George A. Wells Jr. House · Photo: 46percent · Public domainIndependence’s library logs 6 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries its size
Independence Public Library serves Independence’s 10,274 residents. Last year it lent 66K print books and media and logged 62K visits.
What stands out about Independence’s library
Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Independence’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Independence is ahead of 65% of U.S. towns, #70 of 106 in Oregon. Library visits hold the grade up; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups pulls it down.
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 →
40 community nonprofits are registered in Independence
3.9 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 (10 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
7.3%
7.3% of Independence’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.9% in the typical Oregon 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 Independence’s residents live; 2022.
Every hour the doors are open, about 36 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Independence Public Library serves 10,274 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
66K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 49K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.4 time last year, on average.
About 1 kids’ program 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 Independence last year.
Find it
Independence Public Library, 175 Monmouth St., Independence.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Independence? 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 $2.34 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Independence cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $503K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $503K 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 3,201 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monmouth | Monmouth Public Library fine-free | 9.6 | 37 | B |
| Independence | Independence Public Library fine-free | 6.4 | 35 | 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.
- Visits are a typical-week estimate. Independence Public Library counted one typical week and multiplied by 52, as the survey allows.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’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 Independence
Does Independence have a public library?
Yes. Independence Public Library, 175 Monmouth St., serves Independence’s 10,274 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 35 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Independence Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Independence’s library?
It logged 6.0 visits and lent 6.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Independence’s civic life grade?
B+ Independence is ahead of 65% of U.S. towns on civic life, #70 of 106 in Oregon. 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 Independence.
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.