Cox-Williams House · Photo: Ian Poellet (User:Werewombat) · CC BY-SA 3.0St. Helens Public Library didn’t send its yearly numbers to the Public Libraries Survey
St. Helens Public Library serves St. Helens’s 15,009 residents.
What stands out about St. Helens’s library
Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind St. Helens’ civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, St. Helens is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #63 of 106 in Oregon. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; library visits pull 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 →
89 community nonprofits are registered in St. Helens
6.2 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 (14 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.
10.9%
10.9% of St. Helens’ 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 St. Helens’ residents live; 2022.
Find it
St. Helens Public Library, 375 S 18th St., Ste A, St. Helens.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in St. Helens? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Helens | St. Helens Public Library fine-free | — | 48 | B+ |
| Columbia City | None of its own | — | — | A− |
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.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 St. Helens
Does St. Helens have a public library?
Yes. St. Helens Public Library, 375 S 18th St., Ste A, serves St. Helens’ 15,009 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 48 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is St. Helens Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
What is St. Helens’ civic life grade?
B+ St. Helens is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on civic life, #63 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 St. Helens.
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.