What North Falmouth’s library is like
North 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 ↓
Open only about 19 hours a week
Falmouth Public Library keeps short hours: about 19 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. Falmouth Public Library in Falmouth, next door, is open about 96 hours a week. The building ↓
Falmouth Public Library serves more than North Falmouth
The library’s service area covers 32,440 people in and around North Falmouth, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
North 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 North Falmouth’s civic life grade
North Falmouth isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
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 →
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.
Find it
North Falmouth Branch Library, 6 Chester Street, North 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 North Falmouth? The Handbook →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 $2.17 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average North 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
North Falmouth ranks 2nd of 4 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 |
| North Falmouth | North Falmouth Branch Library fine-free | 11.5 | 19 | — graded as part of its town |
| Falmouth | Falmouth Public Library fine-free | 11.5 | 96 | A |
| Bourne | Jonathan Bourne Public Library fine-free | 4.6 | 54 | C |
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 North Falmouth
Does North Falmouth have a public library?
Yes. Falmouth Public Library, 6 Chester Street, serves 32,440 people in and around North Falmouth (the survey’s count) and is open about 19 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 North 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 North Falmouth’s civic life grade?
North Falmouth 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 North 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.