Columbia College · Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 3.0Milton-Freewater’s library runs 8.7 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24 for libraries its size
Milton-Freewater Public Library serves Milton-Freewater’s 12,834 residents. Last year it lent 36K print books and media and drew 1,960 people to its programs.
The short version on Milton-Freewater’s library
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, Milton-Freewater Public Library sits below the middle on all five per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on three. How it compares ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 19% of the people Milton-Freewater Public Library serves have a library card, against a typical 40% for its size. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
Milton-Freewater Public Library offered 112 programs last year, 8.7 per 1,000 residents against a typical 24. Kids & programs ↓
Most programs are for young children
71% of the 112 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 1 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
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 Milton-Freewater’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Milton-Freewater is ahead of 20% of U.S. towns, #98 of 106 in Oregon. Its library’s 2024 visits weren’t reported, so Milton-Freewater is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Milton-Freewater’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
The survey’s stand-in for Milton-Freewater’s 2024 visits is its own estimate, so it is left out.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($39K–$65K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
22 community nonprofits are registered in Milton-Freewater
3.1 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 (9 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 3 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
5.7%
5.7% of Milton-Freewater’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 Milton-Freewater’s residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Milton-Freewater Public Library serves 12,834 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. The library’s own count.
Not reported for 2024: visits. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
36K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 33K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.1 time last year, on average.
About 2 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 Milton-Freewater last year.
Find it
Milton-Freewater Public Library, 8 SW 8th Ave, Milton-Freewater.
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 $1.21 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Milton-Freewater cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $450K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $543K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $450K budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 2,416 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Not reported for 2024: visits. Milton-Freewater Public Library didn’t report visits; the survey’s estimate is its own, so we leave it out and never rank it.
- 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 Milton-Freewater
Does Milton-Freewater have a public library?
Yes. Milton-Freewater Public Library, 8 SW 8th Ave, serves Milton-Freewater’s 12,834 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 44 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Milton-Freewater Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Milton-Freewater’s library?
It lent 2.8 items per resident in 2024 (print) and ran 112 programs that drew 1,960 people. Visits weren’t reported for 2024.
What is Milton-Freewater’s civic life grade?
C− Milton-Freewater is ahead of 20% of U.S. towns on civic life, #98 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 Milton-Freewater.
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.