Photo: M.O. Stevens · CC BY-SA 3.0Salem’s library lends 7.1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.2 for libraries its size
Salem Public Library serves Salem’s 182,726 residents from 2 locations. Last year it lent 1.3M print books and media and logged 362K visits.
Salem’s library, in brief
Few programs for a library this size
Salem Public Library offered 602 programs last year, 3.3 per 1,000 residents against a typical 9. Kids & programs ↓
The shelves work hard
Each of the 276,000 items on the shelves went out about 4.7 times last year, on average. What people borrow ↓
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 Salem’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Salem is ahead of 32% of U.S. towns, #89 of 106 in Oregon. Among the 385 U.S. cities over 100,000 we grade, it ranks #159. Salem’s count of community nonprofits holds the grade up; library visits pull it down.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($57K–$94K) 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 →
703 community nonprofits are registered in Salem
3.9 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
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 (158 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 24 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
6.9%
6.9% of Salem’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 Salem’s residents live; 2022.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
1.3M print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 276K books and other items on the shelves went out about 4.7 times last year, on average.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Salem Public Library serves 182,726 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 406 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
About 7 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 Salem last year.
2 places to borrow in Salem
Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty St. SE, Salem.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Salem? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Salem
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $4.26 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Salem cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $4.6M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $4.6M 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 62,056 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem | Salem Public Library fine-free | 7.1 | 44 | C |
| Hayesville | None of its own | — | — | — unincorporated |
| Four Corners | None of its own | — | — | — unincorporated |
| Keizer | None of its own | — | — | C |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
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 Salem
Does Salem have a public library?
Yes. Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty St. SE, serves Salem’s 182,726 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 44 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Salem Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Salem’s library?
It logged 2.0 visits and lent 7.1 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Salem’s civic life grade?
C Salem is ahead of 32% of U.S. towns on civic life, #89 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 Salem.
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.