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Benton County Historical MuseumPhoto: Finetooth · CC BY-SA 3.0
Philomath Community Library · part of Corvallis-Benton County Public Library

Philomath’s library is a branch of Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, which lends more per resident than 95% of systems its size

Philomath’s library is the Philomath Community Library, a branch of Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, which serves 89,514 people and lent 1.2M items last year.

1050 Applegate Street, Philomath 97370
A+Civic lifeAhead of 98% of U.S. towns · #7 of 106 in Oregon. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (541) 929-3016 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
1.2M
13.3 per resident
Visits a year
402K
4.5 per resident · Above typical (2.6)
Programs & events
1,023
about 20 a week · 33K attended
Cardholders
45%
40,279 cards
In brief

The short version on Philomath’s library

A system of heavy borrowers

The Corvallis-Benton County Public Library system lends 13 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, more than 95% of similar-size libraries. What people borrow ↓

Kids’ borrowing is a standout

Children’s books and media are 46% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 94% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓

A well-funded system

The Corvallis-Benton County Public Library system spends $97 per resident a year, about twice the typical $40 for a library its size. Almost all of it (97%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓

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; Philomath’s library is a branch of Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (89,514 people), not just the Philomath branch.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Philomath’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Philomath is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #7 of 106 in Oregon. Philomath is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Philomath’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.

A+
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Philomath’s overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureACommunity nonprofits8.7 per 1,000 residents · OR towns 5.2 · U.S. 3.7AVolunteering12.1% of adults 25–44 · OR towns 8.9% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 98%
FewerMore
Oregon towns we grade (106)Ahead of 94%
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $63K–$105K (8,867)Ahead of 98%

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.

How sure. Graded on two inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. Philomath is small (5,699 residents), so a few dozen organizations or visits move its per-resident figures; the volunteering share is a 2022 estimate from Facebook users aged 25–44.

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 →

Places to belong

49 community nonprofits are registered in Philomath

8.7 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture50.89 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation71.24 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans91.60 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services101.77 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education81.42 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health10.18 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals50.89 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other40.71 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.47

Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (7 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.

Volunteering

12.1%

12.1% of Philomath’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 Philomath’s residents live; 2022.

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 11 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.

Schools in Philomath →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–5254
Ages 6–11321
Teens74
Adults232
All ages142
Little ones
4.9

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

554K
kids’ books & media borrowed
33K
people at programs
1,023
programs
How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 7 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 4.5 visits · typical 2.6Higher than 82%
Borrowing per resident 13.3 print items · typical 3.7Top 10%
Kids’ borrowing 6.2 kids’ items · typical 1.7Top 10%
Program attendance 0.4 attendees · typical 0.3Higher than 57%
Programs offered 11.4 per 1,000 residents · typical 14Lower than 62%
Cardholders 45% of residents · typical 39%Higher than 60%
Spending $97 per resident · typical $40Higher than 89%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Corvallis-Benton County Public Library serves 89,514 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.

A year at the library

A year at Corvallis-Benton County Public Library

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Corvallis-Benton County Public Library system. The library’s own count.

402K
visits
4.5 per resident
1.2M
loans, print + digital
13.3 per resident
1,023
programs & events
33K attended
40K
library cards
45% of people served
Every week628people at a program
Every day1,047Wi-Fi sessions
46 staff (full-time equivalent)59 public computers

Not reported for 2024: hours open. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.

What people borrow

Almost half the print loans are kids’ books

1.2M print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.

1.2Mloans
Books & media (adults) 54%Kids’ books & media 46%
The building

Find it

Philomath Community Library, 1050 Applegate Street, Philomath.

Directions(541) 929-3016
5,000
square feet
With a card

No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Corvallis-Benton County Public Library branch.

New in Philomath? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.19 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Philomath cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
1
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
1
Your card saves you about
$384
a year at retail prices · $32 a month

Who pays for it
$97 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $8.6M.

Local taxes 97%State 0%Gifts & other 2%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $19M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $8.6M 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 40,279 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • Not reported for 2024: hours open. The survey filled the figure with its own estimate, so it is left out.
  • Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
  • System-wide. Philomath Community Library is one branch of Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 89,514 people it serves.

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 Philomath

Does Philomath have a public library?

Yes: Philomath Community Library, 1050 Applegate Street, is a branch of Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, which serves 89,514 people.

Is Corvallis-Benton County Public Library fine-free?

Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).

How busy is Philomath’s library?

It logged 4.5 visits and lent 13.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.

What is Philomath’s civic life grade?

A+ Philomath is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on civic life, #7 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 Philomath.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.