Photo: Tedder · CC BY 3.0Madras’ library runs 29 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24 for libraries its size
Jefferson County Library District serves 21,349 people in and around Madras. Last year it lent 35K print books and media and logged 37K visits.
What Madras’s library is like
Most programs are for young children
77% of the 626 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 4.7 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 17% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 40% for its size. How it compares ↓
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; Jefferson County Library District serves 21,349 people in and around Madras, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Madras’ civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Madras is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #67 of 106 in Oregon. Madras is graded on two of the three inputs. Madras’ count of community nonprofits holds 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 →
62 community nonprofits are registered in Madras
8.1 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 (20 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 1 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
6.4%
6.4% of Madras’ 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 Madras’ residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Jefferson County Library District serves 21,349 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 16 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Jefferson County Library District system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
35K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
About 9 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, 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
Jefferson County Library District, 241 SE 7th St., Madras.
No late fees. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Jefferson County Library District branch.
New in Madras? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Madras cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $957K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $684K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $957K 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 3,601 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Jefferson County Library District serves 21,349 people in and around Madras, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Madras.
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 Madras
Does Madras have a public library?
Yes. Jefferson County Library District, 241 SE 7th St., serves 21,349 people in and around Madras (the survey’s count) and is open about 41 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Jefferson County Library District fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Madras’ library?
It logged 1.7 visits and lent 1.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Madras’ civic life grade?
B+ Madras is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on civic life, #67 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 Madras.
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.