Photo: SounderBruce · CC BY-SA 4.0Pendleton’s library runs 8.7 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24 for libraries its size
Pendleton Public Library serves Pendleton’s 22,527 residents. Last year it lent 59K print books and media and logged 54K visits.
The short version on Pendleton’s library
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, Pendleton Public Library sits below the middle on all six per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on three. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
Pendleton Public Library offered 197 programs last year, 8.7 per 1,000 residents against a typical 24. 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 Pendleton’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Pendleton is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #21 of 106 in Oregon. Pendleton is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Pendleton’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
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 →
142 community nonprofits are registered in Pendleton
8.4 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.
9.0%
9.0% of Pendleton’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 Pendleton’s residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Pendleton Public Library serves 22,527 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 24 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
59K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 44K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.4 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 Pendleton last year.
Find it
Pendleton Public Library, 502 SW Dorion Ave, Pendleton.
Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Pendleton? 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 $1.19 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Pendleton cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $762K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $905K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $762K 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 6,061 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 Pendleton
Does Pendleton have a public library?
Yes. Pendleton Public Library, 502 SW Dorion Ave, serves Pendleton’s 22,527 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 48 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Pendleton Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Pendleton’s library?
It logged 2.4 visits and lent 2.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Pendleton’s civic life grade?
A Pendleton is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on civic life, #21 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 Pendleton.
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.