Underwood’s library lends 6.2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Underwood Public Library serves Underwood’s 784 residents. Last year it lent 4,826 books, movies and e-books and logged 1,905 visits.
Underwood’s library, in brief
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 100% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 92% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 27 items per child in Underwood last year. Kids & programs ↓
A small-town library
Underwood Public Library serves 784 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 25 hours a week. It’s compared only with libraries serving under 2,500 people, because per-person numbers always look big in a small town. A year at the library ↓
Runs on less money than most
Underwood Public Library spends $13 per resident, less than 96% of similar-size libraries (typical: $54). 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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Underwood’s civic life grade
Underwood 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 →
16 programs a year
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 Underwood last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Underwood Public Library serves 784 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 4 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
4,826 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 7,823 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.6 time last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card.
Find it
Underwood Public Library, 88 Lincoln Ave, Underwood.
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 $6.43 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Underwood cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $10K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $64K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $10K 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 422 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 Underwood
Does Underwood have a public library?
Yes. Underwood Public Library, 88 Lincoln Ave, serves Underwood’s 784 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 25 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Underwood Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Underwood’s library?
It logged 2.4 visits and lent 6.2 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Underwood’s civic life grade?
Underwood 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 Underwood.
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.