Photo: M.O. Stevens · Public domainNorth Plains’ library lends 13 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
North Plains Public Library serves North Plains’s 5,108 residents. Last year it lent 67K print books and media and logged 33K visits.
The short version on North Plains’s library
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 54% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 97% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 41 items per child in North Plains last year. Kids & programs ↓
North Plains is a town of borrowers
North Plains Public Library lends 13 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, more than 96% of similar-size libraries. Each item on the shelves went out about 3.5 times last year. What people borrow ↓
North Plains invests in its library
North Plains Public Library spends $130 per resident a year, about three times the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (89%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
Most programs are for young children
66% of the 206 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 44 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 North Plains’ civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, North Plains is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #60 of 106 in Oregon. North Plains is graded on two of the three inputs. North Plains’ 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 →
24 community nonprofits are registered in North Plains
7.0 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 (5 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.
7.1%
7.1% of North Plains’ 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 North Plains’ residents live; 2022.
About 3 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 North Plains last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
North Plains Public Library serves 5,108 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 25 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
67K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 19K books and other items on the shelves went out about 3.5 times last year, on average.
Find it
North Plains Public Library, 31334 NW Commercial St., North Plains.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in North Plains? 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 $1.51 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average North Plains cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $666K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $666K 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 2,501 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.
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 Plains
Does North Plains have a public library?
Yes. North Plains Public Library, 31334 NW Commercial St., serves North Plains’ 5,108 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 52 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is North Plains Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is North Plains’ library?
It logged 6.4 visits and lent 13.0 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is North Plains’ civic life grade?
B+ North Plains is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on civic life, #60 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 North Plains.
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.